Colin Powell: Bush Didn't Consult National Security Council On Iraq War

[Sarcasticus]

Source: PuffHo

WASHINGTON -- In his new book, former Secretary of State Colin Powell provides what may be the most authoritative confirmation yet that there was never a considered debate in the George W. Bush White House about whether going to war in Iraq was really a good idea.

In a chapter discussing what he calls his “infamous” February 2003 speech to the United Nations where he authoritatively presented what was later exposed as gross misinformation about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, Powell notes that by that time, war “was approaching.”

“By then, the President did not think war could be avoided,” Powell writes. “He had crossed the line in his own mind, even though the NSC [National Security Council] had never met -- and never would meet -- to discuss the decision.”

The National Security Council, which was at the time led by Condoleezza Rice, is the president’s foremost advisory body for national security and foreign policy.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/09/colin-powell-book_n_1503592.html

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Well I for one am shocked by this! Shocked!

[KamaAina]

1. Now he tells us.

Whoopee-I-oh-ky-yay.

[LiberalEsto]

2. Bush was probably playing with his Game-Boy

while Cheney made the war arrangements.

[Left Coast2020]

41. I thought he decided while he was sitting on the throne....

...stinking up the rest of "Our House".

[Jack Rabbit]

3. Who made the decision that the President should not meet with the NSC?

Even if the "President" (or the titular leader of the Junta) is a dummy (as was the case), he's still the one responsible for making the decision to go to war and should not do so unless he has all the facts. Bush either remained willfully ignorant by insulating himself from facts or was lied to by subordinates. Why didn't Dr. Rice insist on a meeting of the full NSC with the president?

[elleng]

7. Unfortunately, imo, she was undermined at every point

by cheney and his guys, and rummy, and had no more opportunity to persuade the idiot in charge than did Powell. It was a 'conspiracy' at the highest levels.

[Jack Rabbit]

14. That's what I think, too, but we need facts we can take to court.

[elleng]

15. Not going to court; forget it.

Best 'facts' may be extrapolated from Senator Graham's book/novel, Keys to the Kingdom.

[crunch60]

26. I always thought Cheney was de facto president, and Georgie Buscho was just his lackey.

Whatever, none of the war criminals in the Bush administration will ever be prosecuted for their war crimes. George will open his LIE-brary, re-write history, and drink himself into a stupor on his big ranch. Papa must be so proud of his dingbat.

[JDPriestly]

4. Then who decided to go into that war? Rove?

Cheney's committee of oil and other energy companies? How and where and by whom was that decision made?

Powell was Sec. of State. Rice was the head of the NSC.

So was it strictly Cheney, the CIA and Rumsfeld? What or who was our government and deciding our foreign policy at that point?

Did Bush just listen to thunder from the sky? This is extremely, extremely troubling. Talk about lack of transparency.

[FiveGoodMen]

6. Pretty sure that one big POINT of having Bush in the White House was to start war with Iraq

(Just like his dad did)

[HereSince1628]

16. The NeoCons were certainly committed on paper before 2000, when they got their Pearl Harbor

I can't imagine anyone of them thought the NSC had any important to add to what they'd said long before.

[Citizen Worker]

12. PNAC was running foreign policy. If you have any doubt read their manifesto.

[jwirr]

18. That is what I wanted to say but couldn't remember what their name was. Thank you.

[TBF]

29. +1 - Wolfowitz and Cheney

[newspeak]

39. yeah, it was the PNAC plan

however, little boots wanted war with iraq before he was even selected. The PNAC is a joke on the american people. They talk about democracy in the ME, but that's just a cover. They could care less about democracy; however, they do care about their stock portfolios and allowing global corporations to have access to resources. These cretins are no idealistic honorable people, they are greedy, sociopaths. They've found a way to use our military, our money to further their own global takeover. It's all about the money and power. And, if a ruthless dictator is willing to work for them, they'd gladly support him. Pinochet, anyone?

[lunatica]

33. The people who drafted PNAC are responsible

They practically said the US has the right to declare war without restraints and signed it.

"The Project for the New American Century is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to a few fundamental propositions: that American leadership is good both for America and for the world; and that such leadership requires military strength, diplomatic energy and commitment to moral principle.

The Project for the New American Century intends, through issue briefs, research papers, advocacy journalism, conferences, and seminars, to explain what American world leadership entails. It will also strive to rally support for a vigorous and principled policy of American international involvement and to stimulate useful public debate on foreign and defense policy and America's role in the world.

William Kristol, Chairman"

http://www.newamericancentury.org/

I believe Bill Kristol was the person who insisted that Sarah Palin be the choice for VP too.

[MiniMe]

5. Richard Clarke pretty much told us that years ago

Though it was a quote about Rummy asking about targets to hit in Iraq after 9/11.

[Kolesar]

8. “I get mad when bloggers accuse me of lying -- of knowing the information was false. I didn’t.”

Powell is a liar.

[surrealAmerican]

34. It was his responsibility to know.

He'd have had to be quite an idiot not to know.


Your conclusion is correct.

[Kolesar]

35. He calculated what would be best for the Republican Party

If he had *principles*, he would have resigned.

[UTUSN]

9. Dear Colon: Keep going, keep confessing to all the TOOL things you've participated in

at the service of your Old White Masters, beginning with the My Lai "investigation"

[Scuba]

10. Why would he? He was the "decider".

[Javaman]

11. So let's be clear...

george w. moron* held no debate, and yet, colon, ass for name, powell still went to the UN and showed us all some pretty cartoons of "mobile labs" to convince us all to bomb Iraq.

sounds to me that colon, ass for name, is trying expunge himself of being a water carrying prick.

throw the whole lot of them in prison and throw away the key.

[MADem]

13. Colin Powell--who many times had an opportunity to lead--and failed to do so.

Time after time after time.

Too little, too late, "General."

You really let down the side.

[Sarcasticus]

24. Did you read Bob Woodward's "State of Denial"?

Late in the book, he describes a meeting he had with Sen. Carl Levin, who couldn't understand why Powell didn't threaten to resign over the bullshit being used to lie us into war. Levin felt that Powell could have stopped the debacle before it started. I agree, and to this day cannot fathom why he didn't.

[MADem]

40. Not yet--it's on my "long list" (as opposed to my short list, because I have mixed feelings about

Woodward--impeccable sources, but that guy does prosecute agendas, mostly those to do with himself!). Caro's latest is on my very short list!

I agree with Levin's and your assessment on this matter, of course! That rings very true.

Powell had an opportunity to be a great figure in history, instead of just a figure in history. He blew it.

[ingac70]

17. Colon needs to just go away....

What a disgusting human being.....

[DallasNE]

19. There Were No Hero's

Certainly not Powell, who famously threw the misinformation on the floor and called it crap before gathering it back up and making the UN presentation. Powell was also someone steeped on chain of command for command and control issues. Why did he not press to bring in the National Security Counsel team? Powell should have resigned rather than becoming the pathetic yes man he turned out to be.

Certainly not Rice, who should have been steaming about being locked out of the real decision making process. Not only did she not resign over an important prinicple but she took Powell's job after he did belatedly resign. This alone should end any thought of her seeking public office.

Frankly, this looks and feels like Bush was too weak to stand up to Dick Cheney, who was driving this whole effort with an assist from Saddam when he unsuccessfully sought to kill Bush 41.

Congress, too, gets low marks because in their oversight role they should have questioned Rice on what she was counselling Bush regarding war and thus uncovered this sloppy and sham railroading of the Iraq war. Congress should have even asked Hans Blix to expound on the efforts of his UN weapons inspection team.

Because there were no heroes this country paid a very heavy price for a botched war in Iraq that cost trillions and well as over 4,000 American lives. The damage to Iraq cannot be measured.

[tabasco]

20. YEAH! I rememeber brave Colin speaking up during the run-up to war.

Wait - no, I don't.

[Solly Mack]

21. WHIG

Mushroom Cloud Rice was a member of WHIG at the exact same time she was leading the NSC meetings. (in her capacity as NSA - National Security Adviser)

WHIG, aka White House Iraq Group, came together for the purpose of promoting the invasion of Iraq.

So, while it sounds just so forthcoming of Powell to say Bush didn't consult the NSC - the person leading the NSC was not only consulted, she was fully committed to bringing about the invasion of Iraq. Powell was no innocent bystander either.

Members of the NSC under Bush
http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/nspd/nspd-1.htm

" The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs ( AKA the National Security Adviser - Rice) shall be responsible, at my direction and in consultation with the other regular attendees of the NSC, for determining the agenda, ensuring that necessary papers are prepared, and recording NSC actions and Presidential decisions"


(some) Members of WHIG listed in article below

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/08/AR2008060801819.html

One obvious target for such an expanded inquiry would have been the records of the White House Iraq Group (WHIG), a group set up in August 2002 by then-White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr.

The group met weekly in the Situation Room. Among the regular participants (many have since left or changed jobs) were Karl Rove, the president's senior political adviser; communications strategists Karen Hughes, Mary Matalin and James R. Wilkinson; legislative liaison Nicholas E. Calio; and policy aides led by national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and her deputy, Stephen J. Hadley, as well as I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Cheney's chief of staff.

As former White House press secretary Scott McClellan wrote in his recently released book, "What Happened," the Iraq Group "had been set up in the summer of 2002 to coordinate the marketing of the war to the public."

Rice papers and interviews regarding Iraq invasion and "intelligence".
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030123-1.html
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/07/20030731-10.html





WHIG

Andrew Card's infamous quote "''From a marketing point of view,'' said Andrew H. Card Jr., the White House chief of staff who is coordinating the effort, ''you don't introduce new products in August.''
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/07/us/traces-of-terror-the-strategy-bush-aides-set-strategy-to-sell-policy-on-iraq.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

Remember that Mushroom Cloud?
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/02/opinion/02weds1.html
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2008/06/23/25102/feith-mushroom-cloud/
http://articles.cnn.com/2003-01-10/us/wbr.smoking.gun_1_smoking-gun-nuclear-weapons-hans-blix?_s=PM:US


http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=white_house_iraq_group
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/09/08/iraq.debate//


Absolutely anyone paying attention at the time knows there was no credible or honest debate about invading Iraq within the Bush white house. They wanted the invasion. They got their invasion. They ALL have blood on their hands.

[KoKo]

22. Thanks for that Refresher...and it's important...

:kick:

[valerief]

23. Plundering the Treasury doesn't require debate. They wanted to do it and did it. nt

[Sarcasticus]

30. From before GWB was even sworn in.

In fact, before the SCOTUS even appointed him.

[valerief]

32. Yep. All in the PNAC plans. nt

[guss]

25. why ?? NSC

They already were set for war the.. NSC, Clark would Cock block the plans for sacrifice troops for war profiteering.

[unkachuck]

27. “He had crossed the line in his own mind,..."

....a question for all the Constitution-loving God-puke and bagger purists....

....where is it written in the Constitution that presidents declare wars?....or is the Constitution like everything else in this country, a phony bag of shit?

[neverforget]

28. It was obvious that the Bush Admin was itching for a war and all they wanted was a fig leaf

of a justification. Fuck Bush for what he did to the people of Iraq, our Nation and it's military. Double Fuck Cheney.

[Sarcasticus]

31. Ahem!

An entirely self-serving kick to demonstrate that which is the original thread on this item.

[WilliamPitt]

36. PuffHo

[BlueToTheBone]

37. Give it up, Colon.

Trying to whitewash his part in the affair by this doesn't impress me.

[GeorgeGist]

38. It's said that confession is good for the soul ...

but Colin Powell will go to his grave a TRAITOR to his country.

[Left Coast2020]

42. Depresses the hell out of me that none of these bastards are in prison.

If we only had an AG with some go-nads.

Now suppose I break the law, guess what happens to me?