A Bush Loyalist Tackles Katrina Recovery

Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-La.), who has sought a Katrina coordinator for months, said he was pleased a federal recovery czar was appointed. Jindal, however, said he initially "suggested a Colin Powell, or a Jack Welch," referring to the former secretary of state and to the retired chairman of General Electric.

Democratic critics call Powell's selection business as usual by an administration they say has stocked a dysfunctional Homeland Security bureaucracy with loyalists. Even some Republicans in touch with the White House say they are pushing the president's advisers to tackle the recovery faster and more visibly. They say both Congress and the executive branch recoil at the cost and want the other to take the lead.

Yet Rep. Barney Frank (Mass.), a frequent Bush critic and top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, praised Powell's tenure at the FDIC.

"I found him to be very reasonable. He talks about issues and is solid on the facts," Frank said. Powell's FDIC term was scheduled to end next August.

Powell is a self-made millionaire and lifelong Baptist who extols capitalism and ethics in speeches at business schools. When the White House called about the Katrina job, Powell said, he ignored doubters and cited a duty to serve.

"Most people said, 'You don't want to do that. The likelihood of failure is much greater than success,' " he said. "What they didn't know is, that's what really motivates me."

Powell, who pauses before speaking and squints when making a point, added: "There's always going to be pricking, shoving, pushing and jibes. I'm going to ignore that. . . . I have a mission . . . and nothing is going to deter me from that."

"I've got lots to learn," he said. He mentioned receiving two books, John M. Barry's "Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America" and Michael J. Hogan's "The Marshall Plan: America, Britain and the Reconstruction of Western Europe, 1947-1952."

In his statement on accepting the post and in a 45-minute interview, Powell never mentioned his new boss, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. Powell has made a point of saying he was honored to be chosen by Bush, although Chertoff announced his appointment Nov. 1 and said Powell would report to Bush through him.

Powell employs a banker's discretion in describing his relationship with the president and his father, George H.W. Bush, whose presidential library and school Powell helped launch. An overnight guest at Camp David with his wife, Twanna, Powell said the current president is "someone I admire. . . . His values. His heart. His will to win."

Powell grew up in the working-class Palo Duro section of Amarillo. Like many ambitious young men in west Texas with little in the way of wealth or family connections, he made his first mark through high school football, becoming an all-district center in 1958, said longtime friend Stanley Marsh.

As a bank executive, he started days at 4:30 a.m. and ended only when the deal was closed, said J. Pat Hickman, chief executive of Happy State Bank in Happy, Tex. "You will not outwork him," said Hickman, who, like most people who worked with Powell in Amarillo, calls him DP. "If you produced, you were in his glow. If you didn't, you weren't his friend."