Powell admits US foreign policy mistakes

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

He also downplays the pre-emption strategy and says the US remains committed to its partnerships

WASHINGTON - United States Secretary of State Colin Powell has admitted to mistakes in foreign policy and sought to assure the world that despite the US invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration's approach 'is not defined by pre-emption'.

In a broad article in Foreign Affairs magazine released by the State Department, the top US diplomat struck a conciliatory tone towards America's old allies in Europe, called for a broader international role for China and expressed optimism about a peaceful resolution of the North Korean problem.

He largely sidestepped the question of Iraq, but implicitly took issue with his presumed chief rival inside the administration, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who last September dismissed the decades-old concept of military deterrence as a theory that 'has been overtaken by events'.

Mr Powell, however, presents a different point of view.

More: http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/world/story/0,4386,228054,00.html

[loudnclear]

1. Color Powell "gone."

And it's about damn time. He has lost all his credibility.

[Voltaire99]

12. The man is a pathetic shill

Good coppin' as necessary, bad coppin' as ordered.

Go to hell, Colin.

[Born Free]

31. Shows differences in America

I agree Powell has become a pathetic politician, but the different views expressed publically by different Americans gives the rest of the world hope that American will regain it's proper moral sense and replace the bush team next election. One message that is constant in all you read from various countries, it is not America that is responisible but the bush team led by a bunch of fanatics. Many in foreign countries are waiting and hoping America will be returned to it's people next election.

[Bhaisahab]

33. I second that...

Boy am I waiting for Bush to be kicked-out by you all...

[revcarol]

2. Wrong about everything is NOT

"foreign policy mistakes."

Destabilizing the ME is NOT "foreign policy mistakes." It's a disaster, when nukes are sitting there.

Lying to the UN and alienating 90% of our allies and friends is NOT "foreign policy mistakes." It's making sure that we don't get enough cooperation in the hunt for terrorists or anything else.

I'm tired. My hand hurts. I'm gonna stop there, because I could go on forever.

Colin, are you really so dumb you can't see this or are you just a patsy?

[jpgray]

3. The old "good cop/bad cop" team of Rumsfeld and Powell gearing up again?

I don't know why anyone is fooled by this tomfoolery and chicanery, not to mention its requisite ninnyhammering and dingbatting. :)

[Jim Sagle]

14. Ain't got no time for the jibber jabber, huh?

;-)

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Hold it one of them admits to MISTAKES!

HOLD THE PRESSES... STOP THE PRESSES

REWRITE THE BANNER

THIS IS A HEADLINE!

Damn what is next? Or are the adults taking over?

[Malva Zebrina]

5. the guy is a joke

amongst other jokes. I do not believe that Powell has the intelligence necessary to continue on in his job. I really do see him as lacking in that. He seems content to just float along and take whateverr comes his way--he will retire and be bery rich and I think that is his goal-honest. He has done nothing, he has shown nothing but what Bush wants him to show and he seems absolutely passive in bending over to Bush.

And I do think he does not care . He is looking ahead to the day when a Democrat takes over and he can retire to an exotic villa somewhere, in complete luxury. Anyone would be stupid not to, right? <sarcasm> Powell does not care--he is only along for the ride and pretending to be the more "sober" of the neocons, whenever he is trotted out. This is his role and he has played it faithfully. He likes it.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Powell has as much credibility as Jacko or Scott Peterson

I am surprised Powell hasn't put out a video, like O.J. Simpson, saying "I want to tell you."

[are_we_united_yet]

17. I disagree with you in a rather large way

I used to have a great deal of respect for Colin Powell(however I've lost a much of it). In the beginning, he was one of a few people in the W admin who wasn't as hawkish on Iraq. Later, he got his marching orders via the PNAC a'holes and became the spokesman for the propaganda machine which was a colossal blunder on his part(he should have resigned).

"do not believe that Powell has the intelligence necessary..." Tough to make this case of a such a high ranking military official and a Secretary of State and I believe you are completely wrong about this statement. I do however think he no longer has the credibility (entirely his fault) to do the job.

I also think you are wrong about him being happy. I don't believe he is at all happy with the way things have turned out (as will be evidenced by his pending resignation), but he has no one to blame but himself.

[Zhade]

23. You do realize Powell's past, right?

He first appeared on the scene as an USG apologist for the My Lai Massacre.

Then, of course, he aided in lots of bad stuff down in South America...and was side-by-side with Cheney during the first Gulf War massacre and subsequent yet-again betrayal of the Kurds.

I once had respect for him - until I learned the truth about the guy. He's just as evil and traitorous as the rest of these people.

[The Zanti Regent]

29. Powell is the most incompetent fool Secretary of State ever.

He is the WORST Secretary of State we have EVER had. It will take decades to undo the damage this lying incompetent asshole has done!

[bobthedrummer]

36. Look, he is military and when a young officer helped contain My Lai

knowledge, just following orders no matter what.:puke:

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

6. 'Admitting a mistake' is not in the BushCo lexicon

I hope Colin's got his resume up-to-date. I wouldn't count on getting a job reference from Bush*.

[teach1st]

8. Maybe just a feeler...

I get the impression that Bush et al are gonna distance themselves from the resident Neocons, who will then shoulder the blame for all the Iraq mis-play. Baker is back, Powell is talking about the mistakes...how long before neocons are neogone (temporarily?). All this just in time for the elections.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. There are signs

including the Herald piece that they are back to writing manifestos

[kainah]

10. yes, but what about Cheney?

I agree with you that there do seem to be hints that they are getting ready to (at least pretend to) shun the neocons. I think the real tug comes between Poppy & Cheney. Cheney's role in 2004 will be interesting. He's a distinctly lousy campaigner and so they will almost certainly try to just use him with the base. But he isn't good at keeping his mouth in check so we shall see if he can adapt to a blame-the-neocons strategy. Poppy, of course, will be kicking into gear to get "his boy" re-elected because that will be the only way Poppy's defeat can be vindicated.

[Zhade]

24. Small change to your post...

"Elected", not "re-elected". I know, I know, it's nagging - but I slip once in a while, and then I remember that we must never forget that 2000 was a coup.

:)

[teach1st]

27. Poppy's boys to the rescue

One has to wonder the extent to which Poppy has stepped in to mop up (if he has stepped in at all), and, if he has, how much authority the old boys are assumming. If we know the Iraq action is messed up, they certainly know too. GW has a history of getting bailed out; I think the bail out is happening again.

In my view, given the need to move more to the center building up to the election, Poppy's view would be that Cheney is a liability and should go, but his abrupt departure might not look good for the campaign. Of course, Cheney's health issues could arise again, preventing him from enduring the rigors of a campaign. Condi would be a good replacement, speaking from a PR standpoint. She's loyal and appears pliant.

[madrchsod]

13. haven`t seen you

post in awhile,good to see you around

[DUreader]

11. 2004 Another Good-Cop/Bad-Cop Year. More Of The SAME!

Harry Belafonte For President!

[Jacobin]

15. This and other events signal the end of the ascendancy of

neo-cons in foreign policy. Let me count the ways:

1. James Baker (he of the old school realpolitik group and hated by neo-cons) appointed to clean up Iraqnam.

2. Perle rumored to be resigning in February.

3. No more serious talk of the axis of weasels.

4. Monumental costs involved in attempting to "rebuild" IraqNam.

5. All begun when the UN in Baghdad was blown up.

6. No more talk of attacking NK (except from neo-cons pushing their policies in the form of papers submitted to the Sock Puppet).

[ScrewyRabbit]

16. You mean Wolfowitz resigning in Feb, right?

Perle isn't part of the administration as far as I know, just a policy consultant (or some such BS title).

If the neo-cons get shut out it will be a huge win for humanity.

[Jacobin]

20. oops. I get them mixed up. Two peas in a pod.

[goforit]

18. While he says this, didn't Perle and the neocons just say that * should

attack Syria, Iran and SaudiArabia and Cuba???

Here we go again.
The war within the administration begins and I do believe those
neocons have the ear of the WH.
Powell is just a distractor.

[Aidoneus]

19. Yes, there were mistakes

And there are punishments for those mistakes.

[pasadenaboy]

21. whan he admits that he lied to the UN before the war

to get the war resolution, than he will regain credibility. Until he does that, he is an unrepentent liar and shouldn't be believed.

[Zhade]

25. And when he does, OFF TO THE HAGUE WITH HIM!

And drag the rest of the traitors with him!

[cliss]

22. I agree with just about every post here.

Except any that would say he's "effective" or "he's accomplished things". The only thing he's accomplished is to sell himself out.

Take a good look at him the next time he's on TV. Look closely at the empty eyes. The 2-mile vacant stare. He knows there are people in Haiti who make $2,500 per year who have more integrity and ethics than he does. He wonders why happines is not a linear equation with $$$.

Listen to the monotone voice which rarely goes above or below 1 pitch. The man is boring, ineffective, and history in my opinion.

[deacon]

26. powell has done a horrible job

he is a liar and a shill.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

28. "Mistakes" don't cost 10-20,000 civilian lives.

Travesties and tyrants do. Or despots.

See the sig line.

[GalleryGod]

30. Powell-the-Proctologist's-DREAM

To paraphrase His Boy, Rush:

If he weren't a MINORITY-he'd have been LOnnnnnnnng Gonnnnnnne!:nopity:

WhatttAn "OREO"!

G.G.

[radfringe]

32. OHHH fercryinoutloud

they can't even get their 'stories' straight....

President George W. Bush's doctrine of pre-emption was spelled out in a strategy paper released by the White House in September 2002, one year after the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

To the consternation of the outside world, the document made clear that the United States would consider it justified to use force pre-emptively to eliminate what it sees as threats to its national security.

But in his article, Mr Powell argued that 'our strategy is not defined by pre-emption'.

[stickdog]

34. The oldest game in the book.

Good house slave, bad cop.

[Bridget Burke]

35. He'll prove his quality....

Eventually, in old age, he'll apologize. Rather as Macnamara did for that situation in Southeast Asia.

How many thousands of Iraqis dead? How many hundreds of Americans (& Allies) dead?

He'll be very, very sorry.

They'll still be dead.

[Clyde39]

37. Harry Belafonte was right after all

He's been used since Day 1---too bad he doesn't know it!