General Colin Powell is a great American. Serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1990 and 1991 during "Operation Desert Shield" and then the war, "Operation Desert Storm," he always provided expert, reasoned advice.
Much of the advice went to our current president's father.
But as Secretary of State, Colin Powell never felt that his views and opinions mattered much. The dynamos running foreign policy in George W. Bush's presidency were undoubtedly, the Vice President, Mr. Cheney, the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, and even the National Security Advisor and Powell's successor as Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.
On February 5, 2003, Colin Powell made the case for the United States of America before the United Nations. In a detailed presentation with graphics, he thought he showed the CIA's best estimate of the Weapons of Mass Destruction situation inside Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
The United States and coalition allies invaded Iraq. In fact, U.S. forces rushed into Iraq and disarmed and disbanded Saddam's army much faster than almost anyone believed possible.
Much of what the CIA had told Colin Powell about Saddam's WMD turned out not to be true. Or at least it looked that way. And to many, around the world, there is still great doubt about the U.S.'s explanation about why war was needed against Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
Allies and friends of the U.S. have asked me: "If Saddam was such a threat, and had such great stockpiles of WMD, and the mighty U.S. military invaded and quickly ended the war; where are those WMD?
Where indeed.
Colin Powell certainly wonders.
General Powell retired. And in keeping with long standing traditions of retired U.S. military officers, especially Generals, he has largely stayed out of politics and the ongoing national debate about the war in Iraq and the war on terror.
But then the CIA Director urged the president to sponsor a reinterpretation of rules governing the treatment of prisoners. CIA Director Michael V. Hayden wanted the Geneva Conventions reinterpreted or redefined for his questioners of prisoners.
Powell decided to strike. We think he just could not remain quiet any longer.
He wrote a letter to Senator John McCain. Senator McCain, a former prisoner of war that has suffered from ememy torture, has strong feelings about the proper legal guidance to Americans entrusted with the care of prisoners in time of war.
In a carefully worded letter to Senator John McCain, General Powell wrote that the president's plan to redefine the Geneva Conventions would encourage the world to "doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism," and "put our own troops at risk."
Another former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Vessey, in a letter to Senator McCain urging him to stop changes in interpretation to the Geneva conventions wrote, "...it could give opponents a legal argument for the mistreatment of Americans being held prisoner in time of war."
Powell did not retire in disgrace as he should. He served his term as a Secretary of State and then was replacced by a bigger monster. In his Y2003 speeh which will live in infamy Powell deliberately lied to the world. He sold his soul and his integrity. Moreover, he, being smart as he was supported ALL Bush's crimes and also supported Bush in reelection. Tony Snow has all the right to say that Powell is confused. Powell forgot who his masters are for thatt 'momentous moment'. i am sure they are now reminding him of who they are and we soon will hear him ' confused' very much.
For goodness sake, people, can we somehow come to some final conclusions? Why after all those sacrifices ( Powell's speech killed hundreds of thousands of people) we have to hear noises about him being a 'great American'. If he is great then I weep for America.
by
Mark Sashine (51 articles, 19 quicklinks, 244 diaries, 3466 comments)
on Saturday, September 16, 2006 at 8:38:15 AM
Mr Carey's got to be kiddin us, RIGHT ?
According to this article, Powell comes across pure as the driven snow.
What a bloody joke, we're expected to accept that Powell had no knowledge that his claims were LIES ???
Tough luck for Powell and Mr Carey, you see there are media releases which PREDATE Powells presentation of lies at the U.N. which very clearly establish the FACT that Powell knew very well what the TRUE situations was in Iraq.
Powell has established himself as a sycophant LIAR of the highest magnitude, something he will never live down for the rest of his life, This writer believes there is nothing, Powell can ever do, to redeem himself in the eyes of the World.
Far too many lives have been lost as a direct result of his LIES.
And Mr Carey ?........ well given Powell's situation, one must examine what's in it for Mr Carey, in ignoring Powell's LIES and pretending it didn't happen .
Or is he Powell's publicist now ?
by
Eddy Schmid (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 202 comments)
on Saturday, September 16, 2006 at 8:45:52 AM
I think it is just possible that Colin Powell was not given fair and true information, even though he thought he had properly and completely verified every fact to the best of his ability. I could be wrong.
I believe Colin Powell is a great American who spent virtually his entire adult life in the service of his fellow Americans, and did a darned good job along the way. But I could be wrong.
I suggest those interested read "The Tragedy of Colin Powell" by Fred Kaplan in Slate, February 19, 2004.
My father once said,'An idiot is a system who in order to make a decision needs unlimited info.' Powell could not be misled. He was and is smart enough and clever enough to have his own opinion. He was clever enough to look at the faces of those who promoted war and understand the right thing.
His stand now is commendable( I agree) but it is more like concern for himself- he does not want to be associated with the lunacy. Good for him but the lunacy already claimes him.
Belief is the category of faith, not reason. Facts speak for themselves and as it is said, ' When a fool pretends to be wise all people laugh but when a clever one pretends to be a fool, all people become suspicious'. Powell is smart. Sorry, no excuse for what he had done.
by
Mark Sashine (51 articles, 19 quicklinks, 244 diaries, 3466 comments)
on Saturday, September 16, 2006 at 9:53:17 AM
PLEASE! ... Let's not get all misty eyed over this bastard.
In 2001, when Powell was appointed Secretary of State, he had the support of most Americans because of his Status as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and his successful prosecution of the first Gulf war.
Unfortunately in his new position he couldn't overcome his military custom of unquestioning obedience to his Commander in Chief. His misplaced loyalty was and still is his fatal character defect. He has not and will not come out publicly, admit his complicity in this dismal dictatorship, beg forgiveness of the people and denounce his Fuhrer in the strongest terms possible. Until he does he gets no absolution from me - nor should he from anyone else.
He should mark well the words of Kofi Annan: "To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there."
by
Robert R. Regl (11 articles, 0 quicklinks, 25 diaries, 13 comments)
on Saturday, September 16, 2006 at 9:53:08 AM
Although it is unfortunate that Powell's argument for war lead to the deaths of 35,000 Iraqis; it is commendable that he is standing up to the administration instead of taking orders from them.
by
Matches (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments)
on Saturday, September 16, 2006 at 1:38:40 PM
Who defined those people as such? George Bush? People cannot be called or labeled before a trial and so far we had no trials (the cangaroo courts we had are a shame). Bush and his cronies are desperate. They want to use a legal mechanism to secure our approval to do atrocity. Powell, naturally, understands it. He most likey knows also a lot and he is concerned for his own destiny and his own historical image. Naturally so. But he does not give a damn about human rights because under his tenure those were so many times violated by our side that it it tiresome to make a list. As I said, Powell is doing the right thing, this time. But he could do much more. One word from Powell to the black electorate and we would have had 99% of them voting democratic. One vote of Powell to the International media and we would never be able to attack Iran.
But he doesn't . He is retired...
by
Mark Sashine (51 articles, 19 quicklinks, 244 diaries, 3466 comments)
on Saturday, September 16, 2006 at 2:02:27 PM
Sorry but Colin Powell missed his momentous minute. I was waitng for him to resign as Sec of State before they got him by the short and curley's in 2002 and and 2003.If he had resigned before he gave th UN speech I think it may have prevented the war and certainly made it more difficult for the war mongers and chickenhawks to get us into this mess.He knew even in light of bad intelligence how this war would go. Now I am not sure of his motivation at that time,but he failed to stand up to the bullies. His positon seemed more important than his convictions. The hero has feet of clay and that is his cross to bear.When the going got tough he gave in.
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cluelessfl (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 184 comments)
on Saturday, September 16, 2006 at 9:39:30 PM
When Powell Spoke to The UN in Feb 2003, before the War
I was running a conference in Palm Springs, sitting in a bar, watching it with about 30 other people. As I heard him talk about trucks that were WMD labs, and the rest of the nonsense that have been proven to BS, I said out loud, then, "He's lying." I knew it and I believe he knew it. He betrayed his country by being loyal to his commander.
Now, he IS doing the right thing. Maybe he'll continue on a new path, speaking the truth, redeeming the tarnished place in history he has earned so far. It's a tragic story of a hero who, in the next cycle round the mythic wheel, fell from grace. Now, in a third cycle, perhaps he can find a new level of consciousness-- a loyalty to a higher cause than his former boss. That would be a good thing. And if it happens to him, maybe it could happen to other members of the Bush administration who have been betraying the constitution, democracy, the troops and the American people.
by
Rob Kall (809 articles, 3927 quicklinks, 333 diaries, 1708 comments)
on Saturday, September 16, 2006 at 10:26:01 PM
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