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Powell 'Pushed Out' By Bush For Seeking To Rein In Israel
The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 11-21-2004 | Charles Laurence/Philip Sherwell

Posted on 11/20/2004 4:59:03 PM PST by blam

Powell 'pushed out' by Bush for seeking to rein in Israel

By Charles Laurence in New York and Philip Sherwell
(Filed: 21/11/2004)

Colin Powell, the outgoing US secretary of state, was given his marching orders after telling President George W Bush that he wanted greater power to confront Israel over the stalled Middle East peace process.

Although Mr Powell's departure was announced on November 15, his letter of resignation was dated November 11, the day he had a meeting with Mr Bush.

Colin Powell: the president's 'good cop'

According to White House officials, at the meeting Mr Powell was not asked to stay on and gave no hints that he would do so. Briefing reporters later, he referred to "fulsome discussions" - diplomatic code for disagreements.

"The clincher came over the Mid-East peace process," said a recently-retired state department official.

"Powell thought he could use the credit he had banked as the president's 'good cop' in foreign policy to rein in Ariel Sharon [Israel's prime minister] and get the peace process going. He was wrong."

Bob Woodward, the veteran Washington reporter who was granted unprecedented access to the first Bush administration for his books Bush At War and Plan Of Attack, said last week that Mr Powell had been "dreaming" if he thought that he could stay on.

Vice-president Dick Cheney and his fellow hardliner, John Bolton, an under-secretary of state to Mr Powell, are both understood to have lobbied Mr Bush to replace him.

They wanted to make Iran's alleged nuclear bomb aspirations and support for Islamic terror groups the foreign policy priority for the new administration and believed that Mr Powell would back away from a confrontational approach.

The two are frustrated that Britain, France and Germany are still seeking a diplomatic deal with Teheran rather than backing an immediate UN Security Council resolution condemning Iran and threatening sanctions.

Mr Powell's final pitch to remain in office for at least another year was made during Tony Blair's visit to Washington nine days ago, The Telegraph has learned. Earlier indications had been that he intended to step down after enduring four years of clashes with the office of Mr Cheney and the Pentagon under Donald Rumsfeld.

Friends of Mr Powell later briefed journalists that he had changed his mind because he saw the chance of progress on the peace process and wanted to see through the Iraqi elections.

Mr Powell is to be replaced by Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser and close confidante of Mr Bush.

Mr Bolton's predicted promotion as her deputy is a further signal that the president wants to conduct foreign policy without the "moderating" influence and popular public face of Mr Powell.

Prominent neo-conservatives in Washington make no secret of their desire for regime change in Teheran, although few believe that a full-scale military operation is a viable strategy.

Instead, the emphasis is on establishing economic sanctions as a means to squeeze the ruling mullahs. There is also the option that the US may tacitly back Israeli air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The overhaul of the CIA under its new director, Porter Goss, a recent Bush appointee, is also intended to remove critics of America's foreign policy.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bush; israel; out; powell; pushed; rein; seeking
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1 posted on 11/20/2004 4:59:04 PM PST by blam
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To: blam

Thank G-d for VP Dick Cheney, among many others. Someone has to stand up to the threat of a nuclear holocaust emanating from Iran.


2 posted on 11/20/2004 5:02:19 PM PST by af_vet_1981
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To: blam
"Powell thought he could use the credit he had banked as the president's 'good cop' in foreign policy to rein in Ariel Sharon [Israel's prime minister] and get the peace process going. He was wrong."

This line of moral equivalence is maddening. You DO NOT negotiate with terrorists, especially since negotiation has produced no fruits historically. They want Jews dead and that is all they want. They understand one thing and one thing only...Death!...Give them what they want and they will shut the allah up.

3 posted on 11/20/2004 5:04:02 PM PST by Outraged (specter (n.) - 1. A ghostly apparition; a phantom.)
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To: blam
"The clincher came over the Mid-East peace process," said a recently-retired state department official.

SCREEEEEECH!!!!

4 posted on 11/20/2004 5:07:33 PM PST by danneskjold
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To: blam
Powell was always the good cop with the Arabs and the bad cop with the Israelis. Condi filled the opposite role.

Someone will have to take Powell's place in that respect, since Bush's policies haven't changed and Sharon may occasionally need to be reminded that he needs to stand up to his own ultra-nationalists from time to time. It may even be Wolfowitz, who's on record as being against the so-called "settlements".

-Eric

5 posted on 11/20/2004 5:07:40 PM PST by E Rocc (Four More Years - Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue)
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To: blam
"According to White House officials, at the meeting Mr Powell was not asked to stay on and gave no hints that he would do so. "

Tony Snow said as much on his radio show yesterday.

6 posted on 11/20/2004 5:08:49 PM PST by DestroytheDemocrats (My screen name has come true!!!! W whipped the Dems ! Yaaaaaay!!!)
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To: blam
"Powell thought he could use the credit he had banked as the president's 'good cop' in foreign policy to rein in Ariel Sharon

Powell's problem is that he thinks Ariel is the one who needs "reigning in," and not Palestinian terrorist groups and their backers.

7 posted on 11/20/2004 5:08:55 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
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To: blam
Mr Powell is to be replaced by Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser and close confidante of Mr Bush.

...and who also has the stones to put her foot up someome's a$$ if she needs to.

8 posted on 11/20/2004 5:12:01 PM PST by buddyholly (We flushed the Johns!!!)
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To: af_vet_1981
Someone has to stand up to the threat of a nuclear holocaust emanating from Iran.

Iran's not a threat to the US.

9 posted on 11/20/2004 5:14:31 PM PST by Grey Ghost II
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To: blam

Note to self...Do not hire Powell to handle negotiations between myself and the local criminals.


10 posted on 11/20/2004 5:14:42 PM PST by OwnershipSociety
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To: Mr. Mojo

Bingo!


11 posted on 11/20/2004 5:17:30 PM PST by rbg81
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To: Grey Ghost II

You're dreaming. Any nation run by Islamist nutballs with nuclear weapons is a threat to the U.S.


12 posted on 11/20/2004 5:17:58 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
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To: Grey Ghost II
Iran's not a threat to the US.

You are forgetting US bases in Europe will be in range of Iranian weapons.

13 posted on 11/20/2004 5:19:26 PM PST by yonif ("So perish all Thine enemies, O the Lord" - Judges 5:31)
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To: blam
State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher explains why blowing up Israelis different than blowing up Americans

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

Richard Boucher, Spokesman

Washington, DC; September 27, 2001

...

QUESTION: To what extent does this campaign -- as you constantly review your Middle East policy, what -- how much influence does this campaign against terrorism have in that? What's the input? How does it weigh in here? See what I mean?

MR. BOUCHER: No, I don't.

QUESTION: It's obviously a factor --

MR. BOUCHER: We have talked about this on and off over the last few days. We recognize that there is an influence. Some have said it affects the atmosphere, the Palestinian/Israeli issues affect the atmosphere of cooperation. But, essentially, there are, on some planes, two different things. One is that there are violent people trying to destroy societies, ours, many others in the world. The world recognizes that and we are going to stop those people.

On the other hand, there are issues and violence and political issues that need to be resolved in the Middle East, Israelis and Palestinians. But we all recognize that the path to solve those is through negotiation and that we have devoted enormous efforts to getting back to that path of negotiation.

And we have called on the parties to do everything they can, particularly in the present circumstance, to make that possible. I guess that's about as close as I can come to the kind of sophisticated analysis I'm sure you will want to do on your own. But they are clearly issues that are different, not only in geography but also, to some extent, in their nature

14 posted on 11/20/2004 5:20:57 PM PST by gcruse (http://gcruse.typepad.com/)
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To: Grey Ghost II

Come again?


15 posted on 11/20/2004 5:21:25 PM PST by The Iguana
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To: Mr. Mojo
Any nation run by Islamist nutballs with nuclear weapons is a threat to the U.S.

Then kill them all and quit wasting our time and money.

16 posted on 11/20/2004 5:23:23 PM PST by Grey Ghost II
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To: blam

We don't need the 'Global Test' mentality in our state department.


17 posted on 11/20/2004 5:24:20 PM PST by JustAnotherOkie
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To: The Iguana
Come again?

I'm really concerned about Democracy in the middle east, the treatment of women in Afghanistan, and how many Kurds died back in the 1980's. It keeps me up at night. / sarcasm>

18 posted on 11/20/2004 5:26:11 PM PST by Grey Ghost II
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To: yonif
Our European bases being within Iranian ballistic missile range is just one concern among many. Iran could also place one or more of their new atomic toys (concealed in radiation-blocking lead containers) aboard ships and get close enough to our coastal major cities to.......
19 posted on 11/20/2004 5:28:56 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
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To: blam

TELEGRAPH FICTION BUMP....NEXT TO THIS JEW-HATING RAG THE ENQUIRER IS THE WASHINGTON POST.


20 posted on 11/20/2004 5:40:33 PM PST by montag813
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