Powell tried to talk Bush out of war

[Poiuyt]

Powell tried to talk Bush out of war

THE former American secretary of state Colin Powell has revealed that he spent 2½ hours vainly trying to persuade President George W Bush not to invade Iraq and believes today’s conflict cannot be resolved by US forces.

“I tried to avoid this war,” Powell said at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado. “I took him through the consequences of going into an Arab country and becoming the occupiers.”

Powell has become increasingly outspoken about the level of violence in Iraq, which he believes is in a state of civil war. “The civil war will ultimately be resolved by a test of arms,” he said. “It’s not going to be pretty to watch, but I don’t know any way to avoid it. It is happening now.”

He added: “It is not a civil war that can be put down or solved by the armed forces of the United States.” All the military could do, Powell suggested, was put “a heavier lid on this pot of boiling sectarian stew”.

==

Al-Qaeda, Powell asserted, was only 10% of the problem in Iraq and Nouri al-Maliki, its prime minister, lacked the political will to establish an effective government. After a promising start to the surge at the beginning of the year, 453 unidentified corpses were found on the streets of Baghdad last month, 41% more than the 321 bodies found in January, according to unofficial Iraqi health ministry statistics.

more -

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2042072.ece

[WinkyDink]

1. Colin Powell is irrelevant to anything, anymore. He can put his Presidential hopes to rest.

[rusty charly]

2. But, instead, he did this:

[Poiuyt]

6. Exactly. Why didn't he speak out in public when there was still time?

I appreciate the fact that he is talking now because a lot of Americans find him credible. But damn! He could have saved so much of this country and Iraq too if he had shown some balls in 2003.

Powell is nothing but a follower. He does what his commanders tell him to do.

[ramapo]

3. Now he tells us

Should've resigned the day after this conversation and come out publicly. Then I'd have respect for him. Now, I think of him as a coward.

[malaise]

4. A coward is a kind word n/t

[EVDebs]

8. Cowardice that borders on treason. If he knew the Chalabi stuff like Pat Lang did....nt

[rusty charly]

5. "Powell has become increasingly outspoken..."

a very slow multi-year increase. you barely notice it, its so slow...

[C_U_L8R]

7. two and a half hours and then what ??

he just gave up ??? !!!!

Nice going Colin.

[Garbo 2004]

9. Was that before or after he briefed Congress on the bogus Iraq nuclear info?

Aluminum tubes for nuclear centrifuges was BS---his own State Dept INR said so the year before. As did DOE. Niger yellowcake claims were bogus: again that was the position of State's INR. Yet reportedly he briefed Congress on both. He didn't include the Niger claims in his UN presentation. But he kept the aluminum tubes claims in. As well as the "mobile labs." All bunk.

[Jackpine Radical]

10. Powell turns my stomach. He's been a company man for a long time.

Remember My Lai.

[seemslikeadream]

11. Haiti

Remember Haiti Colin? How much time did ya spend on Haiti?

[LibraLiz1973]

12. He wasn't trying too fucking hard to prevent war when he went and LIED

about enriched uranium.

Colin Powell is a piece of shit.

[thereismore]

13. Should have resigned. Sorry Mr. Powell, in a game of death, you blinked. nt

[rug]

14. Maybe he should have used aerial photographs.

[Skittles]

15. oh F*** YOU POWELL

why didn't you talk WHEN IT MATTERED, you f***ing COWARD???

[BeHereNow]

16. I actually laughed as I watched his "presentation" back when.

I remember thinking, "Are they joking? They expect this to pass as intelligence?"
Remember the shots of the "bio-chemical trucks?"
It was complete nonsense then and I can't believe ANYONE
bought that presentaiion as evidence of anything except the fact
that they (TPTB) think we are idiots.

I can tell you my high school students have come up
with more convincing reports than that travesty in
our history.

BHN

[BlooInBloo]

17. I've lost track: was this *before* or *after* he lied to the UN and the world for the war-mongers?