The Fall of Colin Powell

Shortly before the holidays, just before he underwent surgery for prostate cancer, US secretary of state Colin Powell gave a forlorn and illuminating interview to the Washington Post, published only in one brief excerpt. In it he explained that there was no matter of principle over which he would resign and depicted tenure as a long mission of retreat and loss.
Powell's elegiac tone is in striking contrast to the reigning triumphalism of official Washington. Bush's popularity has spiked to one of its high points with Saddam Hussein's capture. His campaign operation is ginning up his national security doctrine of "pre-emptive self-defence" (as a Republican TV ad has put it) to pose against the supposedly soft Democrats. And, meanwhile, Powell presents himself as bereft, tragic and noble....

There has been nothing with which Powell has disagreed that he has felt has been worth fighting to the end. He has given his best advice, husbanded his inherent power, and accepted policies - which he's privately told senators have been calamitous - on the diplomatic run-up to the Iraq war and the reconstruction, the Middle East peace process and North Korea. His presence has lent the appearance there could have been another course, when on the important issues that has been proved an illusion....

Now the fate of the "diminished" Powell will inevitably be raised as a contentious issue in the harsh arena of campaign politics. In the final frame, Powell is about to lose all control.

www.guardian.co.uk...

We've all been had people at the cost of an sterling leader.

I remember when eveyone was saying he could run for President as a Democrat and win. Instead he listened to a silver tongued devil, tucked that snazzy power point presentation under his arm, and shuffled off to the UN saying: We know where the WMD's are.

His "retirement" speaks to me like those that jumped the Clinton ship just before the Lewinsky scandal broke.

Powell knows something.

Why is he so loyal to these guys? They just use him. That's all a repugnant's good for.

Originally posted by Colonel
Why is he so loyal to these guys? They just use him. That's all a repugnant's good for.

I too wonder why he aligns himself with these people,but i think its fairly obvious why he is with them..its not hard to figure out..i mean hes getting his you know..but even though he is one of them ..for some reason i still have some respect for him and maybe even a little trust..not to much trust though..maybe he is there because he think he can do some good in the middle of all that greed and power..maybe ..maybe not...not really a whole lotta choice for him career wise though... whats is he supposed to do..go open a book store or something?? he is doing what he knows best..remember he is a career military man so in order to gain rank you know what you have to do...especially to level that he has managed to rise to..he could probably win a presidential election if he wanted to run..


[Edited on 8-1-2004 by McGotti]

Powell aligned himself with these people because the alternative was even more vulgar.

Back to Powell. Even though I have thought some of his positions wrong, I have always thought he has carried himself with honor and dignity. And, whether I agreed with his position, I was glad he was offering it to Bush.

I was in Europe when he was allied commander there, and he was an awesome commander. He should never have sullied himself by entering politics.

One American using a non-American newspaper to diminish a great man ...........

Powell may be on a short leash, and his efforts at the pre-war UN were worthy and cogent. The UN just did not listen.

I would not expect him for a second Bush term as he has always put family (wife) first and I think he is cut from a more aggressive cloth if you get the meaning....

Well, my estimation is that Colin Powell has degenerated into a kiss-ass or a brown-noser. He has turned himself into a liar thru kissing up to this administration and lost whatever integrity he had to the Bush Crime Family.

Colin Powell has lost ANY respect he thought he had. He's gonna lie until he retires, until he resigns in shame. Iraq has links to Al-Queda? THAT'S WHAT HE SAID! But he was lying so thw Bush Crime Family can commit mass murder. Just like what every other repugnant would do.

Now, who will hold them to justice as we hold Saddam?

Originally posted by Tyriffic
One American using a non-American newspaper to diminish a great man ...........

Non-American newspapers are the only place you can find real reporting anymore. Powel chose to align himself with the neo-cons. One day when the Nuremberg trials of our day start he needs to stand right along with them and accept his sentence for lying. A long with Ari Fleischer he might think by getting out when he did, he will avoid it but the people will not forget.

Look at Powell as he confesses to his LIES! LYING TO KILL! LYING TO MURDER! LYING TO VIOLATE THE US CONSTITUTION! LYING TO BETRAY THE OATH OF OFFICE, YOU CANCER-RIDDEN THUG!

Powell Admits No Hard Proof in Linking Iraq to Al Qaeda
By CHRISTOPHER MARQUIS

ASHINGTON, Jan. 8 � Secretary of State Colin L. Powell conceded Thursday that despite his assertions to the United Nations last year, he had no "smoking gun" proof of a link between the government of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and terrorists of Al Qaeda.

"I have not seen smoking-gun, concrete evidence about the connection," Mr. Powell said, in response to a question at a news conference. "But I think the possibility of such connections did exist, and it was prudent to consider them at the time that we did."

Mr. Powell's remarks on Thursday were a stark admission that there is no definitive evidence to back up administration statements and insinuations that Saddam Hussein had ties to Al Qaeda, the acknowledged authors of the Sept. 11 attacks. Although President Bush finally acknowledged in September that there was no known connection between Mr. Hussein and the attacks, the impression of a link in the public mind has become widely accepted � and something administration officials have done little to discourage.

www.nytimes.com...

Yet, Bush lies to America, has American soldiers die everyday over a lie, and he has a 58% approval rating...

:shk:

Now, what are we gonna do? Really, America, what are we gonna do?

WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO THE DAY WE FIND OUT THAT THE ATTACK ON SEPT 11, 2001 WAS ENGINEERED BY THIS BASTARD ADMINISTRATION!

WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?

What do we say? That our government is out of control? That our government is filled with mass murderers? I mean, who is the country committing murder on the planet? Japan? China? Spain?

Or it it the US?

Which government is out of control?

Originally posted by Colonel
WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO THE DAY WE FIND OUT THAT THE ATTACK ON SEPT 11, 2001 WAS ENGINEERED BY THIS BASTARD ADMINISTRATION!

The same thing they do now about the Bush lies. Ignore them or make up some excuse, if all else fails they will blame Clinton.

I think that Powell was used terribly by the administration and that they begged him to come on board to lend some credibility to the regime seeking power...and in a way to show that thyey were being fair racially by having a Black in a high position. He was used..BUt that does not excuse him from going along with the plan after he saw the truth. He is a loyal person and AI bet it makes him sick to realize how he was manipulated and lied to in order to get his help. He seems like a smart and fair man and its a shame he got caught up in the Bush cartel.

It's not his fault. The President made the choice. He works for the President...he's said that countless times. I believe he did all he could and in the end he had to carry out the instructions of his boss. It remains to be seen what will come of Colin, but I'm happy that he chose to serve if only to put the brakes on the neo-cons...they actually think we should pay for more of these wars...Syria and Iran, they said, isn't over. This is on the President's head for listening to them. If we are going to hold anyone accountable for these lies and half-truths it has to come from the top.

colin powell would have made a GREAT president in this day in age. he knows how to handle conflicts with the terrorists and he has enough brains to get the economy back in shape to bad