Purge of the neocons

LAME-DUCK PRESIDENTS from the right or left tend to edge toward the center in their waning years of office, but the ideological changes gripping George W. Bush seem nearly as profound as a religious conversion. Not only is his administration openly negotiating with North Korea and Iran, once derided as pillars of his “axis of evil,� but he seems to be valuing professionalism and competence at least as much as loyalty in his appointees.

Bush’s choice of Robert B. Zoellick to succeed Iraq war architect Paul D. Wolfowitz as head of the World Bank is a startling, but by no means isolated, example. Zoellick is a technocrat with vast experience in international diplomacy, trade negotiations and financial management. Though he and Wolfowitz worked together as part of a team of intellectuals who advised Bush on foreign policy during his first presidential campaign, Zoellick is a realist and committed internationalist where Wolfowitz is a neoconservative ideologue.

His appointment is part of a purging of neocons from top offices; others sent packing include Donald H. Rumsfeld, John R. Bolton, Richard N. Perle and Douglas J. Feith. Rumsfeld was replaced as Defense secretary by another realist with an impeccable resume, Robert M. Gates. Other recent Bush appointees showing an unusual degree of professionalism include Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon R. England, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker and United Nations Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. Perhaps more notable, given Bush’s evangelical support base, he appointed an openly gay technocrat, Mark R. Dybul, as global AIDS coordinator.

To be sure, Bush sometimes lapses back to his old form. In March, he nominated Michael E. Baroody, a lobbyist for the National Assn. of Manufacturers -- which often battles on behalf of businesses against government safety regulations -- to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission; Baroody withdrew his nomination last week when it became clear he wouldn’t be confirmed. But with the departure of Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales disastrously overdue, the supply of uninspiring Bush loyalists in key positions is getting thin. If Bush’s conversion to common sense holds, we can hope for better from Gonzales’ successor.