GOP Veep Sheet: McCain ponders Powell

Politico ^ | 8/24/08 | Alex Burns

[pissant]

Another day, and no white smoke yet from Sen. John McCain’s Sedona, Ariz., residence. The search for a vice president continues as the Democratic clans gather in Denver.

In an interview with CBS’s Katie Couric, McCain offered no new information about his vice presidential thinking. But he did have some kind words for Sen. Barack Obama’s newly announced running mate, Delaware Sen. Joseph R. Biden:

“I think he’s a good selection…Joe and I have been friends for many, many years, and we know each other very well, and so I think [Obama’s] made a very wise selection.”

Just because McCain’s not sharing his own thinking doesn’t mean there haven’t been developments: in the biggest McCain veep story of the weekend, Politico’s Mike Allen reports that Colin Powell, the former secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, may be on Sen. McCain’s list of possible running mates.

Allen: “Powell was among the possible vice presidential choices the Arizona Republican senator was thinking of when he said he would not rule out a supporter of abortion rights, a key adviser said…

“But outside advisers say they believe former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a McCain rival for the Republican nomination, is the leading candidate.”

If Powell’s name stays afloat, how long do you think before this photograph starts popping up again?

For Republicans hoping for Romney, it can only be encouraging that the Michigan Republican Party is gearing itself up for the fall campaign.

AP: “A Republican hasn’t won Michigan’s presidential vote since 1988, but GOP leaders said Saturday at their state convention that the time is right to change that trend this November…

“Republicans…said they’ll try to blame Democrats for the state’s struggling economy. And they’ll try to convince a large chunk of independent voters that McCain is a better choice for the state.”

Romney, whose father served as governor of Michigan during the 1960s, won Michigan’s primary during the Republican nominating contest. Adding him to the ticket could boost McCain’s chances there in November.

Meanwhile, as Obama was rolling out his running mate, one of McCain’s potential picks had some sharp words for the newly anointed Democratic ticket.

Campaigning in Pennsylvania, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty told AP: “It seems that [Obama’s rhetoric] has been around change, there needs to be change in Washington and he has used for his political advantage this concept of the need for Washington outsiders…Then when he has one of his first big decisions, he chooses the consummate Washington insider, which I think is noteworthy.”

Oddly, Pawlenty added that Gen. David Petraeus would have been a better choice.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who was once mentioned in the top tier of Republican veep contenders but has attracted less attention lately, has had a hard week, handling both Tropical Storm Fay’s multiple landfalls and some tough times in his state government.

The St. Petersburg Times reports that Crist’s widely publicized plans to expand Florida’s use of alternative energy have faltered after the state’s Public Service Commission unveiled far less sweeping proposals of its own.

Still, the governor has received some good press for his leadership during the week’s storms.

From the Pensacola News-Journal: “It was last Saturday that Gov. Charlie Crist first declared a state of emergency for Fay as it approached the Florida Keys. Yesterday he warned residents against ‘Fay fatigue’ and remaining vigilant in the storm’s path.”

Elsewhere in the Gulf, the Alexandria (La.) Town Talk reports on mixed responses to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s decision not to renew a state executive order barring discrimination against people on the basis of sexual orientation.

“Jules Tate, academic advisor for Identity, a Louisiana State University at Alexandria gay and lesbian advocacy group, said [the order’s] disappearance removes an important safety net against discrimination…

“Others, like Trevor Fry, an Alexandria lawyer with experience in labor cases, agree with Jindal’s view that the law was unnecessary.”

If Jindal somehow ends up on the Republican ticket, expect this issue to get some play in the fall campaign.

PLUS: CBS’s Bob Schieffer, about to attend his twentieth nominating convention, handicaps the veepstakes.

Schieffer: “I think if John McCain had his druthers – if he could do what he wanted to – he’d put Joe Lieberman on the ticket in a minute…If he feels that it’s really necessary for him to carry Michigan and that’s going to be crucial, I think he’ll put Romney on the campaign.”

[pissant]

FWIW.

[NormsRevenge]

He should ponder Tommy FRanks before Powell.

[dbacks]

BS. Powell would bring NOTHING to the ticket and, in fact, make it highly unlikely McCain could win the general. Waaaay to liberal.

[ilgipper]

I am not the biggest fan of Powell politically, but he is a hell of a man, and that would be a powerful ticket. We certainly would be in good hands in terms of military management and foreign policy credibility.

[Palladin]

Powell would drag the ticket to the left. It’s a no-go.

[LucyT]

No.

[Perdogg]

Powell has given money to McCain ($2,300) and they are agree on most foreign policy issues.

[Old Retired Army Guy]

Two former career military guys on the ticket would be fine with me, but politically it’s probably not a good balance. I would be happy just seeing Powell endorse him.

[ChildOfThe60s]

We certainly would be in good hands in terms of military management and foreign policy credibility.

Nope to both. Powell is overrated as a military leader and decision maker.

[Spok]

The media has reported that Powell may be endorsing Obama...???

[SolidWood]

What a load of Bullcr*p. Powell is a traitor and weasel of the highest order.

1)Powell endorsed Obama.

2)Powell said he is ashamed of making the case for the war in Iraq.

3)Powell trashed the USA before an Arab audience and said that the war in Iraq is lost and a disaster.

Powell thus is in opposition to McCain's foreign policy, has a miserable character and would sink McCain's chances. NO Powell turncoat for me.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

I just felt my colin tighten up.

[SolidWood]

Read my post above. Powell has switched sides years ago.

[pissant]

With much glee, if I recall. It was Bill Kristol flapping his gums though, so you have to take it with a grain of salt.

[EagleUSA]

BS. Powell would bring NOTHING to the ticket and, in fact, make it highly unlikely McCain could win the general. Waaaay to liberal.
:::::::::
True, and McCain, very unlike Hussein, does not need any more military prowess than he already has...a very long lineage of it. Powell is liberal and that was always one of the problems with him.

[roses of sharon]

Dittos!

SO GOOD HAD TO POST AGAIN! (Powell could be the only man that would make me stay home)

What a load of Bullcr*p. Powell is a traitor and weasel of the highest order.

1)Powell endorsed Obama.

2)Powell said he is ashamed of making the case for the war in Iraq.

3)Powell trashed the USA before an Arab audience and said that the war in Iraq is lost and a disaster.

Powell thus is in opposition to McCain's foreign policy, has a miserable character and would sink McCain's chances. NO Powell turncoat for me.

[library user]

This is misinformation put out by the MSM/Democrats. Didn’t Powell already say he was voting Obama? This makes zero sense.

[wardaddy]

Powell is way too liberal and something of a race baiter....not like a Dem but more than I care for.

[pissant]

Powell has not endorsed Obama publicly. Bill Kristol said Powell was going to endorse Obama

[LucyT]

Powell is a traitor and weasel of the highest order.

Ping.

[SolidWood]

Must read on Powell the traitor:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1754994/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030790/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999377/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1992982/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1927738/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1914457/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1894321/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1862740/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1849353/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1848162/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1847975/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1847915/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1807916/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1769949/posts

[pissant]

No need to convince me. The only less republican republican I can think of is the head of the ticket.

[billhilly]

It seems that I read somewhere recently that Powell did not rule out voting for Obama. I personally believe Powell will dance with the highest bidder.

[SolidWood]

Well I posted some threads that disprove your statement Powell has not endorsed Obama publicly.

[BibChr]

I’ll just keep saying this:

The race is McCain’s to lose — and he’s the man who could do it.

Picking Powell would be one way to lose it.

Just remember, I said it first.

[SolidWood]

See the links I posted at #21

[Perdogg]

1)Powell endorsed Obama.

When did he do this?

2)Powell said he is ashamed of making the case for the war in Iraq.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19092206/page/3/

MR. RUSSERT: Let me bring you back to February 5th, 2003. This is Colin Fowell—Powell before the United Nations.

MR. POWELL (United Nations Security Council, February 5, 2003): My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we’re giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence.

MR. RUSSERT: When you uttered those words, you believed them deeply.

GEN. POWELL: I spent five days out at the CIA going over every single piece of information that was going to be in my presentation. There were a lot of other pieces of information that different people would have wanted me to use and it was all rejected. Everything in that statement was blessed by the director of Central Intelligence, George Tenet; his deputy, John McLaughlin; and all of their senior officials. They believed it, too. George has said he believed it. And so I went to the UN having dumped a lot of stuff on the side of the road because it wasn’t multiple source. It might have been right, but it wasn’t multiple source and I wouldn’t use it. And the reason you see Director Tenet sitting behind me is because I wanted to make sure and he wanted to make sure that people understood I was not making a political statement. I was making a statement of the facts as we knew them.

Now, those same facts, that same set of facts, was available to the Congress the previous fall in the National Intelligence Estimate that the Congress asked for. But I notice a lot of candidates are now saying they didn’t read it. But it was up there and they asked for it. The mobile biological laboratories was up before the Congress months before. The president used that in his State of the Union speech. So over a long period of time, the CIA and all of the other intelligence agencies of government had created a, a statement for all of us that said, one, this is a regime that has used these kinds of weapons on the past; two, they have retained the capability of making such weapons; and three—and here’s where we fell down—they have stockpiles of these weapons. And we all believed it. Our military believed it going into battle. Other governments believed it. The reality is they did not have those stockpiles. We were wrong.

Fourth point I’d like to make. Suppose that the UN sanctions had subsequently broken down. We didn’t go into a war with Iraq and Saddam Hussein was free of all UN constraints because of the collapse of the Oil for Food program. Would you believe, would anybody believe, that with the capability and with the intent he would not then go back to trying to build up those stockpiles? That’s the chance the president did not want to take, that’s the risk he did not want to take.

MR. RUSSERT: Your own State Department intelligence agency, however, had a real caveat about the use of aluminum tubes. They did not think they could be used for nuclear centrifuges. And yet you put forth that testimony.

GEN. POWELL: With the caveats. There was a big debate about the aluminum tubes, whether these tubes are for centrifuge or rocket bodies. CIA was absolutely convinced that they were for centrifuges. Department of Energy, IAEA, others and some of my people in the State Department said, “We’re not sure. We think they probably could be used for rocket bodies.” We challenged that repeatedly, and the CIA kept coming up with technical reasons why they had to be for centrifuges. Even after the, the war was fought and over, the debate continued. But I was aware that it was an important piece of information, so when I presented it to the UN, I said, “It is our belief, based on the CIA making the call,”—they’re the referee in such matters, the director of Central Intelligence—“that they were for centrifuges.” But I included in my statement, “This is not a uniform opinion. Everybody does not believe this, therefore we have to keeps studying it.” And so I included the caveats with respect to the cen—the aluminum tubes in my presentation.

MR. RUSSERT: The, the mobile trains and trucks and track—lab stories, David Kay, the former UN inspector went before the Senate and said that members of the intelligence community knew some of the information not to be true, and yet they still sent you out there. Tyler Drumheller, who headed up the European section for this CIA, writes in his book that he saw your presentation the day before it was going to be given, and he took out that reference to the mobile labs because he knew it wasn’t true. And yet it never got to you that he had taken it out. What happened?

GEN. POWELL: I can’t answer that, and I would ask a question of Mr. Drumheller: Why didn’t you take it out when it appeared months earlier in other intelligence documents? Suddenly, the night before I’m giving a speech, we decide we have to take this out? There was a total failure in the intelligence system with respect to those mobile biological labs which turned out not to be. And the reason I made such a point of those labs in my presentation was that I got assurances from CIA that they had multiple sources, four sources, that could verify this, the existence of these labs. And then when the war was over, after the 9th of April, we found some things that looked like the labs, and everybody was saying, “We got it. See, we have it.” And then after examination, people started to say, “Wait a minute, this is not—this is not clear, doesn’t, doesn’t look like what we thought it was going to be.” And even a month afterwards, the CIA put out a paper, a 28-page paper saying, “Yes, it is. It’s a mobile biological lab.” But it’s turned out that it, it really doesn’t pass the smell test, that that’s what it is.

I cannot tell you why, within the intelligence community, the people who had put out burn notices—meaning don’t trust this source—those burn notices never rose to the right level. And one of the things I’m most irate about is that I have reason to believe in, in, in the CIA, the nights we were out there till midnight every night putting this presentation together, trying to make it airtight, there were people in the room who knew that burn notices had gone out on some of these sources, and that was not raised to me or to Mr. Tenet.

MR. RUSSERT: Why not?

GEN. POWELL: I can’t answer that question. This is, this is for others. You know, I’m not, I’m not the investigator of the intelligence community. But if I was, we, we would be having very long meetings about this. But I do not know why the information did not surface. I don’t know why it came—did not come to the proper analysts, I don’t know why it went—did not go to Jami Miscik, it did not go to John McLaughlin. And Mr. Tenet says he has no recollection of these conversations, nor does Mr. McLaughlin.

~snip

MR. RUSSERT: Karen DeYoung wrote a book called “Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell,” and she quotes someone very close and near and dear to you, your wife of almost 45 years, Alma Powell, and this what she says: “Powell’s wife Alma thought Colin had been callously used to promote a war she wished had never happened. ‘They needed him to do it,’ Alma said, ‘because they knew people would believe him.’” Do you feel used?

GEN. POWELL: No. I feel that when—I was part of an administration that, over a period of years, had created a body of evidence and intelligence that said this is a dangerous regime. And I had no love for Saddam Hussein, as you can appreciate. For 12 years I’d been listening to, “Well, why didn’t you take him out back in 1991?” So I had no truck with this regime, and we had a steady stream of intelligence reports that suggested he was a danger. And he became more of a danger after 9/11 when the possibility emerges that some of these terrible weapons he was working on—and let there be no doubt that he was continuing to work on these. He was continuing to hope that he could escape the boundaries of the UN sanctions and get back to making these kinds of weapons. And if you believe otherwise, I think that would be a naive belief. And so, throughout that time, we had this consistent body of evidence. And when the president called me in and said, “I want you to go to the United Nations and make the presentation,” I didn’t blink in the slightest because I had been using that intelligence all along in my presentations and had every reason to believe it. The problem we had in the next five days was that a product was being worked on in the White House and the NSC which was unusable. It was more a legal brief than it was an analysis.

MR. RUSSERT: But did you think at that time a pre-emptive war was the best course for the US, or did you think that Saddam was already boxed because of the sanctions?

GEN. POWELL: I would’ve preferred no war because I couldn’t see clearly the unintended consequences. But we tried to avoid that war with the UN sanctions and putting increasing diplomatic and international pressure on Saddam Hussein. But when I took it to the president and said, “This is a war we ought to see if we can avoid,” I also said and made it clear to him, “If, at the end of the day, it is a war that we cannot avoid, I’ll be with you all the way.” That’s, that’s part of being part of a team. And therefore I couldn’t have any other outcome, and I had no reservations about supporting the president in war. And I think things could’ve turned out differently after the middle of April if we had responded in a different way.

MR. RUSSERT: After your presentation to the United Nations and you realized the information that you’d been given was faulty, did you ever thing of resigning?

GEN. POWELL: The information was faulty, but it wasn’t faulty because people in the intelligence community were lying or trying to deceive. It was faulty because intelligence sometimes can be faulty, and it wasn’t managed properly, it wasn’t processed properly and we should have realized the inadequacy of some of our sourcing earlier. But it wasn’t venal behavior on the part of the intelligence community.

MR. RUSSERT: Four years later, are we safer now with the situation in Iraq the way it is?

GEN. POWELL: I think in terms of another 9/11 attack, we are safer, not because of Iraq necessarily. We are safer because we’ve done a better job of integrating our intelligence and law enforcement activities. We have done a better job of protecting the nation and also protecting the traveling public. So in 9/11 terms, I think we are safer.

[Perdogg]

He has already endorsed McCain with $2,300. If he wants to give me $2,300 and walk away I will gladly take it.

[Dutch Boy]

Powell exists because of Schwartzkopf. Powell road his coat tails to the top.

[pissant]

I clicked on the first 3 or 4 and did not see an endorsement. Which one was the endorsement?

[BobL]

Don’t follow. Wasn’t Powell talking about supporting Obama?

McCain DOES NOT need to go to the “center”...he’s already there (at a minimum) and anything further left will DESTROY HIM with the Republican base. This would simply be a fatal mistake.

Fine to talk about it, but PLEASE don’t do it.

[SolidWood]

See the links I gave at post #21.

[Owen]

Powell had cancer surgery just a few years ago.

He doesn’t bring EVs to the table.

He IS very much qualified for the job.

He’s not a horrible choice, but he’s not the best.

[SolidWood]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1847975/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1849353/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1999377/posts

[pissant]

As I thought, no endorsement. Not that it matters to me one way or another.

[DogBarkTree]

Absolutely not, no effing way in hell. Colon is an @$$clown.

[mimaw]

Powell would attract women and independents. I don't agree with Powell on a lot of things but I think he would be an asset. He sure would blow out Biden.

[roses of sharon]

This is just more MSM lies, so they can diss McCain when Powell endorses Hussein.

[SolidWood]

Read the links at ‘21. Powell has switched sides on Iraq, deemed it a lost cause based on lies, supports appeasing Iran and Syria and generally taking the Democrat line on national security issues.

[JimRed]

Mixed feelings about Powell. I respect the man completely, but have heard that he leans liberal. But I’ve never actually heard him state any lib views, so I can’t be sure. If a man like him is willing to suborinate his personal (if liberal) views to the constitution, I think he certainly qualifies.

He certainly does not lack leadership ability.

[SolidWood]

Again, see post #21. Powell is a disaster.

[JimRed]

Read my post above. Powell has switched sides years ago.

Source, please?

[Rushmore Rocks]

I agree.

[truthguy]

That's great, consider a VP candidate who more than likely will support Obama. Powell is a snake in the grass and I don't know why so many can't see it.
I nearly lost my brunch when I saw the headlines. Powell?

[billhilly]

I saw your post. Frankly, I always thought Powell was deified by the media. They have been prone to do that for black politicians for decades. As with boating an over correction in steering can sometimes be as bad as the previous direction.

[Perdogg]

Most of the articles you posted were repeats basically.

You still haven’t addressed the transcript of Powell on the MTP. He doesn’t seemed to be ashamed of his role.

[SolidWood]

Also see: http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/29/powell.iraq/
With video: http://thinkprogress.org/2006/11/29/powell-civil-war/

[Perdogg]

That’s why I read the article and not just the headlines.

[SolidWood]

I think the links at post #21 are enough to turn ones stomach on Powell, especially where he clearly advocates submitting to Iran and Syria. But if you need more:

Powell regrets 'mess' of Iraq

Powell regrets UN speech on Iraq WMDs

Powell Says U.S. Losing in Iraq, Calls for Drawdown by Mid-2007

[Perdogg]

Read the transcript on MTP (June 2007 - not 2005).