Interesting conversation with Colin Powell today:
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16 years
I watched this yesterday. I am a bit perplexed by the guy. He seems reasonable and intelligent. I would like to ask him how on earth he could serve under/with intellectual gorillas like Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld. How on earth could he stage this really embarrassing show at the UN security council? He must have known it´s all made up. I would like to ask him if it´s not a little bit late to show he has a conscience after all.
16 years
Well, maybe Obama and Powell just like each other. Powell´s parents were immigrants from Jamaica and he grew up in the Bronx. He runs a charity for poor kids. Obviously, there is common ground between the two.
A job ant the UN? LMAO! :D I reckon nobody there would even want to talk to him any more. If America wants to humiliate the UN even further - all right, send Powell. Maybe a job on an advisor´s board? Yes, but that wouldn´t be something so tempting he couldn´t refuse.
16 years
Sorry, my comment wasn't worded well... I meant that Powell might have been forced into making an argument for the Iraq War.
By "an offer he couldn't refuse" I meant that scene in the Godfather (movie) where the mafia offered a guy $10,000, but the guy refuses. So the mafia chopped the head of his horse off and left it in his bed. They referred to that as "an offer he couldn't refuse". The phrase generally means that a coercion was involved.
16 years
I live in Vienna, so I´ll answer that with a Sigmund Freud quote:
"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."
I don´t think anyone forced him into something. Why and how? I figure his superego did that. He must know he was a Bush tool and he´s coming to his senses now. He just spat into the face of McCain, that must feel very good for him. Anyway, he helped to justify an unjustifiable war. Nobody should get away from that so easily. Try harder, Colin!
16 years
My description above probably sounds more serious than what I meant. It's 1/2 joking :)
"Coerce" is a better word than "force" -- in the same sense as "why did Poland, Denmark, and Tonga send their troops to invade Iraq?"
I don't know.
Maybe Powell really believed it was necessary to invade Iraq.
16 years
Poland: they´re scared of Russia and were looking for a friend.
Denmark: Rightwing nutcase government.
Tonga: Maybe "OK, can we have some development aid in return?"
I think he really wanted to have a nod from the UNSC in order to increase pressure on Saddam. I´m not sure if he was convinced an invasion would be a good idea. But that doesn´t matter. He should have known he was a tool.
16 years
"Coerce" is a better word than "force" -- in the same sense as "why did Poland, Denmark, and Tonga send their troops to invade Iraq?"
I don't know.
It is always better to say "Allies" than "Americans" for the people, event if the US represents the majority of the forces in Iraq. The other "allied" countries are just hoping to gain some benefits from standing behind, backing up and do what they say.
Maybe Powell really believed it was necessary to invade Iraq.
He has a military past. According to the government's point of view, he took orders from Bush, according to the official point of view. If he would have a different opinion, he would have resigned before the attack. However I guess the reason for resigning from the position at the second turn is because what he saw is not a "clean", go-in-bash-down-get-out=problem-solved situation, so he didn't want to take responsability for that. Also it seems a second Vietnam for them and the more they stay in, the worse it could be. IMHO that's why he supports Obama now as they both want to get the army out within reasonable time.
16 years
However I guess the reason for resigning from the position at the second turn is because what he saw is not a "clean", go-in-bash-down-get-out=problem-solved situation
If I remember correctly, nobody outside of America ever believed there is a plausible "clean" scenario. This man is not stupid. He must have foreseen how this war was going to end. Even if not, it does not make a difference. He has helped to make this war happen. He is responsible.
16 years
This man is not stupid. He must have foreseen how this war was going to end.
I'm not sure anyone in the US government really believed that Iraq was an immediate threat to US national security. There are many interviews with people in the Government here:
http://www.truthuncovered.com/
There are some interesting things in the book The Real McCain. I think Rumsfeld was warned by the military that they weren't using enough troops, but they went in anyway.
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