What is your opinion of Colin Powell?

[Herman Munster]

He is apparently quite popular with the two leading democratic candidates. Obama has consulted with him on foreign policy. Hillary would like to use him around the world to better America's image.

There seems to be two schools of thought obout him.

The first is he was a good man who was deceived and made a fool of by Rumsfeld and Cheney. Sort of like a tragic downfall of an honorable man. They used his loyalty and "just following orders" sensibiliies from the military to their advantage knowing he would never expose their fraud.

The other is he was a coward and Bush sycophant and lackey. He stood by his political masters and sold out his country when he had doubts about the intelligence and going to war. He could have resigned before the war started and made his case to the public. Not doing so was unconscinable. The blood of thousands of American lives and hundreds of thousands of Iraquis are on his hands as he was probably the only man who could have made a difference and stopped the war.

[karlrschneider]

1. Either he knew he was lying at the UN in which case he's just a fucking liar, or

he didn't know which would make him totally incompetent and guilty of negligent genocide.

[wildbilln864]

2. nuff said! n/t

[MadMaddie]

8. What Karlrschneider said..

Colin Powell cannot be trusted. But everyone should have known this.

Collin Powell was involved in trying to cover up the Mai Li Massacre in Vietnam...

Read on..
http://www.usvetdsp.com/story13.htm

[zabet]

31. karl, you nailed it. nt

[AlCzervik]

3. Enabler, he put his party before his country.

and that will be his legacy.

[Xipe Totec]

4. Damaged goods nt

[TheDebbieDee]

5. My opinion is........

He had a choice.

He could have joined the Democrats and perhaps become lost in the crowd of prominent Afican-American Democrats.

OR

He could cast his lot with the repukes and become a standup AND standout repukelican.

He allowed himself to be played by the repukes!

[magellan]

6. Compromised his principles

Which should matter to anyone who has any.

[adadem]

7. Exactly! nt

[JeffR]

9. A penis with four stars

nuff said.

[wildbilln864]

10. linky....

link
:thumbsdown:

[KharmaTrain]

11. Opportunist

A climbed to the top of the military based on his ass-kissing and playing the race card. Just the fact he became a repugnican demonstrates he was interested more in his own self than in the best interests of his people or country.

The Powell Clinton wants to trot out is the cartoon one the corporate media created...the "great, compassionate general", the "diplomat"...but that's not the real Colin. He's carried the water of his masters in exchange for another gold star or medal of honor.

Instead of being one of the few firewalls of sanity in the rush to war, he went along for the ride. Total opportunism.

[faithfulcitizen]

12. disgraced nt.

[mdmc]

13. great Veep for HRC

:shrug:

[Quixote1818]

14. An OK guy who had no balls. nt

[rosesaylavee]

15. Traitor... awaiting judgment in the next admin if we are fortunate. n/t

[Snotcicles]

16. He needs to atone for Iraq. nt

[Champion Jack]

17. He's a punk

[noamnety]

18. He made a name for himself by lying for criminals

and covering up their crimes for personal gain.

I guess if I had to say something positive about him, it would be that he's proven himself consistent.

[leftofthedial]

19. lying fricking weasel

needs to be put in the camps with rummie, dick, karl and the georges

[GreenPartyVoter]

20. Wasn't he tied into My Lai and the Iran Contra affair?

[ljm2002]

21. A man with a lot of potential...

...but learned early on how to 'go along to get along', and along the way became little more than a toady and a corporate stooge.

The first clue was how he handled the May Lai (sp?) incident -- he tried to sweep it under the rug. If that was the only thing against him, I'd be more inclined to give him some benefit of the doubt -- it could have been a misjudgment based on what others told him, compounded by not really wanting to know. Not something to be proud of, but perhaps understandable (not if he really knew the truth though -- but how could we know what he knew?).

But. He has never questioned the Bush crew, he may have been frustrated but he did their bidding, never questioning a thing. He supposedly refused to go in front of the UN with the first round of dreck they fed him -- but then what happened? He went in front of the UN with a total pack of lies, and he had to know it was lies. Completely sold out.

Now, it is far, far too late to redeem his legacy. He is a man with fine bearing, who is simply hollow inside in all the ways that matter.

Much more of a tragic figure, IMO, than Condoleezza Rice, who really never had as much potential, again IMO. He seemed like he may once have been a fundamentally decent person. She, not so much.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

22. Coward. Good German. Yes man.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai

Six months later, Tom Glen, a 21-year-old soldier of the 11th Light Infantry Brigade, wrote a letter to General Creighton Abrams, the new overall commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam, accusing the Americal Division (and other entire units of the U.S. military) of routine and pervasive brutality against Vietnamese civilians. The letter was detailed and its contents echoed complaints received from other soldiers.

Colin Powell, then a 31-year-old Army Major, was charged with investigating the letter, which did not specifically reference My Lai (Glen had limited knowledge of the events there). In his report Powell wrote: "In direct refutation of this portrayal is the fact that relations between Americal soldiers and the Vietnamese people are excellent." Powell's handling of the assignment was later characterized by some observers as "white-washing" the atrocities of My Lai. In May 2004, Powell, then United States Secretary of State, told CNN's Larry King, "I mean, I was in a unit that was responsible for My Lai. I got there after My Lai happened. So, in war, these sorts of horrible things happen every now and again, but they are still to be deplored."

[mmonk]

23. Anyone who would go to such lengths to lie a country into war

I have no use for. I won't vote for anyone who is thinking of having him or championing him.

[rAVES]

24. I think for Shillerys sake we should all forgive and forget his treachery

:sarcasm:

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

25. He sold out his integrity to stay in shrubco's good graces. Now he belatedly wants to reclaim some

of his name back, too bad so sad.

There were pressures on him, but the choices were always his.

In other words, I have no use for him and any Democratic candidates who try to associate with him are tarnishing themselves, needlessly IMHO.

[driver8]

26. A sack of shit.

He had a chance to do what was right, and instead he did what he knew was wrong.

He has to live with himself and I hope that it kills him to look at his face in the mirror every day.

Fuck him.

[EFerrari]

33. Twice.

He had a rare opportunity to do right and all he did was CYA and kiss criminally corrupt @ss.

[AlinPA]

27. He is a liar and is responsible for thousands of deaths. He did it with his

eyes wide open. He is a Karl Rove lackey.

[Raine]

28. Well meaning

dupe...I believe somewhere down deep he has a conscience but sold his soul to the devil in a misguided attempt to have influence. x(

[hyphenate]

29. Between the two widely opposing

positions, the truth is halfway in-between. :)

Like every other person in the world, there are shades of gray in all of us. I suspect that Colin Powell is neither angel nor demon, but someone who paid for acting without thinking about what would come later down the line. But none of us is psychic, and many pay the price for their lack of foresight. As the cliche goes, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."

[defendandprotect]

30. NEGATIVE . . . HIGHLY NEGATIVE . . . He shouldn't be in government . . .

He should be heavily penalized for his past crimes in assisting coups ---
and for his "performance" at the UN in bringing us to an attack on Iraq ---

[Solly Mack]

32. If I stepped in him - I'd not bother wiping my shoes, I'd throw them away.

Same way I feel about the entire Bush administration - both current and resigned.

[Disturbed]

34. "he was a coward and Bush sycophant and lackey. "

Update: He is a coward and Bush sycophant and lackey.

[Disturbed]

35. Sen. Obama is not as bright as most say that he is.

If he was so bright he would have canceled the Gay basing Gospel Jerk & not cozied up to Powell.

[in_cog_ni_to]

36. Scumbag, lying piece of crap. He knew what the warmongers were doing and he didn't speak out.

SHAME, SHAME, SHAME ON HIM! I use to think he was a man of integrity. He's NOT.

[judaspriestess]

37. he had his chance and he fucked it up

and crawled under a rock instead of making things right. He needs to stay under that rock, asshole.