While President Clinton is unlikely to achieve Middle East Peace before leaving office, he is reportedly angling for just enough progress on the issue to convince President Bush to appoint him as a special ambassador to the region. New Secretary of State Powell has shaken Foggy Bottom to its foundations by demanding to know the names of the previously unknown staffers who write most position papers (so that he can call them for more information on key points). This disrupts the power structure, in which the Secretary of State is expected to call his most senior aides for the information (despite the fact it could take hours for them to obtain it from the staffers). The Pentagon has agreed (under pressure from incoming Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld) to delay the next test of the missile defense system until June, giving him time to redefine the entire system.--Stephen V Cole