[debmalya]

Only if they didn't apologize............


Colin Powell on the Bush Administration's Iraq War Mistakes - Newsweek and The Daily Beast

but apologies do not undo the damage that was done. And we can ony speculate on whether he was genuine then or genuine now, we can never be certain. And if you ask me I will go with he was neither genuine then, nor now, and never going to be, reasons being #1. he is a politician after all, and #2. not to mention, a republican too

[jeffkrol]

but apologies do not undo the damage that was done. And we can ony speculate on whether he was genuine then or genuine now, we can never be certain. And if you ask me I will go with he was neither genuine then, nor now, and never going to be, reasons being #1. he is a politician after all, and #2. not to mention, a republican too

I always give 10 points for humility....

Powell, the first secretary of state in the administration of George W. Bush, the former US president, which declared war on Iraq in 2003, told Al Jazeera on the 10th anniversary of the worst terror attacks on US soil that the information was a "blot on my record".

"It turned out, as we discovered later, that a lot of sources that had been attested to by the intelligence community were wrong," Powell said in Washington, DC.

"I understood the consequences of that failure and, as I said, I deeply regret that the information - some of the information, not all of it - was wrong," said the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"It has blotted my record, but - you know - there's nothing I can do to change that blot. All I can say is that I gave it the best analysis that I could."

Powell, who was secretary of state from 2002 to 2005, gave an elaborate description of Iraq's weapons programme in the run-up to the war, saying "ambition and hatred" were enough to bring Iraq and al-Qaeda together and build more sophisticated bombs.
Click for more Al Jazeera 9/11 coverage

"I gave that speech on a four days' notice based on an intelligence estimate that had been done months before and provided to Congress, and every word in that speech was gone over by the director of the Central intelligence Agency (CIA) and his deputy director and all experts," he said.

In the United Kingdom, a traditional ally of the US which backed the military campaign, Tony Blair, who was prime minister at the time of the invasion, said Iraq had the capacity to deploy weapons of mass destruction in 45 minutes.

Blair has since been criticised for allegedly exaggerating that claim and for presenting intelligence that overstated the case for going to war. But Powell said he did not exaggerate the information he presented to Congress.

"There is nothing that I made up; there's nothing that I stuck in there," he said.

"Some people tried to stick extra things in there that the intelligence community wouldn't verify and I said 'no'.

"And so when I presented that information, it was information that the president believed in; information that my colleagues in government believed in."

Powell said he "presented the best evidence that we had" and that the United Kingdom and other nations believed it.

Colin Powell regrets Iraq war intelligence - Americas - Al Jazeera English

[seacapt]

Powell is and allways has been a strong advocate of Affirmative Action.
Personally I couldn't care less if the Pres was a "blue Fugate" but I'm not sure that is the case for Gen . Powell.

[GeneV]

Wow. Lawrence Wilkerson really unloads after the Sununu remark, stating that his party is "full of racists."

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson: 'My Party Is Full of Racists'

[les3547]

Powell is and allways has been a strong advocate of Affirmative Action.
Personally I couldn't care less if the Pres was a "blue Fugate" but I'm not sure that is the case for Gen . Powell.

So should we likewise conclude that White endorsements are given because Romney is White?

[jeffkrol]

Powell is and allways has been a strong advocate of Affirmative Action.
Personally I couldn't care less if the Pres was a "blue Fugate" but I'm not sure that is the case for Gen . Powell.

as long as they think white...............

[Ratmagiclady]

but apologies do not undo the damage that was done. And we can ony speculate on whether he was genuine then or genuine now, we can never be certain. And if you ask me I will go with he was neither genuine then, nor now, and never going to be, reasons being #1. he is a politician after all, and #2. not to mention, a republican too

Technically, he was the 'Pottery Barn' guy and, after being ordered to give certain report to Congress, did as ordered and then, resigned. Apart from that, his opionions on the military strategy were both known, and by and large, *correct.* Bush&Cheney&co just didn't listen. Whatever you think of his politics, he was a very competent general, and he seems to have stood by that.

(Claiming there was any bias in prefering Obama over McCain who'd be singing 'Bomb Iran' and talking about expanding war wherever... Well, that's much easier to explain by actual competence at being a general than somehow thinking Powell's 'biased' toward a non-military guy whose *policies* just so happen to be and have always been better. Same in this case with Romney. How *Mittens* wants things and how they are just aren't really in the same ballpark. )

[kswier]

I'd agree about most of that crowd, but I've always thought (even before he endorsed Obama) that Powell was duped by his associates and acted in good faith on the Iraq thing (as did Hillary when she supported the invasion). On the other hand, at the time I was against the invasion, and like much of the rest of the world thought the inspectors should be given more time; so IMO far too many were more war-prone than we should have been.

First off, I am a huge fan of Colin Powell, and wish more republicans (and democrats) were like him (i.e. moderate, thoughtful, diplomatic, and excellent leadership skills).

As for Iraq, I do not think he was duped. After listening to some interviews from Colin Powell after the Iraq war, I think he saw himself as having an advisory role. From what I can tell from his accounts he advised Bush that the Iraq war would not necessarily be easy and that he should take further diplomatic efforts. I got the feeling that he did not really want war with Iraq, but was willing to support the president through whatever decision he made (and I think the fact that he "resigned" after that presidential term shows he did not totally agree with everything that was going on).

I suppose you cold consider him duped by the intelligence he was given, though.

[kswier]

Powell is and allways has been a strong advocate of Affirmative Action.
Personally I couldn't care less if the Pres was a "blue Fugate" but I'm not sure that is the case for Gen . Powell.

When Powell endorsed Obama four years ago, he provided a 10 minute interview explaining why. Within this interview, he cited threeo big reasons for his endorsement. First, I think he saw some of McCain's decisions as a lack of judgement (i.e. choosing Palin as vice president). Secondly, he stated that he did not think McCain had a very good grasp of the financial crisis and what action should be taken. Thirdly, I think that Powell was very unhappy that republican pundits were trying to link Obama with "terrorist feelings" (i.e. trying to link Obama's middle name with Saddam Hussein, stating the was not born in the US, trying to link him to terrorist organizations). Powell's opinions at the time mirrored my own.

I do not think Powell's endorsement is based or race at all. If you think it is, I recommend watching the interview. I think that Powell is a bit disenchanted with what the republican party has become.

[jeffkrol]

I do not think Powell's endorsement is based or race at all. If you think it is, I recommend watching the interview. I think that Powell is a bit disenchanted with what the republican party has become.

That CERTAINLY isn't the answer the right wants to "see".............. it is inconvenient.

[Ratmagiclady]

That CERTAINLY isn't the answer the right wants to "see".............. it is inconvenient.

Well, what the Right 'sees' is black guys, not actual military strategy or what actually happened.

Powell registered his objections, did as ordered by Bushco, then resigned. He was correct. That's what it is.

[seacapt]

as long as they think white...............

Could you please give some definition or parameters of this "Think White" thing?

[seacapt]

When Powell endorsed Obama four years ago, he provided a 10 minute interview explaining why. Within this interview, he cited threeo big reasons for his endorsement. First, I think he saw some of McCain's decisions as a lack of judgement (i.e. choosing Palin as vice president). Secondly, he stated that he did not think McCain had a very good grasp of the financial crisis and what action should be taken. Thirdly, I think that Powell was very unhappy that republican pundits were trying to link Obama with "terrorist feelings" (i.e. trying to link Obama's middle name with Saddam Hussein, stating the was not born in the US, trying to link him to terrorist organizations). Powell's opinions at the time mirrored my own.

I do not think Powell's endorsement is based or race at all. If you think it is, I recommend watching the interview. I think that Powell is a bit disenchanted with what the republican party has become.

Valid points .
I have for many years (since he became well known for Desert Storm) been impressed Powell.
I also remember him being considered as a possible candidate to run against Willy Clinton.
Regardless he has many times over the years attributed his own success to Affirmative Action and stated in plain words that African Americans deserve the additional considerations it mandates.
How strongly did race play in his endorsement ? Not sure but to assume it had no role at all would seem naive.

[jeffkrol]

Could you please give some definition or parameters of this "Think White" thing?

Thought that would get your attention..............

[jeffkrol]

Valid points .
I
How strongly did race play....? Not sure but to assume it had no role at all would seem naive.

In both directions............