General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDid anyone see the comments of General Colin Powell on CNN this morning?
For me, it was almost shocking in its clarity.
He pulled few punches. He emphasized what we have lost around the world in prestige and respect and how Trump lies all the time and how he thought he alone could invite the Russian leader, Putin, back into the G7?
He also said that he would be voting for Joe Biden.
I hope there were Republicans watching and listening carefully to his words.
He is trying to pull them back from the ledge, in my opinion.
bamagal62
(3,218 posts)Anything other than Fox News? My guess is no, they werent listening.
pazzyanne
(6,518 posts)He is always tweeting about CNN coverage and interviews.
manhattan123
(302 posts)mopinko
(69,806 posts)and goopers who think they are smart watch also.
cannabis_flower
(3,764 posts)for the same reason some of us watch Foxnews on occasion. To see what the other side is saying. For that matter, even Thomm Hartmann gets right wing callers on his show, so yes, I believe some GOPers are watching.
Proud liberal 80
(4,167 posts)It will something like failed Gen Colin Powell, blah blah blah....Iraq War......blah blah blah......
kentuck
(110,950 posts)He attacks everyone that calls him on his lies and incompetence.
SCantiGOP
(13,856 posts)He calls him a stiff.
Pathetic.
ooky
(8,885 posts)in fetal position.
Takket
(21,425 posts)and i won't argue that....... Powell's words mean NOTHING to me after he carried the WMD torch for cheney...... BUT if his words mean anything to someone who was going to vote drumpf and now will vote Biden? I will smile through gritted teeth and welcome them aboard.
When Powell endorsed Obama in 2008, it swung moderate Republicans to vote overwhelmingly for Obama. Let's hope he can do it again.
grumpyduck
(6,199 posts)He's losing them.
in2herbs
(2,942 posts)finally finding some balls.
grumpyduck
(6,199 posts)There's a chain of command and POTUS is at the top of it. They are bound by law and by oath to obey his lawful orders. They are also supposed to be non- political, even though sometimes that's practically impossible.
In this case, they are starting to show that they are not supporting his unlawful behavior or his disregard of the Constitution. They are required by law and by regulations to not follow unlawful orders. And right now they're beginning to state publicly that they will not.
in2herbs
(2,942 posts)BComplex
(7,983 posts)It must have been really difficult for Mattis to start this, because of his training NOT to be political, and NOT to ever criticize the president.
I know the active duty generals appreciate it, too!
sarge43
(28,939 posts)"Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the president..." (a long list of officials).
Better be very sure of your ground when you take that stand.
kentuck
(110,950 posts)If he gets 3 or 4 active duty generals to go along with him, what is to keep the 82nd Airborne from patrolling our streets? He would simply vilify those that disagree with him.
BComplex
(7,983 posts)to NOT do what trump is asking.
El Mimbreno
(777 posts)"defend the Constitution against all threats, foreign and domestic."
Time to make a choice.
SamKnause
(13,043 posts)The entire time I was thinking how he lied to us and the world about Iraq and WMD.
It seems this country easily forgives people who are responsible for death and destruction.
Beringia
(4,314 posts)SamKnause
(13,043 posts)It astounds me what short attention spans many have.
It seems as long as they say they will support our candidate all previous sins are forgiven.
How many deaths is the Bush administration responsible for ???
How many body parts are our soldiers missing because of their lies ???
How many innocent Iraqis are dead ???
There is zero accountability for people in power in the U.S.
In the midst of our current nightmare, how quickly people forget the outrages of the Bush administration, many that helped bring us to where we are now. How many people died because of Bush and Cheney's disastrous military decisions and how many deaths today can still be attributed to those decisions? Anyone who contributed in any way bears some responsibility and history will remember them.
That said, I'm glad Powell did speak out against the Trump administration, but like many others, I will not forget.
avebury
(10,946 posts)pissed me off when he gave that speech at the UN. For sure it seems that people are not held accountable for their actions. It all started when Ford pardoned Nixon and went downhill after that.
But the fact is that we are living in extremely perilous times. We are in no position to refuse help from anyone in order to turn the tide on Trump in order to get him voted out of office. It is a matter of life and death for the country as we know it. We just cant turn our backs on anybody that might be able to speak out and get through to people that we would say are a lost cause.
It is all hands on deck. The fact there are so many respected military leaders speaking out might make the difference on Trumps ability to order the US military to attack citizens or to get the US military to defend the people if Trumps tries to use mercenaries against Americans.
We also have to think about what is will take to get Trump and his crime family out of our house when he loses.
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)This:
NoRoadUntravelled
(2,626 posts)No doubt the Bush administration had no qualms about lying to us. The Iraq War was an egregiously calculated ploy to boost the Military Industrial Complex, among other reasons, while enriching Cheney, Erik Prince and their ilk.
Trump is an existential threat to every facet of Democracy by his negation of the Rule of Law.
jaxexpat
(6,703 posts)Best question yet.
As many people who hate him now, let's see how many hate him even more by next January (or even sooner). This outraged public will provide all the legal permission required to remove him and his crew from the White House. Those in authority to direct enforcement will be propelled into decisive action. If there is resistance or violence at any level it will be quashed so quickly that heads will spin. May even bring fear into the hearts of characters like Tucker, Hannity and Rush. The sort of fear that lawyers can't heal. They dug up Cromwell just so they could take revenge on his remains.
kentuck
(110,950 posts)We can hold grudges and point out errors from twenty or thirty years ago, but how does that help us right now?
McKim
(2,412 posts)History matters. If Bush and Cheney had been tried in a court for lying to the American public about WMD, we wouldnt be in this disaster today. Because there were no legal consequences for these evildoers, Trump felt free to get always with all his shenanigans. Yes, it rather matters that about a million Iraqis are dead as a result of this debacle and money wasted that could have built up our public health care system.
hibbing
(10,076 posts)WhiteTara
(29,676 posts)He just desperately wants to be in the club. He'll say and do anything. Remember when *co shut the door in his face as he was coming into a meeting?
bobbieinok
(12,858 posts)OneBro
(1,159 posts)He is forever tied to the lies that led to the Iraq War, but sometimes you need a certain brand of choir member to get through to their own choir.
Pepsidog
(6,252 posts)crickets
(25,896 posts)If his words manage to reach them and convince them how dangerous trump is, good.
Boomer
(4,159 posts)He's as complicit as any of them.
malaise
(267,823 posts)He helped us reach here. That is all
he still told the truth this morning. You need to check Bush, Cheney et al for the "death and destruction". He was used and he knew that after the fact that he was fed bad info. I still respect him. And always will no matter your besmirching his character and hard work at reaching that pinnacle as a first African-american Joint Chief of Staff and yes my family has had members in the military service since the Buffalo soldiers. All the way up to Vietnam. What has yours contributed might I ask?
Boomerproud
(7,889 posts)Grandfather WWI, Father WWII, 2 of my mom's cousins killed in WWIi (Battle of the Bulge). brother 9th Infantry Vietnam.' 68 to '69.
GGG 10 Calvary, Southwest Indian Campaign. Grandfather Spanish American War, WWI, France 24th Rainbow Division, got more medals from the French than from America but served proudly. Father Normandy, Red Ball Express, Battle of the Bulge, Chosin Reservoir, Korea. And I was 9th Infantry Vietnam, 68-69. Based at BearCat.
jaysunb
(11,856 posts)SamKnause
(13,043 posts)Uncle WW ll father's side
Uncle WW ll mother's side
Uncle WW ll mother's side
Uncle Korean War mother's side
Uncle Vietnam War mother's side
Brother-in-law Vietnam War
There is your answer.
llashram
(6,265 posts)for an answer. Okay. Yours served also. Good for you. Colin Powell is at least speaking up. I like that and nothing anyone says about him will change that. You have a good day. Black Lives Matter
SamKnause
(13,043 posts)Why so snarky ???
You have a good day as well.
Black Lives Matter
I still respect Powell too. He was used and set up by Cheney. Powell was the most honest and Cheney wanted him gone because Bush tended to listen to Powell and Cheney felt he was being undermined by Powell. So he fed him misinformation. Powell still has not forgiven Cheney. Powell never wanted to go in Iraq. Remember that Bush wanted Powell as his V. P.
it's true. But some people need to believe what they want to. I always tell them, have at it, you're right even if you're wrong.
Scarsdale
(9,426 posts)(R) after their name. Where is Little Lindsey today, he is normally a fixture on one of these shows? Hot date, maybe?
dajoki
(10,678 posts)I will accept their help in removing the shitstain but we must remember that these people are the reason we are where we are.
niyad
(112,435 posts)Warpy
(110,913 posts)in many ways, he just wasn't personality disordered, just a RWNJ in love with his own dogma and incapable of seeing anything outside it. Powell knows all about knuckling under to a dangerous asshole with dangerous ideas.
He's no great patriot, either. However, at this point, we have to take what we can get. Maybe a few black and ex military Republicans will take notice.
yankeepants
(1,979 posts)DENVERPOPS
(8,679 posts)I don't just give him a free pass because he has finally found religion so to speak.
Not after having been complicit in a major way to helping murder innocents or members of the U.S. military..........
I guess trying to cover up the Mai Lai massacre wasn't a big enough screw up for Powell, and that helping Cheney/Rumsfeld sway the American people into agreeing to a complete farce of a war would help him redeem himself to the good ol' boy white hierarchy....?????
And now he thinks that he can make up for all that if he backs Biden????? Good Luck with that
Powell, we wouldn't have been in such a mess except for people thinking you were honest, when you were actually lying your ass of about the WMD's and Iraq....
Same opinion for Condi Rice and others who sold their souls to the Great RepubliCONs and got us into the war in Afghanistan and the pillaging and plundering of Iraq.
gulliver
(13,142 posts)Obviously, there comes a point where you are dealing with an idiot or repeat offender, but Powell's not that.
SamKnause
(13,043 posts)When your mistake causes the deaths of U.S. soldiers, Iraqi soldiers, close to 1 million
innocent Iraqis, and destroys a country your credibility is gone.
If you want to forgive and forget, go ahead.
He is partly the reason Trump is president.
He is partly the reason this country is in debt because of his military blunder.
To call what he did a mistake is sickening.
gulliver
(13,142 posts)I'm not saying forgive him. I'm saying let him tell us all about the mistake he made, show us all how bad it feels, let us learn from his mistake. Powell's different from little Dubya who still hasn't begun to atone for what he did.
helpisontheway
(5,004 posts)that he is voting for Biden. He voted for President Obama and Hillary.
Tripper11
(4,338 posts)marble falls
(56,359 posts)Gore1FL
(21,032 posts)It's difficult to forget that he helped George W. "Trump-with-Table-Manners" Bush lie us into the Iraq War.
They all suck.
Doc_Technical
(3,504 posts)mommymarine2003
(258 posts)I do appreciate that Gen. Powell is speaking out against Trump and is supporting V.P. Biden; however, I will never forgive him for supporting Bush going into the Iraq War. My son was a young Marine at the time, and my father was a retired Marine officer as well as a veteran of 3 wars. We were against going to war, but we felt we needed to trust Gen. Powell because he as a military man would never send American troops to their death based upon a lie. Boy were we wrong to trust him. My son was with the 1st Marine Division that crossed into Iraq the first day of the war. His second deployment was to Ramadi, which was a nightmare. It took 10 years for my son to get his life back, and he still struggles. Any respect for Gen. Powell disappeared years ago. If some Republicans will listen to Powell and then vote for Biden, then at least Powell can get some redemption.
Stuart G
(38,365 posts)Think about that...This seems to be an organized confrontation of Donald Trump...by some of the most well known republicans in the United States..
Botany
(70,291 posts)Look, if he is working to get Trump out of the White House great but I'm not ready to make nice
with a man with so much blood on his hands. Such as this little Kurdish boy whose family was
running from ISIS and ISIS was an outgrowth of the bush/Cheney war for oil in Iraq which Colin
helped to sell.
SamKnause
(13,043 posts)I agree.
Botany
(70,291 posts)And by DNA that was known well before Powell's act at the UN.
Powell's chief role was to garner international support for a multi-national coalition to mount the invasion. To this end, Powell addressed a plenary session of the United Nations Security Council on February 5, 2003, to argue in favor of military action. Citing numerous anonymous Iraqi defectors, Powell asserted that "there can be no doubt that Saddam Hussein has biological weapons and the capability to rapidly produce more, many more." Powell also stated that there was "no doubt in my mind" that Saddam was working to obtain key components to produce nuclear weapons. from wiki
ProfessorGAC
(64,425 posts)I knew it was a fake the moment I saw it.
First, they didn't label everything, just the parts they thought sounded scary.
What are those reactors on the middle truck. Oh, never mind those, because the truck doesn't actually exist.
But, most egregious is the "spray dryers" on the 3rd truck.
No heat source, no vent stack, no air compressor for spray drying? Um, I think we have a design problem.
So, that truck doesn't exist either.
Makes it simple to conclude that the 1st one doesn't exist either.
Couldn't they have had someone lie better?
sammythecat
(3,568 posts)Beyond comprehension
McKim
(2,412 posts)Yes, these wars on Iraq and Syria have ruined the Middle East and created a refugee crisis with Europe bearing the brunt. That little toddler is just one tragedy of millions. No one ever talks about this, people want to ignore it.
Archetypist
(218 posts)But I will take any help we can get.
3Hotdogs
(12,210 posts)NoRoadUntravelled
(2,626 posts)It won't change one thing about the hater evangelicals who will follow their Pied Piper Phony Savior Trump into an abyss and would just as soon kill the rest of us as to see us protest him.
Democracy is burning now and they're praising him for the flames.
Mr. Ected
(9,670 posts)You're absolutely correct. But remember - his stint on CNN today was not intended to change OUR opinion of Trump (or him, for that matter). His target is moderate Republicans who never held him accountable for his crimes and don't see the world the same way we do. With them, he still has credibility, so perhaps his message will affect a few votes. We need every vote we can to rid our country of the menace in the White House, period.
OneBro
(1,159 posts)backscatter712
(26,355 posts)... along with Steve Schmidt, Rick Wilson, George Conway of the Lincoln Project.
IT'S HAPPENING FOLKS!!!
The Republican Party is splitting! Oh, they'll make a good show of unity, but they know they're polishing a turd here.
DENVERPOPS
(8,679 posts)are still diehard RepubliCONs. They are anti-trump, not anti-RepubliCons.
The RepubliCon party is responsible for putting Trump in office along with the treasonous help from Putin.
If, for some reason, the RepubliCon controlled Senate were to turn on Trump, kick him out, and install Pence as president prior to the election, all of these people you mention and more would suddenly revert back to the Republican side immediately and help get Pence get elected in 2020.......
(If things get too hot in the kitchen with Trump, so to speak, I believe this is the Republican's Plan "B"......)
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)...to throw Trump under the bus. The GOP won't split into two parties. More likely is that there will be a sort of internal coup.
AlexSFCA
(6,137 posts)when it comes to talking about prestige of our country in the world.
ooky
(8,885 posts)with increasing numbers of traditional Republicans speaking out in defiance of Trump policies and outright incompetence. Let's hope it is enough to develop a life of its own, because if it does, Trump is toast.
Skittles
(152,964 posts)people who lie their way into wars have zero moral standing
SamKnause
(13,043 posts)He has zero moral standing or credibility.
Skittles
(152,964 posts)is I could tell, when doing that sickening presentation, HE DID NOT BELIEVE WHAT HE WAS SAYING. And he did it anyways. Utterly inexcusable.
spanone
(135,636 posts)Six117
(205 posts)Who took the time to give context and history to General Powell's actions. I appreciate any of them who finally stand up and call out this monstrous regime, but make no mistake -none of them are heroes. That should never be forgotten.
KG
(28,749 posts)Boomer
(4,159 posts)I don't give a shit what Colin Powell has to say about anything, ever. Got over him a long time ago, tyvm.
Nitram
(22,671 posts)JI7
(89,180 posts)Backseat Driver
(4,339 posts)show where the Bad King told him his bunker-busters or tiny coded handbags that are even more petite to match his grip "footballs" are hidden all over western desert National Parks??? <to be taken as sarcasm to be certain> or under his Tweet-gaming chairs in the WH???
I'm sorry, but General Powell can say anything he wants to about the Moron-in-Chief that throws shade on his behaviors over the last 3-1/2 years, all well-deserved, but it won't restore any of Powell's credibility or integrity in my eyes! Bush's orders may not have been illegal to the extent that oaths of protection were broken leading to warring after Mid East terrorist leadership then, but what ensued was an affront to Iraq's sovereignty...and America's lights in the world were dimmed at that moment, but it's water over the dam and did eventually destablize and eliminate Sadam Hussein, et al, but those blatant lies before Congress still ring in my ears.
ecstatic
(32,567 posts)It's rare when you see someone who can talk with such clarity for 5+ minutes straight--and that's with no notes, no struggling or stammering, no gaffes. Yeah, he fucked up during the Bush admin, but he's a beast when it comes to public speaking. Hands down.