Powell speaks out on being loyal -- and being wrong

[MIKE BURN]

Quote:

---

abcnews.go.com/2020/Politics/story?id=1105979&page=1



Colin Powell on Iraq, Race, and Hurricane Relief



Former Secretary of State Speaks Out on Being Loyal -- and Being Wrong



Sept. 8, 2005 — In 35 years of service as a soldier, Colin Powell earned a reputation as the quintessential disciplined warrior. As secretary of state in President Bush's first term, Powell was widely seen as a disciplined, moderate — and loyal — voice for the administration. Now out of government service, Powell is airing openly his disappointments and frustration on everything from the invasion of Iraq to the federal response to Hurricane Katrina.



Powell, 68, who recently visited storm survivors at Reunion Arena in Dallas, said he was "deeply moved" by the families displaced by the devastating storm and was critical of the preparations for Hurricane Katrina. "I think there have been a lot of failures at a lot of levels — local, state and federal. There was more than enough warning over time about the dangers to New Orleans. Not enough was done. I don't think advantage was taken of the time that was available to us, and I just don't know why," Powell told ABC News' Barbara Walters in an exclusive interview airing Friday night at 10 p.m. on "20/20."



Powell doesn't think race was a factor in the slow delivery of relief to the hurricane victims as some have suggested. "I don't think it's racism, I think it's economic," he told Walters.



Making False Case for War Still 'Painful'



When Powell left the Bush administration in January 2005, he was widely seen as having been at odds with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney over foreign policy choices.



It was Powell who told the United Nations and the world that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and posed an imminent threat. He told Walters that he feels "terrible" about the claims he made in that now-infamous address — assertions that later proved to be false.



When asked if he feels it has tarnished his reputation, he said, "Of course it will. It's a blot. I'm the one who presented it on behalf of the United States to the world, and [it] will always be a part of my record. It was painful. It's painful now."



He doesn't blame former CIA Director George Tenet for the misleading information he says he pored over for days before delivering his speech; he faults the intelligence system.



"George Tenet did not sit there for five days with me misleading me. He believed what he was giving to me was accurate. … The intelligence system did not work well," he said.



Nonetheless, Powell said, some lower-level personnel in the intelligence community failed him and the country. "There were some people in the intelligence community who knew at that time that some of these sources were not good, and shouldn't be relied upon, and they didn't speak up. That devastated me," he said.

---

[DreamTone7]

There are currently greater issues at steak than attempting to resurect a dead horse, Mr. Burn.

[MIKE BURN]

The dead horse still creates dead American soldiers, young guys, every single day. This may interest you.



I'm more interested in the dead Iraqi's killed by Americans already and still everyday, that's for sure.

[ans]

You're less interested in dead American soldiers?



Since Mike Burn failed to mention the dead Iraqis killed by Saddam (already), and Islamic Militants (every day) I guess I'll bring 'em up, their poor bodies woodchipped by thugs and blown into a billion pieces by kids looking for those elusive fourteen virgins. That's for sure.

[Galmin]

Quote:

---

There are currently greater issues at steak than attempting to resurect a dead horse, Mr. Burn.

---

Put another horsie on the barbie.

[DreamTone7]

...first he'll have to perform the "resurection ritual"...just so we can kill it again!

[Galmin]

'twas just a friendly pun for your steak typo, DT.

[DreamTone7]

I know...that's why we have to kill it a second time...I'm not a fan of eating horse, let alone live horse.

[Galmin]

Speaking of Powell and since we have a Schiller-year, here's a fitting quote:





'Der Mohr hat seine Schuldigkeit getan, Der Mohr kann gehen

Edited by: Galmin  at: 9/13/05 23:15