NYT-White House Irked as Powell Airs Iraq Misgivings

White House Irked as Powell Airs Iraq Misgivings
By STEVEN R. WEISMAN

Published: April 19, 2004


WASHINGTON, April 18 — For more than a year, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and his aides have tacitly acknowledged that he was concerned before the war about what could go wrong once American forces captured Iraq.

But Mr. Powell's apparent decision to lay out his misgivings even more explicitly to the journalist Bob Woodward for a book has jolted the White House and aggravated long-festering tensions in the Bush cabinet. Moreover, some officials said, the book has created problems for the secretary inside the administration just as the situation in Iraq is deteriorating and President Bush is plunging into his re-election drive.

Mr. Powell has not acknowledged that he cooperated with Mr. Woodward, but the book presents the secretary's reservations in such detail that it leaves little doubt. A spokesman for Mr. Powell said again Sunday that he would not comment on the book, "Plan of Attack."


Critics of Mr. Powell in the hawkish wing of the administration said they were startled by what they saw as his self-serving decision to help fill out a portrait that enhances his reputation as a farsighted analyst, perhaps at the expense of Mr. Bush. Several said the book guaranteed what they expected anyway, that Mr. Powell will not stay as secretary if Mr. Bush is re-elected.

~snip~
more:http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/19/politics/19POWE.html

Yay!

I take Woodwards comments with a grain of salt.

He ain't no angel.

... in the WaPo articles. "Slam dunk" anyone? :eyes:

mods locked my post

the book presents the secretary's reservations in such detail that it leaves little doubt. A spokesman for Mr. Powell said again Sunday that he would not comment on the book, "Plan of Attack."

Critics of Mr. Powell in the hawkish wing of the administration said they were startled by what they saw as his self-serving decision to help fill out a portrait that enhances his reputation as a farsighted analyst, perhaps at the expense of Mr. Bush. Several said the book guaranteed what they expected anyway, that Mr. Powell will not stay as secretary if Mr. Bush is re-elected.>>

He needs to resign before the election if he wants to retain any shred of crediablity.

"He needs to resign before the election if he wants to retain any shred of crediablity."

I'm always glad to hear chimpy getting smeared, but Powell has ZERO credibility. Frankily, in my book, no one can have any who chooses to work for this piece of crap.

In order to retain any credibility at all, and not vindicate the charge by - who was it? Harry Belafonte? When Colin went to the UN and made his presentation, only to have it later dissolve into clouds of mud, murk, manipulation, and mendacity (HEY! How 'bout that! LOL!), he should have resigned in protest. Then, his solid, positive, upstanding reputation (among many observers professional and civilian, at least) would have remained intact. Now, he's just a pathetic figure. A pawn. Who's been played - but good.

Everything bush touches turns to shit.

Note my sig line - TOLL FREE to Capitol Hill...

"He needs to resign before the election if he wants to retain any shred of crediablity."

If Powell is at odds with the administration, his thinking might go like this "I could resign now, but then they'd put someone more agreeable to them in my place. I can work better from the inside for now. If I wait until closer to the election until I confirm everything coming out in books and add my own stories, they will have less of an opportunity to attack me, and I will have been trying to keep the State Department together for the maximum time. Additionally, there is work to be done and the administration does not need another scandal to deal with ... at least for now."

From the tone of this article, we're being set up for a smear campaign, aimed against Colin Powell.

Unbelievable.

So, should we demand to know which White House officials gave the "background interview" to the New York Times, below?

"Look, a lot of people have been struck by the degree to which Secretary Powell is using this book as an opportunity — to be fair — to clarify his position on the issues," said an administration official. "But what this book does is muddy the water internally, which is very unfortunate and unhelpful."

Another official, who like others declined to be identified because of the political sensitivity of their criticism, accused Mr. Powell of having a habit of distancing himself from policies when they go wrong. "It's such a soap opera with him," this official said.

not very effectively anyways. Thats why they are "irked" so bad. :)

. . . who already, of his own free will, and in front of cameras as the entire world watched, covered himself from head to foot with the SHIT of loony-tunes neo-con LIES?!?!?!?

seems to have been bushwacked to a degree by Cheney and others working with Cheney. He also retracted some of what he said before anyone else in the admin. So while he was complicit in some of it, I have a feeling he's trying to help make sure Bush doesn't get another 4 years.

Thanks, Mom! I needed this one. :7

by Woodward. Did I miss something? I thought everyone but Bush wanted their identities kept secret.

How'd you arrive there?

Anyway, from the article:

"Mr. Powell has not acknowledged that he cooperated with Mr. Woodward, but the book presents the secretary's reservations in such detail that it leaves little doubt."

In other words, Powell is not necessarily named as a source for any of the statements, but the "detail" of his reservations is such that it is apparent Woodward consulted him.

IIRC, Powell and Woodward have a fairly close relationship.

Several said the book guaranteed what they expected anyway, that Mr. Powell will not stay as secretary if Mr. Bush is re-elected.

Lucky for Powell, Bush is not going to be (re)elected (sic).

None of 'em will be in office after Jan. 2005!

When * was selected I was soooo nervous, but felt reassured that Powell was Sec of State. After the UN thing I returned to my former state of foreboding..........

Stay out of small planes Powell, and don't 'kill yourself' <sarcasm>

Rats meet sinking ship. 'bout damn time!

Powell: Cheney, Feith, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld and maybe Rove.....

In any case BWAAHHHAAAA! get the popcorn, this might be a good show!

you kiddin me?

They're steamin mad and can't do a damn thing about it. Lol.

:D

announced to be aWol's Sec. of State before the election if aWol were to win. Has everyone forgotten this? The Christian Repukes sure do show their Christian gratitude to the man who put them were they are!!!!!!

if he left it and denounced the hawkishness of the Administration. There are *way* too many reasonable minded Republicans who adore this guy. If he really broke ranks in a Paul O'Neill way, I think it would remove any chance that George Jr. had of winning the election.

It's so strange that Powell has served both Bushes. He always seems at odds with them.

I don't have a whole lot of respect for the man anymore, but he could gain a lot back if he did the right thing...

david

as far as I am concerned he has not a shred of credibility left.

of coure I doubt that will happen, but it's still sweet to see these internal fights splashed all over the front pages...

administration guilty but Powell not as guilty?

Nope, this doesn't play in Peoria.

the father and son team, have done a whole lot of harm to this country. They are both other people's water boys. I don't buy Woodward's defense that Colin was simply being the loyal soldier.
A real soldier does the right thing, first and foremost, no matter the cost. And his allegiance should have been to this country and what was best for it. He knew what the neocons were all about...yet he lied for them before the U.N. and the world.

Lied to the UN, lapdog, and window dressing. We could had another Sec of State for the job. Expidiency has its rewards, mostly neg.

http://www.opednews.com/samples041704_his_masters_house-colin_powell.htm

Good review of the career of Powell the sell-out soldier.

Hmm-mmm-mm....

http://english.pravda.ru/world/2002/09/03/35868.html

Powell-s resignation: myth or reality?

But for his age, Colin Powell could even run for president

Talks about serious discrepancies in the Bush Administration have recently become vivid again. It is said that Secretary of State Colin Powell disagrees with the foreign policy of the USA carried out by Vice-President Richard Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Suppositions appeared once again that Colin Powell plans to resign. However, this time, it is said he plans to resign in 2004, even if George W. Bush is elected president for a second term.

An offensive against Saddam Hussein is the key reason for the discrepancies in the US Administration. It isn-t correct to say that Colin Powell is against such a war. It was he who stood in command of the United Committee of headquarter commanders during the Desert Storm operation; he is also an active participant of the organization and realization of the anti-Iraq operation. Therefore, it is unlikely that Colin Powell is very concerned about the future of Baghdad-s regime.

<snip>
Colin Powell and his followers in the US administration probably understand perfectly well that Washington is providing no reasonable arguments for its policy. Not to persuade the world community once again of the fact that the USA doesn-t care about other countries- opinion, Colin Powell makes statements that sometimes contradict statements made by Cheney and Rumsfeld. The other day, the secretary of state said that international inspections are the first thing to do to settle the Iraqi problem. However, the opinions of the US vice-president, defense secretary, and even of the US president seem to be quite different. Press-secretary Ari Fleisher explained the words of Colin Powell: ?The secretary of state meant that inspections in Iraq are to be the first step, because even UN experts can-t say for sure that there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.¦ At the same time, the press-secretary denied information about any discrepancies in the US administration.

The matter of the fact is that no one in the White House objects to a war against Iraq; simply disagree on when the war should be launched. The ?hawks¦ can-t wait until the secretary of state forms an international coalition. And Colin Powell, in its turn, is annoyed by the fact that his opinion is not respected. Therefore, his intention to resign is quite serious; he doesn-t conceal this intention at all. In any case, Powell-s career is breath-taking: there are other Afro-Americans who have managed to reach such a high position. But for his age, Colin Powell could even run for for president himself (due to the fact that George W. Bush is going to take part in the presidential election in 2004, he will be seventy by the time of the election in 2008). However, Republicans are unlikely to welcome an Afro-American to the post of president.

Maybe he had ulterior motives? Maybe to be prepared to grab the football and run if the Cheney gang went completely nuts?

Maybe somebody has the goods on him. I don't doubt that off the radar, this administration is every bit as dangerous as any mob crime syndicate.

I wonder how many times that phrase has been used around the WH.

" .... accused Mr. Powell of having a habit of distancing himself from policies when they go wrong. 'It's such a soap opera with him,' this official said."


Now they admit what POWELL has always been. May Alma NEVER let him run for anything.