In an interview, Colin Powell says the surge cannot work.

[pnwmom]

http://men.style.com/gq/features/full?id=content_5900&pageNum=6

SNIP

"Then the insurgency started, and we didn’t acknowledge it. They said it wasn’t an insurgency. They looked up the definition. They said it was a few dead-enders! And so we didn’t respond in a way that might have stopped it. And then the civil war started at the beginning of last year. I call it a civil war, but some say no, it’s not a civil war, it’s a war against civilians. In fact, we have total civil disorder."

Do you think the surge makes sense?

"You can surge all of the American troops you want, but they can’t stop this. Suppose I’m a battalion commander. My troops ask, “What do I do today, boss?” “Let’s go fight the Shia militias!” “What do I do tomorrow?” “Let’s go fight the Sunni insurgents!” “What do I do the day after tomorrow?” “Let’s go chase Al Qaeda!” “What do we do the day after that?” “We’re going to guard streets!” Our kids are fantastic. But this is not sustainable. Our surge can work only with an Iraqi political and military surge."

SNIP

[spanone]

1. hell they didn't care what colin said when he was in the cabinet...he's moot.

[pnwmom]

4. He probably still has an impact on PUBLIC opinion.

More than Gen. BetrayUS, certainly.

[CoffeeCat]

2. Ok, maybe Powell won't burn in hell...

I'm angry at Powell for his initial fuck ups. However, at least the boy
is speaking out during a very critical time. This undercuts Petty's
testimony today. Petty looks like a Bush flunkey, and Powell has more
credibility. No one owns him.

Kudos to Powell for having the guts to do this now. Powell trumps
Petty if you ask me.

[EVDebs]

3. Maybe his memory is returning to the discredited 'Powell Doctrine' someone once came up with....

"Essentially, the Doctrine expresses that military action should be used only as a last resort and only if there is a clear risk to national security by the intended target; the force, when used, should be overwhelming and disproportionate to the force used by the enemy; there must be strong support for the campaign by the general public; and there must be a clear exit strategy from the conflict in which the military is engaged."

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/lessonplans/iraq/powelldoctrine_short.html

[tabasco]

7. For over a hundred years, that was known as the Grant doctrine.

The neocons came along and wanted to make their do-boy look like a genius so they started saying the "Powell doctine," like he fucking invented it. Just shows how the fascist bastards start re-writing history as soon as they get control.

[EVDebs]

24. Thanks for that info. George Lakoff had it right, GOP is controlling the language nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

40. How Is The "Powell Doctrine" Discredited?

The Bushies rejected the Powell doctrine but didn't disprove it or discredit it ....

[tabasco]

5. He's full of crap!!!!! They were told there would be an insurgency.

Powell and the rest of the criminal cabal are pretending that the insurgency was a total surprise.

BULLSHIT!!

Army planners at high levels are actually very smart people. These planners, as well as countless historians and other informed people warned the Bush/Cheney mafia there would be a bloody, endless insurgency. General Shinseki told them a MINIMUM o 1/2 million troops to keep order during an occupation. NOBODY but ignorant freepers were surprised by the insurgency. Bush, Cheney, Powell, the lot of the criminals, KNEW there would be an insurgency but it was more important to GET ON TOP OF THAT OIL.

[pnwmom]

8. Powell didn't say the insurgency was a surprise -- not to him, anyway.

Read him again. He is saying that the other Bushies were denying that the insurgency WAS an insurgency.

And earlier in the article, he talked about trying to get Bush to plan for the aftermath, which, of course, was never done.

[tabasco]

15. I see a lot of finger-pointing by Colon Bowel.

"They did this and they did that and they told us this and they told us that."

CLASSIC POWELL. He has FAILED to take responsibility for SQUAT since he was a shavetail.

ALWAYS attempting to shift blame to someone else - in this case, "the other Bushies."

WHY DIDN'T POWELL, FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE JCS, SEC. of STATE, STAND UP AND SAY "IT'S AN INSURGENCY, JUST LIKE THEY TOLD US?

7 years and tens of thousands of dead bodies later, Powell attempts to rewrite history. He was awful fucking quiet during the so-called "run-up to the war" and he was, in fact, an integral part of the lying, treasonous, criminal "run-up to the war."

He is a gutless POS and will be remembered for his criminal lying to the United Nations.

[pnwmom]

34. All that, as true as it may be, is really beside the point.

The point is when influential conservatives like Powell come out against the sourge, they are in a good position -- far better than any DUer -- to influence millions of other conservatives.

And now, while Petraeus is spreading his manure, is a very good time for Powell to be speaking out -- and for people like us to be spreading his message to all our conservative relatives, acquaintances, co-workers, etc.

General Petraeus is wrong.

General Powell is right. The surge will never work.

[tabasco]

36. I understand your point.

The war must end. Any ally is welcome to help.

But we must never let Powell escape his past crimes.

His name should be synonomous with LIAR and COWARD.

[pnwmom]

37. Believe me, I haven't forgotten or forgiven

him the fact that he helped take the country to this insane war.

But in trying to end it, we need to use every means that we have, including Repubs like him who have experienced late conversions.

[Arugula Latte]

6. Ah, shaddap, Colin. You lied your ass off to get us into war.

You KNEW your UN speech was "bullshit." And yet you gave it anyway. So shut the fuck up. The blood of tens of thousands of murdered Iraqis is on your hands as well.

[pnwmom]

10. No, Oregonian, his words now help to counter Gen. Petraeus.

The more Powell speaks out now, the better.

[hatrack]

9. And we should care about Colin Powell . . . why?

:puke:

[pnwmom]

11. Because a lot of people in Middle America will listen to him

and his words are a strong counterweight to the propoganda coming from Gen. Petraeus and the Bush administration now.

[hatrack]

12. Yes, because "credibility" and "Colin Powell" go together like cookies and milk

:eyes:

Of course, who knows? ADHD America may have forgotten all about lie after lie after lie he told in front of the entire freakin' world about those massive amounts of deadly, deadly WMDs.

After all, it was nearly five years ago, and that's like 35 in dog years, to say nothing of the distracting influence of all the new shows in the fall tee-vee lineup.

[pnwmom]

14. When Repubs like him speak out against the continuance of the war,

it can only help us.

When a long time supporter of the war finally speaks out against it, it has more of an effect on public opinion than any progressive who has always opposed the war.

[hatrack]

18. Yes, liars seeking redemption are much more compelling than those who were right all along . . .

Much more suitable for hushed interviews on daytime talk shows and best-selling "confessional" biographies.

"I'm not reading this, this is bullshit" - Colin Powell immediately before the briefing he was about to give to the UN, as reported in U.S. News & World Report.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20030922/alterman (paragraph 4)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,968581,00.html
http://www.counterpunch.org/stephens11072005.html

But of course, he went ahead and presented the "intelligence" to a credulous world, banking on his well-known credibility, which he apparently now wants back. Colin Powell could have stopped this whole sorry FUCKING MESS in its tracks by resigning and explaining why. Instead, he chose to lie, and here we are.

[pnwmom]

28. Since the average American supported Bush's attack of Iraq,

he's more likely to respond to someone like Powell changing his mind than someone else saying "YOU WERE AN IDIOT TO EVER BELIEVE BUSH!!!"

[Cha]

25. I agree...I care a lot that powell

didn't come out and stand up to the buSHITS before they BOMBED the SHITE outta Iraq but whenever someone comes around to the truth I never tell them to "shutup" .."that's it too late". We can use all the help we can get. You never know what will be the thing that turns these Fascists Years Around to Truth, Justice, and Equality for all.

[Joe for Clark]

13. I personally think highly of General Powell.

I was so sad after the UN speech - but I still think he was a very good general officer.

I have a deep desire to see him redeem himself.

He deserves a decent place in our history - despite what "W" had him do.

I would like to see his name come out of this clean in the end.

Joe

[PsN2Wind]

17. He had the opportunity to do the honorable thing

but chose instead to lie for the neo-cons. That more than negates any redemption he might be hoping for now. The blood of hundreds of thousands is on his hands because he used his illusion of trustworthiness to sell the war to this country and the world. And as many of us thought then and know now it was LIES.

[hatrack]

19. His name will not come out clean

Hundreds of thousands of people are dead because he didn't stand up to his boss and couldn't stand up for the truth.

That shit doesn't wash off.

[Joe for Clark]

20. I do want it too - I can't help the fact I want it too.

Maybe it doesn't - maybe it can't.

But one time - he was a good general officer.

I want him to be such a leader again.

I just do.

Joe

[Lucinda]

39. Me too Joe.

[uppityperson]

16. Good for him to speak up again. I am glad he is doing so and hope that those who

still hold him credible will listen.

[Canuckistanian]

21. He's a regular fountain of common sense - NOW

Too bad he sold his soul to ghouls who ended up hating his guts.

[pnwmom]

31. Now is when Gen. Petraeus is delivering his message. This is a GOOD

time for Powell to be speaking out.

It can't undo the past, but we should be broadcasting his opinion now to every conservative we know. They still listen to Powell.

[Canuckistanian]

32. Better late than never

But I'm not so sure conservatives listen to Powell.

They were glad to get rid of him.

[pnwmom]

33. The Administration was glad to get rid of him.

But there are millions of ordinary conservatives across America who would probably still listen to him -- certainly more than they would listen to any of us DUers!

[pansypoo53219]

22. it was 10 little indians.

now it's 20 little indians.

[Clark2008]

23. Oh, please. Another General has been saying that for months!

[pnwmom]

29. Clark opposed the war from the start. However,

most of America didn't listen -- they listened to Powell and Bush, instead.

Powell's change of heart could lead some middle of the roaders and even conservatives to reevaluate the situation -- more than Clark's consistent position could.

[TwilightGardener]

26. Powell is slowly coming around to admitting the truth--too slowly, but

he's getting there. He may redeem himself someday yet.

[killbotfactory]

27. Colin Powell says Earth is round, 2+2=4

[pnwmom]

30. Petraeus is saying it's flat, and that 2 + 2 = 22

Powell is a much more well known figure than Petraeus. This is a good time for him to be speaking out.

[killbotfactory]

35. He has a long way to go to make up for his UN presentation

I wonder what kind of dirt the GOP has on that guy.

[pansypoo53219]

38. just some fuzzee math

a specialty of georgie's.