Powell did a TERRIBLE job handling that Dem. Methinks Powell's response has been interpreted, at least on a limited basis on this thread, as a good one because he scolded that Demwit.
NOT!
First, that Dem idiot was definitely part of the Dem plot to keep this AWOL word out there in front of the public. This is also how they manipulate the media I might add. Some Dem congress critters received their talking point faxes this morning. They always use Dem congress critters from safe districts for this sort of thing. I don't recall who the Dem was but come one, the guy mentioned the AWOL word (pay attention to this word; in a world where your message has to be summed up in few syllables it would appear the Carvilles have focused on AWOL as their "word"), as all the spokesbumbles from safe districts have been instructed to do. This during a hearing about intelligence issues. I mean, it was just sooooooo obvious that the Dem congress critter wanted to say AWOL even if it had nothing to do with anything.
So what does Powell do? I'm smirking here guys. He responds EXACTLY as the Dems would have him do! He adopts a deep tone of chastisement and threatens Mr. Dem Congress Critter to "not go there". Sounding exactly like the big bad Republican giving friendly fatherly advice to the opposing party asking a simple innocent question about the AWOL president. (awol,awol,awol,awol....say it in your sleep, say it while you eat, if you're a Dem say it as often as you can and insert it into every conversation you have with the media and say it at all congressional hearings with a camera nearby). What Powell SHOULD have said, and I know it's easy to quarterback but I swear if the Repubs were doing it right they'd know intuitively how to react...Powell SHOULD have said "Mr. Dem Congress Critter, I fail to see why you even mention the word AWOL and the President's national guard record at this congressional hearing. It almost appears to me that you went out of your way to mention something so utterly unrelated to this hearing. You wouldn't be trying to use this very serious meeting to discuss intelligence matters to advance your party's political agenda, would you?"
Then Powell should have paused for effect and let the congress critter sputter away the accusation. Powell should then have moved on to the issues at hand.
Had Powell responded this way he would have inserted the idea, however slightly, into a listener's head, that maybe this was what the Dems are doing. Which, ahem, is what they actually ARE doing.
If all the Repubbies would confront this sort of childishness right at the start they would effectively be changing the PERCEPTION of what the audience hears.
As it was, Powell only emphasized the sound bite the Dem candidate wanted out there, and added to the Repub stereotype of the big, father shouting down anyone who would dare question our leader.
That does not surprise me one bit. These hypocrites are all alike