What do you guys think of this former US Secretary of State?
I think he is a noble and fair individual who resigned his position because he (at that time felt justified and correct, but unknowingly based on false info) stood up in front of the world and UN, to convince them that the US should declare a "just war" against Irag. Afterwards, I'm sure he felt embarrassment when there was no WMD discovered. Does that make sense?
I do hope to see him in politics for the US in the future.
I would have a lot more respect for him if he didn't sway in the political wind. I think he's a pretty good guy, who has gotten in over his head with a pack of wolves who've used him to further their own political agenda.
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The only stance he's taken is to leave his office. I seem to recall him going before th eUN and saying that a war with Iraq was justified. I also recall him saying he had his doubts about it after he left office.
__________________ "If I were you"
"If you were me, you'd know the safest place to hide...is in sanity!
No, he left because he had his suspicions confirmed. But he went before the UN, despite not believing in what he was about to say to them and the whole world. He just couldn't admit it until after he'd left office.
__________________ "If I were you"
"If you were me, you'd know the safest place to hide...is in sanity!
Pretty sure. If I am wrong and you find that out, then I'm willing to admit it. But I'm fairly certain.
Beyond that, like I said, I think he's a pretty descent guy who's good reputation they decided to use and abuse for their own gain. Which I think is the real reason he resigned.
__________________ "If I were you"
"If you were me, you'd know the safest place to hide...is in sanity!
i dont think he's evil or anything...but he played a key role in misleading america into an unjustified war. but thats fine, i wish nothing bad on the man. i feel he should live out a long and comfortable life.........in isolation, shame, and reflection on just where he went wrong.
Gender: Male Location: between apathy and indifference
I think he was a decent man who was hung out to dry by the Bush administration. I also tend to believe that he believed in the "intelligence" that he relayed to the UN because he so wanted to believe it. And I feel sort of bad for him that reality had to kick him in the nuts so hard.
Great how Bush took the only person worthy of respect in his administration and bent him over a table without even the courtesy of using a little vaseline.
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i think you overestimate his conscience. imho he and all other involved knew they were lying. this is the grand experiment and they all bought into it. create a new brand of easily controllable democracy and impose it on the middle east. maybe they believe that this experiment is a noble act, but i just cant buy that he believed the intelligence.
I agree with you, as I said before. However I think he was a little more reluctant than the others. But it's not as if that changes the fact that he distorted the intelligence to fit the agenda. In the history of the CIA, there's only one vice president that went to CIA headquaters, not only once but repeatedly. Dick Cheney. And when the CIA couldn't (because it didn't exist) produce the skewed intelligence he wanted, the Bush administration just set up another intelligence agency that would provide the intelligence to justify invasion (because they made it up). And then when it all came out, they pointed their finger at the CIA and said it was their fault.
__________________ "If I were you"
"If you were me, you'd know the safest place to hide...is in sanity!
Last edited by Devil King on Aug 24th, 2006 at 12:19 AM
Gender: Male Location: between apathy and indifference
I see Powell as the "dutiful soldier". I believe that even if he had doubts, he believed his superiors. I think that's why when you see him today he does not appear to be the same man he used to be.
They took much of his integrity and all his credibility, and he is probably quite aware that by placing his trust in them, he also gave much of it away.
__________________ "I made a typo bif deal" - JacopeX
Gender: Male Location: between apathy and indifference
Too easily?
You also gotta undersrtand that his whole life has been about giving and taking orders. For the most part, he has had to trust the instincts of his superiors and also is not in a position to question his orders.
From what I gathered, it seems like he was pretty much kept in the darkl by the whole admininstration about a number of issues.
He did what he thought was right, he knows now that it wasn't. I harbor far less ill-will towards him than I do to the rest of the administration.
__________________ "I made a typo bif deal" - JacopeX
I agree with that, he was most definatly the lesser of the evils.
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This isn't true. And the just taking orders thing is bullsh*t.
He disagreed with the administartion over much of its foreign policy. His international respect was used by the administration to sell the war. (he didn't think the intelligence was good enough to sell it yet).
It appears that he questioned bush a lot, but at the end of the day Bush is boss and Powell goes with the administration's position, regardless of whether he likes it or not. Its called responsibility.
Powell regrets that speech to the UN enormously. Its sads to see a promising politician destroyed.
KMC Community Forums
Aug 23rd, 2006 09:31 PM
...thought he always took a stance and rolled with it.
