Powell backs surge, time frame to quell 'civil war'

[sabra]

http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070223/NEWS0501/702230330/1152/NEWS

Powell backs surge, time frame to quell 'civil war'

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell told an audience at Purdue University that he supports sending more American soldiers to Iraq.

But if the troop surge does not quell what he characterized as a "civil war" within a year, the United States should begin to leave, he said.

"The situation is getting more and more confused," he told an audience of slightly more than 1,000 people seated in the Loeb Playhouse on the Purdue campus Thursday.

...

He conceded that the intelligence on Iraq's having weapons of mass destruction was misleading.

"But we were not wrong about the nature of this regime, and I am glad that it is gone," he said. "I hope the Iraqis will the seize the opportunity we have given them."

[babylonsister]

1. I don't give a crap what that man says any longer. nt

[mazzarro]

17. Amen, amen, amen

He is a big POS, as far as I am concerned.

[marmar]

2. File that one under "People whose opinions no one gives a frog's fat ass about anymore."

:think:

[European Socialist]

3. A few months ago he was against escalation. What has changed his mind...

that is if he still has one?

[bahrbearian]

5. Someone offered his son a Job.

[Jacobin]

7. Isn't Mikey Powell still on the FCC board?

[Buzz Clik]

11. The article was wrong. He didn't support the escalation.

He simply acknowledged that it is happening.

He said that the "surge" might work and should be given a few months to assess it. Whether it is successful or not, he was very clear that we must start leaving Iraq within the year and leave Iraq to the Iraqis.

[BigDDem]

4. Havin' any luck

finding those "mobil labs?"

[gratuitous]

6. And the old fallback: Saddam was a bad, bad man!

Sheesh. You wonder why they don't just have some kind of Teddy Ruxpin chip implanted to spew this same tired claptrap over and over (and over) again.

[spanone]

8. Colin neutered himself a long time ago. He's irrelevent, as his ex-bosses would say.

[Nite Owl]

9. And blame the Iraqis again

"I hope the Iraqis will the seize the opportunity we have given them."

[Buzz Clik]

13. That's "blame the Iraqis"?

I guess our perceptions of those words are based on our personal filters.

Powell is 100% for getting the hell out of Iraq. The "opportunity" of which he speaks is an urging for the Iraqis to take advantage of the American presence while it is still there. It won't be there for long.

[Buzz Clik]

10. Ok, I was there in the third row. This article was .... skeletal.

As the article said, Albright was here last year. She was captivativing. Intense, hard-nosed, intellectual. I enjoyed her talk and the Q/A period afterward.

This part of Indiana is blue-collar and Republican as hell. Purdue leans left by comparison but is still very, very conservative. Powell was a logical follow-up for this year.

Powell was a sharp contrast to Albright -- he was very relaxed, self-effacing, funny, and showed all the trimmings of an old soldier. He, too, was captivating. When Powell was nominated as Secy of State, I was pleased that someone with brains and vision was going to be on the cabinet. His address to the UN about WMD in Iraq was disappointing, but he made it clear last night that he was equally disappointed. He flatly admitted the mistake with "if"s or "but"s. It was refreshing.

Powell hammered the administration time and again:
1. Bush totally misjudged Putin. Powell made it clear that Bush's assessment of the man was superficial and naive.
2. Powell was highly critical of the handling of post-invasion Iraq. He attributed it to lack of vision and poor execution.
3. Powell made it perfectly clear that the claims of WMD were dead wrong. There were no stockpiles that were then hidden or taken to Syria. There were no stockpiles. Period.
4. Powell, consistent with the obligations of being Secy of State, did Bush's bidding regardless of his personal opinion. Powell suggested that the scrapping of the ballistic missile treaty was a diplomatic nightmare, but he was able to renegotiate another treaty with the Russians within six months.

I enjoyed every minute of Powell's presentation. I didn't agree with a lot of it, but I would not have missed it.

[sabra]

12. thank you for the in depth details....

:hi:

[Buzz Clik]

14. I wish I could say that Powell hasn't disappointed me.

His frustration with the administration was apparent during his entire stay on the cabinet.

I would guess that the low point of his entire career was the bullshit painting session in front of the UN. Bush was going into Iraq anyway, but it would have been nice if Powell would have simply chosen to not present that bogus analysis.

[redqueen]

18. "did Bush's bidding regardless of his personal opinion"

Opinion? You mean the actual *facts*, which he was aware of, as he stood there and lied to the UN? That opinion?

[Buzz Clik]

20. Look -- I was telling what he said.

If your opinion of the intelligence is different than his, so be it.

[redqueen]

24. He had the nerve to spin it that way?

As if it was only his opinion? His own agency knew the truth about the tubes he lied about before the UN.

Not really too surprising I suppose, that he lied then, and is lying still.

[Buzz Clik]

26. Curious. You know what he knew? You are certain he was consciously lying?

Must be a wonderful gift.

[redqueen]

29. Well like I said, his own agency said so.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0715-05.htm

... but he spouted the "dubious" claims as if we were sure of them, so that bush could have his war. I wonder how people like that can sleep at night.

[Buzz Clik]

32. Let's examine this quote very carefully:

Although many of the claims considered inflated or unsupported were removed through painstaking debate by Powell and intelligence officials, the speech he ultimately presented contained material that was in dispute among State Department experts.

Presenting material that is "in dispute" is miles away from lying.

Do not forget that Powell examined the first presentation outlined for him by the administration and labelled it "bullshit" and refused to present it. A lot of the vetting of the inflated garbage was at Powell's insistence. Nevertheless, I don't fully disagree with you: Powell presented a lot of crap to the UN. I didn't believe it at the time, and my disillusionment with him was huge as a result.

[redqueen]

34. I see what you mean... it's not "technicallly" lying...

however, what happens to ethics, when we dance around the definition of the word "lie"?

How many of us knew?

He's not dumb... so how can we shift blame from him?

I can't, anyway... I won't.

[Buzz Clik]

36. I never expected anything different

[maggiegault]

40. Are You A Boilermaker?

Greetings from a member of the Class of 1994 :hippie:

I grew up in Lafayette, too, and your assessment of my hometown is spot-on. West Lafayette, where Purdue is actually located, is far more progressive, but Lafayette is primarily working class folks who are very religious.

They are the ones who are sending their sons and daughters to Iraq.

They are also the ones who have been hit hard by the * administration, particularly when it comes to healthcare, but they either do not see it or refuse to acknowledge that they are getting screwed.

[mazzarro]

19. Thanks for your on-the-scene reportage, but...

Powell is still a big POS and his after the fact regrets don't amount to a bowl turd.

[Buzz Clik]

21. Responding to that eloquence will be difficult...

so I'll pass.

[llmart]

25. A principled person..........

does not sacrifice his principles in order to hold a job. A principled person does what he thinks is right no matter what the consequences to him personally.

Powell is exactly what Harry Belafonte Jr. said he was.

How much money did he take for that speech at Purdue? Could he maybe donate his speaking fees to some Iraqis who have been displaced because of his lies? I doubt he would.

I have no use for him.

[Buzz Clik]

27. You'll notice that he quit.

Or maybe you'll conveniently ignore that because it's easier to join the dogpile.

How much money did he take for that speech at Purdue? Could he maybe donate his speaking fees to some Iraqis who have been displaced because of his lies? I doubt he would.

More unadulterated hate-driven horseshit. So, how much was his fee? What are his intentions with that money?

Since you and the other drones on this thread are so friggin' omniscient, why don't you tell me with certainty that you know that Colin Powell is not involved in any philanthropy and that he will not donate his fee to a deserving organization. I'd really like to hear you say that.

[redqueen]

30. Drones?

Why are you being so insulting to anyone who doesn't share your oh-so-forgiving view of the integrity-free Mr. Powell?

[Buzz Clik]

33. Read the thread, following the sequence of the subthreads.

You'll note that I do not forgive Powell for his presentation to the UN. I've stated that at least 5 or 6 times.

You'll also note a lot of hysteria on the part of the Powell detractors -- no logic, no facts, just lots of despise.

[redqueen]

35. You don't forgive, but you will not condemn.

There's a good bit of leeway there.

I won't deny anyone their right to Powell-hatred. The man could have done something great. He could have voiced his conscience... not gone along to get ahead. He chose not to.

[Buzz Clik]

37. Well, well -- how about this, kiddies? DU Frontpage:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3129908

[Buzz Clik]

38. delete

[Rosa Luxemburg]

15. He's the guy who stood up and showed us the photos of the fake WMDs

what a turkey!

[Forkboy]

16. Quisling

[depakid]

22. He's lost all credibility

and disgraced himself.

How very sad....

You sometimes have to wonder what he was thinking.

[Ian David]

23. Computer says NOoooo... Exclusive: Powell Rebuts Media Reports Claiming He Supports Escalation

Exclusive: Powell Rebuts Media Reports Claiming He Supports Escalation

Yesterday, former Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke at Purdue University. Articles on the event by the Lafayette Indiana Journal and Courier and the Associated Press report that Powell “said he supported President Bush’s decision to send more U.S. troops to Iraq”:



These reports are wrong. This morning, ThinkProgress spoke with Powell’s office, who told us that he never indicated his support for the escalation. According to his office, Powell simply said that the escalation is proceeding whether we like it or not:

The surge is on, and will soon be finished while Congress debates it. And we’ll have to see whether it works, and we’ll have to pass off to the Iraqis sooner or later.

Jeanne Norberg, a spokeswoman for Purdue who attended the speech, confirmed with us that Powell did not say he supported Bush’s escalation.

Powell has previously stated his opposition to Bush’s escalation strategy. On Dec. 17, he said on CBS’s Face the Nation that “I have not seen a case that persuades me that would be better” with more forces.

More:
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/23/ap-powell-escalation/

I'll be posting it in its own thread.

[maxrandb]

28. Is it just me

or do they roll out the Colon everytime they are desperate to sell a bill of goods to the American people?

He's been used by this mis-administration like a cheap whore. I'd call him a two-bit whore, but he'd just hit me with a sack of quarters.

[Grandrose]

31. Shut up Powell...

Had his chance and screwed up, frankly nobody cares what he
thinks. Flip flopping around...again!
I detest anyone who says WE had the right to invade another
country, based on OUR desires. Then have the unmitigated gaul
to chastise their reactions.
Opportunity...yeah, to enter the gates of hell!!
:mad: :argh: :grr: :banghead:

[jn2375]

39. Hold on everyone, see DU front page, Powell does NOT support surge