Powell: 'U.S. Is Not Doing Bad at All'

AP ^ | October 20, 2005 | CAROLYN THOMPSON

[West Coast Conservative]

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday the United States is "not doing bad at all" diplomatically, despite anti-American sentiment over the war in Iraq.

"If you stand back a bit," Powell told an audience at the University at Buffalo, "you might see we have done very well in most parts of the world."

Powell, a guest in the university's Distinguished Speakers Series, outlined strides made in Europe, China and Asia, and predicted nuclear disputes with North Korea and Iran would be solved diplomatically.

Although Powell last month called his prewar speech to the United Nations accusing Iraq of harboring weapons of mass destruction a blot on his record, he said Wednesday the United States could not walk away from the current fight until Iraq is stronger.

"We are where we are," he said.

"We have to stay the course," he said to applause.

Powell did not refer to the February 2003 speech _ which lent credibility to President Bush's case for going to war _ during his hourlong address.

It was a primary topic, however, among the roughly 50 protesters who gathered outside to denounce Powell, Bush and the war.

"We're sorry so many people think he's a celebrity. We think he's a war criminal," said James Ulrich, a university photographer who held a sign: "Colin Powell, Have you no shame?

[Ramius]

Stinking AP.

I know Powell has his detractors here on FR, but I do think he's an honorable man who's done honorable service to his country.

[kipita]

I like Powell a great deal, but, in this case, something smells fishy.

Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson attacks Bush and says about Powell "He's not happy with my speaking out because, and I admire this in him, he is the world's most loyal soldier".

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/afdb7b0c-40f3-11da-b3f9-00000e2511c8.htm


HMMMM, Sounds a bit like CYA D.C. politics.

[ajolympian2004]

I know Powell has his detractors here on FR, but I do think he's an honorable man who's done honorable service to his country.

Colin Powell is a great American hero. I wish he were inclined to run for President. He'd get my vote even though there might be an issue or two where I may have a disagreement with him.

[coconutt2000]

I like Powell, mostly. I think he is an honorable man. But he does have his flaws that prevent him from being anything more than what he has been.

I think Powell, given a clear command structure is comfortable and in command. Take him out of that role and stick him in the State Department, and his inability to cope with "political hacks", Clintonistas, and subordinates who actively undermined him and his policies (and the policies of the President) and Powell is a fish out of water. He doesn't understand people like that and can't deal with them effectively enough to either force them out or replace them.

Other than that, he's probably a swell guy.

[the_Watchman]

The AP reporter has mischaracterized what Powell said about his U.N. speech on Iraq. Powell was lamenting that he had represented the material as more factual than it was. He has stated that he does not believe anyone in the Whitehouse lied, but that they were misled by the intelligence community. In transcripts I have read from Powell I have not heard him dispute the claims he made to the U.N. about Iraq, only that based on the intelligence he was given he presented the material in a more matter of fact tone than was warranted.

In his shoes, I think that I would be upset, as well.

The press makes it sound like he believes that what he said was untrue. This is apparently a lie from the MSM. Of course, you would have to be a person with high integrity in order to understand Powell's concerns.

[river rat]

".....not doing bad at all diplomatically, despite anti-American sentiment over the war in Iraq."

Yep, as soon as he left - and Dr. Rice took over -- things got a lot better..

Yes -- I am not an admirer of Gen. Powell.

Semper Fi

[kipita]

I think "Earth-Shattering" events are going to occur in Washington today and/or tomorrow and Powell/Wilkerson have teamed for CYA publicity.

[American in Israel]

Powell is a looser that helped build the terrorist infrastructure in Israel that supplies the suicide bombers in Iraq, caused us to fall from ally status with Europe before his tenure to bitch slapping contest and he thinks the State Department is a success?

Perhaps they are, if you look at it from an Islamic perspective. Which, at this point I would not be shocked if that was Powell's and Condis perspective. If the State Department was primarily staffed with Muslims it would explain a lot.

[American in Israel]

From being the worlds hero to being the imperalist bully on the block, I would suspect we have had the worst series of diplomatic blunders in Americas history under Powel and Condi.

Not doing bad at all, Horrible perhaps but not bad. The guy is a pro terrorist moron who could not catch a breath between condeming Israel for defending itself and making demands of the victims to pay off the terrorists.

I respect dog dirt on my shoe bottoms more. (Am I making my self clear?) -grin-

[dennisw]

I know Powell has his detractors here on FR, but I do think he's an honorable man who's done honorable service to his country.

An honorable man know when to keep his mouth shut and that's what he should have done once he was no longer secretary of State. Colin Powell got too cozy with the entrenched leftist apparatchiks at State

[OldFriend]

Dr. Rice has more get up and go towards foreign leaders than Powell ever had. He thought telephone diplomacy was preferable.

Dr. Rice is probably the most travelled Secretary of State in recent memory.

[listenhillary]

It wasn't a diplomatic blunder that gave signals to Saddam that we didn't care if they invaded Kuwait? Or are the Powell/Rice blunders worse?

[American in Israel]

Guess you have to wonder which blunder caused the triggering of WWIII.

[polymuser]

Imagine Truth and an AP reporterette meeting each other.

[polymuser]

HMMMM, Sounds a bit like CYA D.C. politics.

Maybe some Iraqi WMD got located?

[green iguana]

"We're sorry so many people think he's a celebrity. We think he's a war criminal," said James Ulrich

Well James - We think you're a Moron.

[cwb]

"It wasn't a diplomatic blunder that gave signals to Saddam that we didn't care if they invaded Kuwait?"

---

I've never been comfortable with the claim that it was a diplomatic blunder that got us into the first Gulf War. Even "if" we assume Saddam misinterpreted the message by April Glaspie (i.e. the US has no opinion on Arab to Arab conflicts), the peripheral events leading up to Saddam's invasion of Kuwait should've convinced him that the US...and our allies, were not going to sit still as he invaded Kuwait.  

People forget that Glaspie talked to Saddam in July...and while he invaded Kuwait in August, it was still almost 5 months from that point until the US/UN went to war with him. Between this period of time, the US and the Arab nations were heavily involved in negotiations with Saddam and were threatening him with sanctions (and then, war) if he didn't withdraw. If we supposedly wanted this war (as others claim), we sure did a lot of manuevering to try and avoid it, giving Saddam more than enough time to reevaluate his position.  

One of the best indicators of this was that on the day of Glaspie's meeting with Saddam (July 25), he already has troops massed on the border of Kuwait. And it was even a day before this meeting...and a couple days following Saddam's threat of war, that the US is moving warships into the Persian Gulf as a public display of our displeasure over Saddam's rhetoric. For the next couple weeks, the US carried out war games, while the other Arab nations engaged in diplomatic meetings with Saddam to try and resolve the tension.

Again, even if we assume Saddam misinterpreted what Glaspie was saying, what was happening around him left no room for misinterpretation. There was no "green light" given or implication that this would be OK...and even Mabarak made that clear in his meetings with Saddam.

Timeline of events:

Spring 1990:  Iraq beligerently complains about conspiracies by parties in the Gulf.

July 1990:  Iraq names names...Kuwait and U.A.E. are conspiring against Iraq, Kuwait is "stealing" Iraq's oil.

July 24:   Iraq masses 30-50 thousand troops on the border.  U.S. moves naval forces into the gulf and suddenly conducts military exercises with the U.A.E., for the *world* to see.

*July 25: April Glaspie meets with Saddam Hussein. Tariq Aziz, ex-Foreign Minister (at the time) and current deputy Prime Minister later says unequivocally that Glaspie did not give Saddam Hussein a green light to invade (see below*).

July 25-26:  President Mubarak of Egypt embarks on shuttle diplomacy to
solve the problem.

July 26: Kuwait and Iraq agree to meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss differences on August 1.

July 27:  The U.S. begins publicized review of its policy toward Iraq in light of its aggressions and attempts at hegemony.

August 1:  Iraq and Kuwait meet in Saudi Arabia, and "embrace warmly." Later, Iraq abruptly storms out of the meeting.  A few hours later....

August 2: Iraq invades Kuwait

*May 31, 1991:  After the war is over, Iraq's erstwhile Foreign Minister and current Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz puts to rest the Glaspie controversy by saying that "Saddam Hussein did not believe that US Ambassador April Glaspie gave him a green light to seize Kuwait and expected a severe American reaction."

*Title: GLASPIE Didn't Give Green Light, Iraqi Says. Source: Boston Globe,  May 31, 1991, 12:4. Abstract: "Iraqi President Saddam Hussein did not believe that US Ambassador April GLASPIE gave him the green light to seize Kuwait and expected a severe American reaction, according to Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz."

It should also be noted that Glaspie was called to testify informally before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She said she was the victim of "deliberate deception on a major scale," and denounced the Iraqi transcript as "a fabrication" that distorted her position, though it contained "a great deal" that was accurate.

In November 1992, Iraq's former deputy prime minister, Tarik Aziz, gave Glaspie some vindication. He said she had not given Iraq a green light. "She just listened and made general
comments," he told USA Today. "We
knew the United States would have a strong reaction."

This is information that I collected years ago from various sources on the internet. If something is not correct, please advice.