Powell Defends War, Says He Expected WMD [Powell Bashes Democrats!!!!]

Yahoo News ^ | February 11, 2004 | BARRY SCHWEID

[Howlin]

WASHINGTON - Under attack by House Democrats, Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) said Wednesday he was surprised U.N. and American inspectors did not find storehouses of hidden weapons in Iraq (news - web sites).

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Latest headlines:

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But Powell told the International Relations Committee that "we presented what we believed the truth to be at the time."

Powell testified that President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s apparent intent to develop and use weapons, his record of gassing his own people and his defiance of the United Nations (news - web sites) all were — and remain — valid reasons for going to war to overthrow him.

He said President Bush (news - web sites) and he had relied on intelligence provided by CIA (news - web sites) Director George Tenet, and the only serious question raised about the analysis since the war was whether Iraq had storehouses of weapons of mass destruction.

"I don't think anyone in America should think that President Bush cooked the books," Powell said.

"The reason we told you there were stockpiles there was because we believed it to be true," Powell said. "We were surprised when they did not turn up."

But Reps. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., Robert Melendez, D-N.J., Rep. Robert I Wexler, D-Fla., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, challenged Powell about the administration's case, suggesting it may have been misleading from the outset.

"Truth is the first casualty of war," Ackerman said. "I would contend truth was murdered before a shot was fired."

"We went into this war under false premises," Melendez said.

Wexler told Powell he considered him to be "the credible voice in the administration."

"When you reached the conclusion that Iraq represented a clear and present danger to the United States, that meant a lot to me," Wexler said. "But the facts suggest there was a part of the story that was not true."

Powell fielded the assertions calmly, defending the president's judgment and his own.

But when Brown contrasted Powell's military experience to Bush's record with the National Guard, saying the president "may have been AWOL" from duty, Powell exploded.

"First of all, Mr. Brown, I won't dignify your comments about the president because you don't know what you are talking about," Powell snapped.

"I'm sorry I don't know what you mean, Mr. Secretary," Brown replied.

"You made reference to the president," Powell shot back.

Brown then repeated his understanding that Bush may have been AWOL from guard duty.

"Mr. Brown, let's not go there," Powell retorted. "Let's not go there in this hearing. If you want to have a political fight on this matter, that is very controversial, and I think it is being dealt with by the White House, fine, but let's not go there."

Powell then went on to defend the Bush administration's assertions on Iraq's prewar weaponry. "We didn't make it up," Powell said. "It was information that reflected the views of analysts in all the various agencies."

But the dispute with Brown did not end.

"Are you shaking your head for something, young man?," Powell asked when he noticed an aide to Brown apparently disagreeing.

"I seldom come to a meeting when I'm talking to a congressman and I have people aligned behind you giving editorial comment by headshakes," Powell said.

Brown, defending his assistant, said "I think people have opinions."

Eager to move on, the committee chairman, Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., observed that "we're on a very emotional subject," but "we've been doing swimmingly until now."

[Ophiucus]

Scum is scum. Until the republicans start blasting Kerry over his anti-military behavior after Vietnam, they will continue giving this story legs.

[Dolphy]

You just know Colin Powell is one angry man when he hears Kerry night after night holding up his military service as some sort of leadership credential while questioning the integrity of the Bush administration. Colin Powell spent years in the military dealing with the fallout of political opportunists like Kerry and his fellow Democrats. I'm quite certain that Secretary Powell has a lot of pent up anger, questioning his or the President's honor or acting like a snot-nose kid is not well advised.

[Jeff Chandler]

This is what I've been waiting years for-someone to forcefully defend the President and put the rats in their places. Every Republican official should be doing this 24/7.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Exactly. Powell was awesome today. It was like getting beat up by the neighborhood bully and having your dad pull up in the SUV.

[Jeff Chandler]

It was like getting beat up by the neighborhood bully and having your dad pull up in the SUV.

My dad was a 6-4, 250lb ex-WWII Third Infantry commando, ex-street thug, judo instructor. When he pulled up, the bullies and THEIR dads scrammed. (We never talked back, either.)

[CyberAnt]

The media did the same thing with the screaming Gore speech .. CNN ABC and I think CBS totally ignored it.

[barker]

Even the lovely and gracious Mara Liaison agreed that it was a mistake to bring that up to Powell

Well. I wouldn't quite call her that but I did a double take when I heard her say it.

I'm not a big Powell supporter but I couldn't believe what he said. He was furious.

[CyberAnt]

I agree .. and I hope we see more of it!!

[Fledermaus]

Powell should have gotten up and throughly THRASED Brown!

[CyberAnt]

"The dems will be in the corner by Friday cowering in fear"

ROTFLOL!! I love it!!

Just a side note .. I have noticed lately that Shep on Fox has been using the term "dems". I think it's funny because that's the same term we use here. Hmmmm? Shep must lurk here a lot.

[CyberAnt]

Bingo!! Dems have no respect. That's is one of their basic problems.

[CyberAnt]

These people are just more of the Clintons' goons .. trying to make points with the DNC so they will get finances for their next campaign. That's how it works!!

[CyberAnt]

And .. Dick Morris is an idiot! So far I believe he's been right -0- times!

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

LOL - nobody ever messed with my dad, either. He wasn't big, but he was scrappy and he wasn't afraid of anyone. Here's to having real men for dads. : )

[CyberAnt]

I don't see a problem with that link. Didn't Halliburton build the original oil refinery in Iraq? Wasn't that why the Bush admin hired them to repair it .. because they had the original drawings for the plant?

[Jeff Chandler]

The old man taught me how to be a man. I owe him a lot, and not just the cash for the down payment on my first home!

[CyberAnt]

Is this what they're trying to get at - who served and who didn't. Rush was talking about this too. He thinks they're trying to establish a fact that not serving in the regular military should disqualify you to be President.

ROTFLOL!! FDR and Truman never served either, but they surely did a good job with WWII; of course, they had a repub by the name of Eisenhower who helped out a bit.

[CyberAnt]

Excuse me .. the RNC has been doing a great job.

[CyberAnt]

Done!!

[Howlin]

As for the intell ... it's the same flipping intell they rec'd when Congress voted for the war

Exactly. They ALL saw it themselves; they were ALL free to interpret it themselves.

And John Kerry himself was on the INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE for six years; where the hell was HE while the intelligence community was going to hell, as he claims? Can we lay the fault of that at HIS feet???????