Very good interview, for once Larry King kept the stupid questions to a minimum and let his guest talk at length. Eloquent, humble, and very smart. In other words the anti-Bush. I’m a life long Democrat and I would vote for Powell in a heartbeat if he ran for president. He spoke about his U.N. address, called the situation in Iraq what it is: a civil war, and doggedly defended the decision to topple the Afghanistan and Saddam governments. He also stated quite clearly that the administration completely missed an opportunity following the fall of Saddam by not getting the Iraqi military back on it’s feet and by not getting more troops in Iraq at that time when it would have a made a real difference. What a shame we our stuck with our current leader when a great man like Powell is standing on the side lines.
Did he mention the part about letting his president twist in the wind for years about the Plame leak that actually came from his number two man with his knowledge?
I am going to go out on a limb and guess that Larry King never asked, and Powell never volunteered. How am I doing so far?
You would vote for a guy like that why?
Well since Powell resigned 3 years ago I’m not sure how much twisting he was responsible for. The fact that Bush is ignorant of the things that go on his cabinet is a different issue altogether. Powell actually chose to serve his country through his distinguished military career, not avoid serving like Bush and Cheney. Unlike the rest of the candidates he isn’t in some special interests back pocket and it is unlikely you will find any skeletons in his closet. He oozes credibility and unlike the current president can speak effortlessly about any topic, Bush simply can’t put together a sentence without pauses, poor grammar etc. I feel embarrassed for our country every time Bush attempts to speak publicly. The question to you should be, how can you still support Bush? His lack of leadership is astonishing.
I thought this thread was about Powell.
Powell knew from nearly day one that the entire Plame leak originated from his number two man. He had the ability to end the matter almost before it began, saving his president a lot of problems in a time of war. Instead, he chose to protect himself and his number two instead of his country and his president.
The question to you is how can you support such a man for president, or dog catcher for that matter?
I will take the assumption that neither Powell nor King raised the issue as confirmed.
I only saw a few minutes, and it happened to be those very moments when he stuck to his February 2003 presentation as the best intelligence we had blah blah blah - - as his presentation was blown apart in the very days after he gave his show at the UN I knew then he was either another weak follower or a liar.
I don’t know who Colin Powell is anymore, and I’m not sure he knows either.
Funny that you would like Powell even though he has as much to blame for Iraq as Bush.
**letting his president twist in the wind for years about the Plame leak that actually came from his number two man with his knowledge? **
You make many presumptions about something you know nothing about and in the process you throw a decorated patriot under the bus all in the name of defending your president. Another example of your “party first, flag second” philosphy.
Plame case:
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Armitage was the original leaker, having leaked to both Novak and Woodward.
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Armitage knew he was the original leaker.
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Armitage was Powell’s right hand man at State.
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Powell, was his boss, the Secretary of State, a member of the Bush’s cabinet.
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Armitage told Powell he was the leaker early on.
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Powell and Armitage both kept their silence for years as the scandal raged around the Whitehouse staff that had absolutely nothing to do with the leak.
Why don’t you chime in and tell me all the things I don’t know.
I am guessing the original poster who is swooning over Powell like a cheerleader over the football captain won’t substantively address the topic, nor will you for that matter.
Powell is black making him untouchable to the left. He is also a war hero making him untouchable to the right. Great gig if you can get it.
- Powell and Armitage both kept their silence for years as the scandal raged around the Whitehouse staff that had absolutely nothing to do with the leak.
This is where you are wrong. Armitage told Powell and immediately afterward he told William Howard Taft IV, the State Department’s legal adviser, who then notified a senior Justice official that Armitage had information relevant to the case. Guess what? The next day, a team of FBI agents and Justice prosecutors investigating the leak questioned Armitage who admitted that he had passed along to Novak information from a State Department memo that Wilson’s wife worked on weapons-of-mass-destruction issues at the CIA. The memo did not mention her undercover status.
So you see Art, Armitage’s role was disclosed immediately. It just wasn’t leaked.
There is no question it was disclosed in Fitzgerald’s investigation almost on day one. One would wonder why there was a day two.
They didn’t tell their president. The man who hired them. Their boss, who was trying to run a nation at war with them as supposed trusted advisors. They let the president and his staff twist in the wind for years for the purpose of covering their own pathetic, ever expanding asses.
That man is a disgrace to his office and his uniform.
**They didn’t tell their president. The man who hired them. Their boss, who was trying to run a nation at war with them as supposed trusted advisors. They let the president and his staff twist in the wind for years for the purpose of covering their own pathetic, ever expanding asses. **
You are aware that there was an ongoing criminal investigation and discussing any aspect of the case would be strictly prohibited? If I understand you correctly, Armitage and Powell should have violated the law to shield Rove from harm? So this really boils down to you favoring Rove over obeying the law. Is that about it?
“You are aware that there was an ongoing criminal investigation and discussing any aspect of the case would be strictly prohibited?”
100% completely wrong, from the person who told me I knew nothing about the matter. There was nothing, zero, zip preventing them from calling a press conference to put an end to it all. “I am Colin Powell. I am very sad to inform you that my right hand man, Richard Armitage, was the original source of the leak of the name of Valorie Plame to Robert Novak. Thank you.”
End of story. End of investigation.
Yes, Powell should have protected Rove and Bush because they did nothing wrong. That reason works for me. Never mind the add on of allowing the President to conduct a war undistracted by the politcal problems of the baseless charges Powell or Armitage could have blown away in 30 seconds by standing up.
While we are at it, yes, the matter speaks poorly of Bush in that he hired Powell in the first place. It was pretty obvious what he would get and he got it.
I used to be a big Powell supporter in the late 90’s, just like I was of McCain… Just about everything he has done since then has soured me to them both. He went into this war whole heartdly with Bush, Cheney and Rummy, and now that it hasn’t worked out, he distances himself from it. Even with hindsight, he still supports us going in, knowing of the horrible intellegence.He’s playing to his old base, and then in the next breath, tells of how botched it was after the first few weeks, playing to the majority now. All the while he points out that he knew this stuff, but somehow was such a loyal guy, that he had to keep his mouth shut and toe the line. He is a fence stradler, and I don’t trust him a bit. I will give him his war hero status, but as a politician, he gets squat from me…And I do believe his race plays to his popularity, and the softball approach the media has with him…
Art, why don’t you just admit that you are pissed off that a conservative majority of the Supreme Court has agreed to hear appeals from Gitmo detainees and in all likelihood correct another violation of law by Bush and the theocons/neacons.
Back to your point, I am sure that Powell and Armitage were lawyered up and I have no problem with their silence. Don’t forget, they lived through Iran Contra. Remeber that mess?
Have a nice day Art.
“I have no problem with their silence.”
You have no problem with it, you just can’t offer any defense of it. They stabbed someone you hate in the back, so it is fine by you. In a different situation, your opinion of the same conduct would be the different.
The difference with me is I would be furious if he did that to President Clinton too.
Monty summed up Powell pretty well above. I would only add that he was against the first Gulf War before he was for it too. For the most part, the guy is pretty much interested in what is good for his career.
They stabbed someone you hate in the back, so it is fine by you.
Art, calm down. I don’t hate Bush, I just don’t like his policies and I think he has been one of the worst presidents since Grant. I’m sure he’s a good husband, father, son, etc. In fact, we have the same tailor who told me that Bush is very warm in person.
You obviously buy into the Ann Coulter school of radical discourse and that’s your right. I think you should try and do better, if you can.
saving his president a lot of problems in a time of war.
What sort of problems did The President have that he could have been saved from?
“I think you should try and do better, if you can.”
too.tall, you might want to save you condescending remarks for a thread in which you factually get something right and actually defend your point of view cogently, if you can find such a thread. None come to mind.
Do a search on Plame and you will find about 600 posts that should inform you of the related problems.
It was in all the papers.