QUESTIONS:
1. Former President Gerald Ford recently celebrated his 90th birthday at a White House event hosted by President Bush. How many other former Presidents reached the age of 90?
2. Before becoming vice president, Ford had been House Republican Leader. What vice president since Ford previously served in the House leadership?
3. Secretary of State Colin Powell has denied reports that he would resign from office by ’05, even if President Bush is re-elected. Who was the last four-star general before Powell to become secretary of state?
4. Sources close to Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said that he, too, would resign if Powell also quit, thus ensuring that the Number Two man at State does not move up to the top job. Who was the last deputy secretary to become secretary of state?
5. White House National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice has been mentioned as a possible successor to Powell. Who were the only two secretaries of state to have served as head of the NSC?
ANSWERS:
1. John Adams, Herbert Hoover, and Ronald Reagan.
2. Richard Cheney, who was House Republican Whip from 1988-92.
3. Alexander Haig in 1981.
4. Warren Christoper, who was deputy secretary of state from 1976-80 and secretary of state from 1992-96.
5. Henry Kissinger, NSC head from 1969-74 and secretary of state from 1973-77 (holding both jobs simultaneously from 1973-74) and Colin Powell, who was NSC head from 1987-88 and has been secretary of state since 2000.
