WP: GOP Star (Powell) to Skip Convention

[kskiska]

Powell, Following Cabinet Tradition, Will Stay Out of Fray

The most popular Republican in the country will not be speaking at the Republican National Convention. The party's number one asset, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, will not even be there -- and may not be in the United States, according to U.S. officials.

Throughout the Bush presidency, Powell has consistently scored better than his boss in public opinion polls, often by 20 points or more. In an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll in May, Powell was viewed favorably by 69 percent of respondents -- compared with 49 percent for President Bush and 39 percent each for Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

But in keeping with tradition, Cabinet officials do not speak at the conventions -- or other campaign events. So Powell will not appear.

"As secretary of state, I am obliged not to participate in any way, shape, fashion, or form in parochial, political debates. I have to take no sides in the matter," Powell told the Unity: Journalists of Color Convention on Thursday. Powell was a featured speaker at the 2000 convention and even campaigned with Bush.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46593-2004Aug6.html

[MikeG]

1. What a lily-livered fuck.

[saigon68]

14. COLON needs an enema on his BOWEL

His son (also part of the Cabal) is doing a fine job for the NEOCON MEDIA

AM TALK RADIO is a 24/7 election commercial for the AWOL CHIMPANZEE. I can't stand it, by mistake I sometimes happen to hear this swill . But only for a micro second. THE WORST is a Cretin named GLEN BECK.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

16. Powell served in Vietnam, unlike Bush.

Powell served in Vietnam, unlike Bush. Take your factually wrong profanity somewhere else. It doesn't help here or elsewhere.

Keeping cabinet officers out of politics is a good tradition. You would be be calling him some other kind of profanity if he did speak at the convention and you would be almost as wrong.

[displacedtexan]

24. Yeah, he served... Google "Powell and My Lai" for info.

When Powell stops allowing himself to be such a political tool, I'll reconsider my opinion of him.

We all know that his popularity played a major role in the 2000 election.

People didn't vote for Bush*; they voted for the supporting cast, including Powell.

Sort of like supporting the donut hole based on the surrounding pastry.

[allemand]

27. You find a lot of BS when you google Powell and My Lai

Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.

The most accurate account I found was this:

"Powell has never been implicated in any of the wrongdoing involving My Lai. No evidence ties him to the attempted cover-up. But he was part of an institution (and a division) that tried hard to keep the story of My Lai hidden--a point unacknowledged in his autobiography. Moreover, several months before he was interviewed by Sheehan, Powell was ordered to look into allegations made by another former GI that US troops had "without provocation or justification" killed civilians. (These charges did not mention My Lai specifically.) Powell mounted a most cursory examination. He did not ask the accuser for more specific information. He interviewed a few officers and reported to his superiors that there was nothing to the allegations . This exercise is not mentioned in his memoirs."

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml%3Fi=20010514&s=corn20010502

[central scrutinizer]

28. another good source on Powell

http://consortiumnews.com/archive/powell.html

Robert Parry is a respected investigative journalist and I trust his account

[allemand]

30. Sorry, but Robert Parry commits the same mistake

He speaks of "Powell's peripheral role in the My Lai cover-up"
http://consortiumnews.com/2000/121700b.html

while a close reading of the article reveals that Powell had no role in it at all or, as David Corn put it, "no evidence ties him to the attempted cover-up".

The criticism by David Corn is therefore much more accurate.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

40. Bull. Parry has a much better grasp of the facts on this issue....

...than Corn will ever have. During the investigation of Powell's books at division HQ, there was at least one entry that indicates that Powell knew exactly what was going on in terms of the cover-up.

You can believe whatever you want to, but Powell is "dirty" from the word "go". The man has participated in all of the major Army cover-ups since My Lai, to include Agent Orange, and Desert Storm Syndrome.

[allemand]

45. I would be grateful if you provided a link

"During the investigation of Powell's books at division HQ, there was at least one entry that indicates that Powell knew exactly what was going on in terms of the cover-up."

Although I did a lot of reading on the matter today, I didn't stumble on that one...

[Media_Lies_Daily]

42. "Most accurate" according to whom?....

Are you claiming to be an expert on this subject, or are you claiming Corn is an expert, or both?

You may like Corn as a reporter, but he can't compare to a superb investigative reporter like Parry.

[allemand]

44. Most accurate according to anyone who takes the time

to actually google "Powell and My Lai", read the most prominent posts, compare the facts and draw the necessary conclusions.

It is incredible what complete BS you find there.

We have to be better than that. We have to be accurate with the facts.

I do not know if Corn is a better reporter than Parry, but his criticism of Powell on this matter is much closer to the facts. Even a close reading of Parry's own article reveals that.

[Seabiscuit]

29. Sorry, but serving in Vietnam

is no feather in anyone's cap.

Even Kerry regretted his actions there when he got back - and joined the Vietnam Veterans Against The War.

There are countless parallels between the disgusting deceitful tragedy of Vietnam and the current grotesque Iraq debacle it's nauseating.

So what if Powell served in Vietnam?

In my book, he made a mistake.

Same with Kerry - why the fuck did he go in the first place when his an my generation knew better? He was a "poppa's boy" - his daddy pushed him into it.

That's not to detract from Kerry's acts of bravery on the battlefield. But beyond contrasting that to Dubya's *desertion* from the National Guard, it's really very, very forgettable, and the fact that he went there voluntarily in the first place is very, very regrettable.

Unless you lived through it at draftable age as I did, you don't have a clue.

[SemperEadem]

35. well I guess not--since all were drafted into that war

it was unpopular for so many reasons on so many fronts that it's reasonable to make the assertion that it's not a feather in anyone's cap. But it does point out that there were men who answered the call of duty to this country and went and served, which is more than what the present resident in the oval office has done.

[saigon68]

36. drafted-- made to serve

Get ready kids--- YOUR TURN TO DIE FOR HALLIBURTON IS COMING SOON.

[leesa]

33. Powell lied to the UN, intentionally. He covered up a massacre in

Viet Nam. He has assisted Bush in his treason.

[Algorem]

2. could put a palm tree at the podium for a half hour.

[gp]

3. LOL good one :D n/t

[Algorem]

11. at least the tree wouldn't have an ass to lie off like Powell.Just acci-

dentally saw part of Tommy Franks interview on Letterman tonight .Letterman was licking his boots and fawning all over him just like they all treat Powell.Franks turns out to be every bit the Bush gangster that Powell is.It was horrible.I'm going to e-mail Letterman and tell him what a pussy he is.Westinghouse's little high-priced buttboy.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

17. Franks is not the toady you think

Franks' book is highly critical of the civilian Pentagon, meaning Rumsfailed.

[leesa]

34. Franks is a war criminal.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

43. Interesting. And your opinion is based on what exactly?

[Judi Lynn]

21. The speech in the field photos are unbearably hokey! Good lord.

How could he get that many people to sit there without snickering? He looks like a total idiot.

He simply doesn't seem to have a thought in his head, or he would have NEVER agreed to this photo op. What a total embarrassment to intelligent Americans.

[NMDemDist2]

38. what great pics! He is such a pussy i swear

can't let the great unwashed within 10 feet of his wittle self

PS my abject apologies to pussys everywhere for the reference

[mazzarro]

4. I guess that amongst rethuglicans is the only group where

he still has any credibility left! Outside that group he still has a lot to answer for all the UN lies.

[allemand]

23. "Powell was viewed favorably by 69 percent of respondents"

I do certainly hope they are not all "rethuglicans"...

[EST]

5. I just don't get it...

Why, it seems, everyone keeps referring to Powell as though he were some sort of paragon of virtue and integrity. I've been following this man's public career since the Reagan days and the only virtues I can find are that he is well-spoken and a member of a minority.Is there something I'm missing?

[kysrsoze]

8. You're right. He's an Uncle-Tom asshole

Fuck him and that convention.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[WindRavenX]

19. I agree

Powell is a tool of W...Powell is the only man that I even have a shread of respect for. He's the only man with any grasp of reality in this administration.
His choice to skip the convention shows how far the gulf between W's world and reality is.

[MetaTrope]

20. Why hasn't the meme take root that Powell LIED UNDER OATH!?

Check the Iran/Contra investigation committee report, the conclusion is quite clearly stated there.

[aquart]

6. The General won't stand up for or with Bush?

[alarimer]

7. more like

They don't want him there; they are afraid he will overshadow Bush and Powell has been on the outs anyway since he is not of the PNAC crowd or a radical Christian.

[stevedeshazer]

9. Astonishing

Not that Powell isn't going to the convention.

It's this statement: "The most popular Republican in the country..."

Now, think about this for a second. Is Colin Powell the most popular Republican in the country?

What does that say about today's Republican Party? The one that has the least influence in the Executive Branch is most popular?

[lebkuchen]

13. I was about to say!

"Popular like Iceman Cheney."

Where's Condi been lately, btw? Seems like the entire staff has been on a long hiatus.

[saigon68]

15. Here's RICE

[DoYouEverWonder]

25. OMG, that's too funny

It's one of the best uses of flash animation that I've seen yet.

Thanks for the laugh.

[Blue_Roses]

41. that picture is so funny

LOL!

[saigon68]

46. Stole it from SoCaldem

Hope he/she doesn't mind.

[w4rma]

10. "But in keeping with tradition"? bullcrap. I know that cabnet members for

But in keeping with tradition, Cabinet officials do not speak at the conventions -- or other campaign events.

Bush have been fundraising and doing campaign bullcrap all over the U.S.

[LiberalFighter]

12. How do you prop up a jackass like gw*?

So that he doesn't get out-shined by others?

Would it look good for gw*s polls to be worse then someone like Powell at the convention?

[0007]

22. The most popular dog in the country?

Colin does have as many fiscal expressions than your common K-9, but he is not the most popular by any stretch of the imagination, even though Colin is good at retrieving Frisbees in Central Park.

[lil-petunia]

26. I understand

His advice is being ignored. The neocons piss on his parade. He continues to try to serve his country, despite bein embarrassed, lied to, deliberately confused by intel and, he still has the best interests of this country at heart.

In his shoes, would YOU want to go to this charade, just to have shrub and cheney put their arms around you?

hell no.

[XNASA]

31. I suspect this is pure theater.

And that Powell will either 'reconsider', perhaps even 'forced' to reconsider.

[Barkley]

32. According to Colin the RNC is a 'parochial, political debate'

He may not be speaking but will he be there?

I guess he knows his job is over.

I luv it!

[calimary]

37. Advantage - he won't get booed at his own convention - like he has before.

Anybody recall his speech to the republi-CON convention in San Diego in 1996 - the one where Liddy Dole tried to play "Oprah" with her roving microphone? Susan "Gidget" Molinari was the keynote speaker, as, AGAIN, the RNC tried to position itself (at least for the cameras and the prime time coverage) as the party of moderates and women and minorities and so inclusive and all. They hauled out Colin Powell to deliver one of the prime time speeches, and he was well-received by the conventioneers - UNTIL he mentioned that he supports a woman's right to choose. HE GOT BOOED. HE GOT BOOED! You could CLEARLY hear it from the audience. HE GOT BOOED. And funny enough, NOBODY among the TV talking heads mentioned this. Maybe they didn't even notice. But it was utterly unmistakable. Yeah, they like him as long as he tows their line.

[kaiso]

39. kick.....

[Moderator]

47. Kick

Kick