[kralcmot]

“even though Colin Powell ‘ticked off’ the Turks”

i know the Turks refused to allow our troops access from the north...but i did not know what Powell did to cause this....

can you tell me the specifics of what he said or did that caused this?

thanks

[Condor51]

*** i know the Turks refused to allow our troops access from the north...but i did not know what Powell did to cause this.... can you tell me the specifics of what he said or did that caused this? ... thanks ***

Okay here's the basics, going from memory and a couple things out of order of how Colin Powell screwed the pooch with Turkey.

1. First off, Colin Powell hated flying and did not like going to all the countries a SOS has to, to meet with other dignitaries. He wanted to do all his 'diplomacy work' by TELEPHONE! Some Secretary of State that makes. Especially after 9-11 and a WAR already going on in Afghanistan!

2. Turkey had a newly elected Parliament, with a new Majority, and who were more 'Islamic' than the old 'secular' members and none of them ever met or knew Colin Powell. They wanted him to come to Turkey to meet and talk. Hating to fly, Powell REFUSED and wanted to do everything by TELEPHONE.

3. This insulted the Turks and rightfully so (hell it would insult ME!). But Powell never got this through his thick skull -- and this is about where the 'billions in bribes' comes in. Powell starts offering money to allow our 4th ID to land and launch the attack from Turk soil.

4. This continuing 'telephone diplomacy' and 'bribery' insults the Turks even more but fat ass still wont come to Turkey to meet with the new Turkish leaders of Parliament.

5. Meanwhile the 4th ID is on a ship in the Mediterranean Sea floating in circles not knowing where the hell they'll be going, but counting on our wunerful SOS Colin Powell to straighten everything out. At the same time Gen Tommy Franks still has his original invasion plan 'on the table', as he's ALSO counting on Powell.

6. Well... the rest is history. The Turks tell Powell to go to hades, take his billions and shove it, and the 4th ID now has to head to Kuwait. And Gen Tommy Franks now has to take his invasion plan, throw in in the dumper and have the 4th ID follow the 3rd ID into Iraq from the South.

So that's about it. And IMO Colon Bowell(sic) is prolly the WORST Secretary of State in US History. A Secretary of State who hates to fly, sheesh! It would have been 'mighty white of him' if he would have told Dubya about his little flying phobia when Dubya picked him, no?

Then again, Powell let Scooter Libby twist in the wind so he hasn't and morals or ethics anyway. Fricken mutt.