GENE RANDALL, CNN ANCHOR: Is there White House reaction to all of this that's happened today, Colin Powell and his nomination? Let's check in with Kathleen Koch -- Kathleen.</s>KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Gene, the White House is not reacting officially to any of President-Elect Bush's Cabinet picks. However, it is no secret that General Powell is very popular with Republicans and Democrats alike. As a matter of fact, General Powell was considered for this very same position by President Clinton back in 1997 when then-Secretary of State Warren Christopher was stepping down. Powell though at that point sent word back to the president that he was not interested in the job at that time. Of course, Powell was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Clinton. The two men clashed occasionally on issues, for example, such as lifting the ban on gays in the military. Colin Powell then retiring in 1993. Back to you, Gene.</s>RANDALL: This week at the White House, as you know, George W. Bush and the man he will succeed, Bill Clinton, what's that likely to key on.</s>KOCH: The main focus, Gene, is going to be foreign policy. Of course, George W. Bush having spent a good deal of time here in the White House when his father was president, does not need to know where is the Oval Office? Where I will have my meetings, things such as that. So they'll really be focusing on foreign policy. It should be a meeting very similar to the one you see there before you, the meeting that took place eight years ago when President-Elect Clinton was welcomed to the official residence by President George Bush. The two men at that point met, had coffee, their wives got together and, actually, as you can see there is President Clinton getting a tour of the rose garden. This issue -- the focus of the meetings on Tuesday around mid-day will be foreign policy. President Clinton wants to lay out the hot spots, Israel, the Israeli-Palestinian issues, the situation in Iraq, Northern Ireland -- situations that George Bush as the next president will have to be dealing with -- Gene.</s>RANDALL: Thank you, Kathleen. Kathleen Koch at the White House.
No Official Reaction from the White House on Colin Powell's Nomination to Secretary of State