NEWS: Colin Powell: Close Gitmo Now

POLITICS: Colin Powell: Close Gitmo Now

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell held his tongue for four years during his tenure as the Bush Administration’s chief foreign policy officer, faithfully toeing the party line when he was asked to do so. It was Powell who made the now infamous Iraq war presentation in front of the U.N. Security Council, forcefully declaring the case for war. Of course, the evidence in that presentation has turned out to be nearly universally false and as a result Powell’s credibility has been forever damaged. While it is not certain how much he knew was false before he gave the speech, all indications are that he considers it the low point of his political career, as he told Barbara Walters in 2005.

Still, Powell’s resignation from Bush’s cabinet does not mean he’s given up political posturing altogether. Two years ago he called two Senators to voice his opposition to the nomination of John Bolton as US Ambassador to the UN. Today, he formally opposed another hot-button Bush project: the military detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

It is indeed what our system is about, Mr. Powell, but try telling that to President W.

It’s unclear whether Powell’s remarks come as an attempt to atone for past sins or as an earnest attempt to speak out about important matters of state. It is however very clear that Powell has not lost his grasp on the concept of international relations.

Seems like a pretty basic principle of diplomacy. When you’re trying to present yourselves as the world’s leader on freedom and democracy, it comes off extremely hypocritical to gleefully suspend the rights of others in a systematic fashion. Still, some others on the right just aren’t getting it.

Huckabee’s remarks are predictably moronic. I guess “every consideration” does not include stuff like access to attorneys. That would be going above and beyond, I suppose. And while I’m sure he’s right that the treatment the Gitmo detainees receive is super peachy keen, his argument that we should keep them in Guantanamo because otherwise they’ll be flying planes into buildings is total hogwash. If they are criminals, they can be convicted of crimes. If they are not criminals, they should be let free. As Powell said, that is indeed what our system is about.

Liberals, like myself for example, like to blame the Bush Administration for a lot of stuff. Usually, we’re justified in doing so. Powell’s comments today and Huckabee’s response to them made me think of something else we can righteously pin on Bush: were it not for the warmongers in the White House enlisting Powell as their invasion salesman four years ago, we might now have a Republican presidential candidate that knows their ass from a hole in the ground. Instead, they ruined his career.

Thanks, Bush Administration. You dickholes.

That really is sad, in a lot of ways. I don't think Powell's exempt from responsibility for going along with a presentation that he reportedly knew was at least part bullshit beforehand and stated as much, but still. Sad.

I really don't think Powell knew that the reports were false. I think he had an idea but he was doing what his boss told him to do. I know everyone has done things on their job that they might not think is right because their boss told them to do it and they didn't have the proof to go against them. Powell not being in that position now proves that he doesn't agree with the President Dumbass. Also, Bald Eagle is right. He might be the only Republican I would vote for and I'm a registered Republican!

I too always thought that he had integrity and intelligence, until Fall of 2002 - the diplomatic mission to Israel/Palestine, when he ran afoul of Mr. Rumsfeld. It sounds like a conspiracy theory, but given the fact that he was suddenly gagged at this particular point and was made into a tool leads me to believe that Rumsfeld/Cheney may actually have put him, and/or his family, under threat of harm or death. I know it sounds extreme, but I couldn't figure out how else a military man of his caliber could suddenly have lost all trace of gonads. And don't tell me Dick and Don were above such things either.

Sorry about the career there, Colin, or what you might have accomplished for this country or the world. It's over. Write your book or whatever, but you're too fucking late.

Agreed 100%. I think to believe that he had no idea that any of it was trumped up is silly, but I (perhaps naively) don't really think he was given the whole story. Cheney himself was quoted later as saying he was sent "to fall on his sword."

Did he? You don't think that for one moment he may have been convinced that we were doing the right thing?

Also claiming that a decorated military commander doesn't "have the balls" to go against a slump of (albeit worthless) evidence presented by his superiors only two years into his service on the cusp of a potential war seems rather brash. Chain of command and all that.

Why?

Yes. He knows that. He has stated that. Many times.

I'm almost certain that Powell will be one of the great political tragedies of our time. He's like a Republican Ted Kennedy. He's a bright guy, with a lot of integrity, who I think could have done a lot of good - that sensible kind of Republican you don't see much of anymore. And he's just *done* now, brought down by too strong of a sense of loyalty. It's fucking *Greek* in it's scope.

As much as I'd like to, I cannot disagree with Colin Powell on this.

Kudos to Powell for saying something. Jeers for it being FAR TOO BLOODY LATE!

Powell was in on the bullshit with the war.

http://www.newamericancentury.org/iraqclintonletter.htm

Unless, maybe he was like Ron Paul and signed his name to things he has nothing to do with.

There are enough news articles about him feeling badly about the way things were being handled, but I think the turning point was this:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8364-2004Sep9.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/04/world/main634065.shtml

He resigned shortly after declaring Genocide and learning that his cronies weren't interested in doing the right thing for once.

I don't think Powell is quite out of the picture just yet. I don't know if he is (or really ever was) a presidential candidate, but I don't think he's done, either. That said, I'd probably vote for him over any of the giant douchebags the Repubs are running at the moment.

It was always interesting to me to imagine the backroom politics that got Powell on Jr.'s first cabinet in what really seemed like an intentional counter-balance to the neo-cons. Was that the outward show of the battle for control of the party?

What power struggles must he have personally lost to have been sent out to fall on his sword?

It'll be fascinating twenty years from now when his memoirs about Desert Storm I and Desert Storm II: "The Dumbening" finally makes it into print.

I may be missing something, but according to that page he didn't actually sign that letter.

Really odd, I could have sworn his name was on there last time I looked at it. That was a long time ago. Then again, I might have confused it with something else.

Edit: I recall arguing about Powell with a friend and referencing some piece of damning evidence from that site. Alas, I can't find it. Maybe he got "black" listed by those guys.

Edit: Never mind he didn't roll with them. It looks like I drank way too much this past weekend.

Edit: Well, it was a better excuse than Ron Paul's.

The Bush Administration works to destroy the integrity of anyone or anything that can actually make government work.
Colin Powell is just another example of how they delegitimize public service in order to make people more extreme and open to right wing ideas and privatization.

"Help us, Colin Powell. You're our only hope."

-The GOP

And it suddenly occurs to me that Bush and co. started the whole Gitmo thing because they had no faith in the justice system. And let's face it, who would know better?

Bravo Colin, for... voicing the popular opinion. Shame we can't be sure you mean it.

I think you're giving my analogy far too much credit.

No, you're right - the situation between the two is very different. Kennedy was a drunk and a moron - but generally did not get involved in a *political/substantive issue* clusterfuck. And that does make a difference. My point was just much more shallow: you had two promising careers cut down by stupid mistakes (driving while drunk and supporting a stupid policy for far too long). But point definitely taken.

Mike Huckabee is right to say that Gitmo is "more symbolic than it is a substantive issue." Too bad that he draws exactly the wrong conclusion as to how and why. Powell is correct: the worst part about Guantanamo isn't that the U.S. has violated the rights of hundreds of people in a huge way (though that's plenty bad enough), it's that the U.S. has enthusiastically hurled almost every last scrap of its moral authority onto the bonfire, and in doing so has empowered and emboldened every thug, warlord, tyrant, and dictator on Earth. It's sad and it's sickening.

Maybe Powell should say he was just drunk. You know, just got on a really long bender and got roped into selling the needless slaughter of thousands of innocent people.

Could have happened to any of us.

The sadder thing is that Huckabee's not pandering to the neo-authoritarian wing of the GOP as openly as Mitt "Double Guantanamo" Romney.

I've got no evidence to support this, but I've always wanted to believe that the Administration knows something about Powell -- like maybe he accidentally killed someone once, or had an affair, or something -- and they're threatening to give it to the press if he doesn't cooperate.

But I live in a fantasy world.

What bothers me after re reading everything, is that he knew about it all, was apparently opposed to it all, but didn't really say or do anything to stop. This opposition to thing

A long bender? The last time I accidentally created mass chaos and destruction, it was the excuse I used.

We here in the UK often believe the same about that nice Mr Blair.