Colin Powell To Step Down As Secretry of State

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly
It won't be Rice; NSA's a much better gig than State, especially for a policy wonk like her. It won't be Wolfowitz, either; no diplomatic credentials.

You want your blood to run cold? To wake up screaming every night between now and Jan. 2005? It'll be Elliot F*cking Abrams. You read it here first.

NSA is run by a 3 star uniform IIRC.

[Berzerker]

Sava -

and any reasonable human being with a conscience.

Do you have something to back that up? If you're going to badmouth him, at least make it more than an ad hominem.

[DanS]

NSA is run by a 3 star uniform IIRC.

I think he meant National Security Advisor rather than National Security Agency.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by Sikander


NSA is run by a 3 star uniform IIRC.

My bad. You're right: a Lt. General named Michael Hayden, who must be the least-visible NSA chief since the Johnson administration. Rice is Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs -- though she seems to be playing the role played by such NSA chiefs as Sandy Berger, Robert McFarlane, and Henry the K.

But it still won't be Rice.

[DanS]

The problem with finding someone for the head of the CIA who'd be able push HumInt over Signals Intellignce successfully.

Which is a real challenge, since we haven't done jack squat on human intelligence for decades.

[Timexwatch]

Originally posted by DanS


Which is a real challenge, since we haven't done jack squat on human intelligence for decades.

Can we outsource the position to someone more responsible, like the British?

[HershOstropoler]

Good news, just wished he'd go immediately.

Originally posted by Sikander

He must seem talented only to the French, who managed to trick him into bringing the Iraq mess before the UNSC in order to sabotage the U.S.

Huh? The whole inspections and going to UN farce was mostly done for Tony poodle.

[Al B. Sure!]

and more of a house n**** (as you good ol' boys would put it)

in my mind, Sharpton and Jackson are the most prominent house slaves... all they do is whine and get the scraps from the democratic party... Powell, Rice, Thomas, etc. are the tough ass 'field niggas' who rose themselves up and are actually doing things

[Sikander]

Originally posted by HershOstropoler
Good news, just wished he'd go immediately.



Huh? The whole inspections and going to UN farce was mostly done for Tony poodle.

But Powell was able to sell it to a reluctant administration when he was assured of support by the French. Immediately afterward he was presented with a united front against the operation by the French and Germans. The "compromise" position was to inspect until summer while American troops "cooled" their heals in Kuwait. If we wished to launch our attack in the summer in full mop gear then, perhaps...

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Timexwatch


Can we outsource the position to someone more responsible, like the British?

Bond. James Bond.

[HershOstropoler]

"But Powell was able to sell it to a reluctant administration when he was assured of support by the French."

Support for Iraqi disarmament, not for the conquest of Iraq. The French only played on the Bush admin's excuse for their war.

"Immediately afterward he was presented with a united front against the operation by the French and Germans."

If the Bush admin hadn't been so hellbent on having their war now and without regard to the interests of other states, it would have been no big problem to get their support.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by HershOstropoler
"But Powell was able to sell it to a reluctant administration when he was assured of support by the French."

Support for Iraqi disarmament, not for the conquest of Iraq. The French only played on the Bush admin's excuse for their war.

"Immediately afterward he was presented with a united front against the operation by the French and Germans."

If the Bush admin hadn't been so hellbent on having their war now and without regard to the interests of other states, it would have been no big problem to get their support.

Perhaps. Certainly the administration plunged forward with war preparations with no intention of asking permission. Then they had second thoughts and shuffled their feet indecisively. Blair and Powell wanted to go to the U.N., the administration hawks did not, and I'll bet that Bush was on the side of the hawks initially. There was a lot of pressure applied by Blair, Powell and Bush Sr. and his cronies to go to the U.N. Finally they did so, sullenly and without good preparation.

The biggest weakness IMO in this administration's foreign policy team has been that they haven't had a professional diplomat in the senior ranks of the team. They are loaded with strategists, a general etc., but no one sure-footed enough to reliably gauge foreign opinion, much less shape it subtly. With a president like Bush they need all the help they can get. Powell is trusted here and abroad, but that isn't this administration's problem really. Bush pretty much does what he says he will do, so diplomatic credibility is actually pretty good. But reading the conference table before the conference and stacking the deck in our favor before hand are arts that seem to have been forgotten.

[HershOstropoler]

"There was a lot of pressure applied by Blair, Powell and Bush Sr. and his cronies to go to the U.N. Finally they did so, sullenly and without good preparation."

That would have been little problem if they had been ready to accept a no-war outcome. As they weren't, the whole exercise was quite silly.

"Bush pretty much does what he says he will do, so diplomatic credibility is actually pretty good."

Very mixed. He does what he wants to do, he does not what he only says for political reasons. He's very reliable on wars and tax cuts, just hot air on things like rebuilding Afghanistan, Iraqi self rule, alternative climate protection, internal security etc etc.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Sikander
I like the man too, but just haven't seen much performance from him. Arguably there has never been a Secretary of State who has managed to preside over such a loss of international prestige as Colin Powell. I don't think it is all his fault either, but a great Secretary of State would be able to stick it to the enemy and make them like it.

IIUC, Powell opposed the neocon's wet dream in Iraq and pushed for the UN episode. In the end, as the neocons were getting impatient, they decided to attack no matter what and gave some time for Powell to give excuses to the UN in order to get its agreement.
The gunghoness of the US, incarnated by Dubya's speeches and fueled by the Wolfowitzes, is the source of the immense resentment towards the US right now. Basically, Bush and Wolfy gave the whole world the finger, and asked Powell to justify it in front of the world.

Newsflash: the resentment towards the US is a popular sentiment which focuses on the individual of George W Bush. Foreigners care very little of Powell and what he can say. In these circumstances, it is hard to imagine how Powell could win the hearts of foreign people as he's never displayed on foreign TV when he tries to correct some W's blunder.
The only time Powell really went to the spotlight (except during his WW1 days) was when he presented his unconvincing "evidence" to the UN. This farce sure didn't help the credibility of the US, but again, I don't think anybody could have done a solid presentation from this mere tape and these outdated pictures.

If the Bushies weren't looking so eagerly for international hatred, and if Powell had more control over what he did, maybe he'd have room to express his talent or lack thereof. But in the Iraqi war and the following worsened relations with other countries, I highly doubt he had any real power of changing things.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by HershOstropoler
"There was a lot of pressure applied by Blair, Powell and Bush Sr. and his cronies to go to the U.N. Finally they did so, sullenly and without good preparation."

That would have been little problem if they had been ready to accept a no-war outcome. As they weren't, the whole exercise was quite silly.

I was against going to the U.N. myself, as our goals (removal of Saddam's regime) were never going to get approved in a way that would keep casualties to a minimum. Bush was against it as were the hawks, but relented after the pressure of among others, Powell. Powell misread the situation, and increased the acrimony considerably by in effect causing a sham hearing.

Originally posted by HershOstropoler
Very mixed. He does what he wants to do, he does not what he only says for political reasons. He's very reliable on wars and tax cuts, just hot air on things like rebuilding Afghanistan, Iraqi self rule, alternative climate protection, internal security etc etc.

This was war.