Posted on 09/30/2006 6:00:05 PM PDT by jmc1969
Colin L. Powell, in his last face-to-face meeting with President Bush before stepping down as secretary of state in January 2005, tried to impress upon him one last time the dangers he saw the United States facing in Iraq, according to a new Powell biography.
The insurgency was growing and the country was spiraling into sectarian bloodshed, Powell warned. Elections in Iraq would not solve the problems, and the presidents ability to act decisively was being crippled by divisions within his own administration, according to the account in Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell by Karen DeYoung, an associate editor at The Washington Post. Bush appeared disengaged, the book says, and brushed off Mr. Powells complaints about dysfunction in his government.
The book is among the latest accounts of the divisions within the administration as it hurtled toward war and stumbled through its aftermath.
The book provides an inside account of the preparation for Powells pivotal presentation before the United Nations six weeks before the start of the Iraq war in March 2003. Powell told DeYoung that he spent much of the five days he had to prepare for the presentation trimming the garbage that Cheneys staff had provided by way of evidence of Iraqs weapons programs and ties to Al-Qaeda.
Running throughout this book and other recent accounts are the chain of defeats and humiliations Powell suffered in service to Bush. Though Powell remained one of the most admired figures in America, it was not enough to immunize him against attacks.
There are people who would like to take me down, he is quoted as saying while motioning toward the White House during his last year in office. Its been the case since I was appointed. By take down, I mean, keep him in his place.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
"Does Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi and Dick Durbin have books coming out this month too?"
Doubtful. Even a ghostwriter needs fungible ideas and this group never makes sense.
I remind them that a few years ago they were saying the solution was to bring in France and Germany. At least they are embarrassed to suggest that anymore.
During the first battle of Fallujah, in the spring of 2004, Sunni insurgents fought alongside some Shiite forces against the Americans; by that fall, the Sunnis waged their resistance alone in Fallujah, and they resented the Shiites' indifference.
But by that time, Shiite frustration with Sunnis for harboring Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the bloodthirsty head of al-Qaeda in Iraq, led some to feel that the Fallujans were getting what they deserved. The cycle of violence escalated from there. When Sunni refugees from Fallujah settled in west Baghdad's Sunni strongholds such as Ghazaliya, al-Amriya and Khadhra, the first Shiiite families began to get threats to leave. In Amriya, Shiites who ignored the threats had their homes attacked or their men murdered by Sunni militias.
This is when sectarian cleansing truly began. Sunni refugees in Amriya seized homes vacated by Shiites. These operations were conducted by insurgents as well as relatives of the refugees. Soon such cleansing had become widespread and commonplace, both out of vengeance and out of its own cruel logic; both sides took part. There was no space left in Iraq for nonsectarian voices. Sunnis and Shiites alike were pushed into the arms of their respective militias, often joining out of self-defense. Shiites obtained lists of the Baath party cadres that were the foundation of Hussein's regime and began systematically assassinating Sunnis who had belonged. Sunni militias that had fought the American occupier became Sunni militias protecting Sunni territory from Shiite incursions and retaliating in Shiite areas. The insurgency became secondary as resistance moved to self-defense. In the Shiite-dominated south, meanwhile, Shiite militias battled each other and the British forces.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/26/AR2006052601578_pf.html
"When Sunni refugees from Fallujah settled in west Baghdad's Sunni strongholds such as Ghazaliya, al-Amriya and Khadhra, the first Shiiite families began to get threats to leave."
Read between the lines when they talk about "fighters". It was like I said Zarqawi struck the Shia before Fallujah, that mostly stopped when he had a base in Fallujah when it was gone the suicide attacks on Shia started again and al-Qaeda fighters after fleeing Fallujah in early 2005 went to Baghdad and started killing Shia. But, the Badr didn't get into it and this didn't become widespread until late 2005.
However, the Madhi Army didn't get into it until early 2006.
Al-Sistani who had been in London undergoing medical treatment has refused to get involved in previous crises and has stayed above the fray, supporting neither al-Sadr nor the U.S. troops and the pro-U.S. government.
He holds the loyalty of a far broader swath of Iraq's Shiite majority than al-Sadr. Al-Sadr's fiery anti-U.S. message has drawn many poorer, disillusioned Shiites but is seen by other Shiites as too radical.
Al-Sadr's followers have set up their own religious courts and arrested hundreds of people on charges including selling alcohol and music deemed immoral.
Al-Sistani's 30-vehicle convoy drove 220 miles from the southern city of Basra to Najaf, joined by at least a thousand cars from towns along the way, where supporters on the street cheered al-Sistani.
A close al-Sadr aide said the militants would listen to al-Sistani's peace plan. "We will listen to him and we hope to see the government listen to him as well," said Yusif al-Nasiri. "They should listen and obey what he is going to say."
Al-Sadr's aides had backed al-Sistani's call for a march on Najaf and urged their followers to join in.
Yep. No doubt. Woodward polishes Powell's apple in return for Powell trashing Bush. You are right. Powell is likely the main source/leaker.
Powell was never as much in power as he wanted to be which is his reasoning for all the stupid comments he makes. He's mad because the President didn't really trust him.
Shirley you jest! :)
Sadr and the Madhi Army in cohots with Iran.
Al Queda, terrorists in cohots with Iran.
Reports of sectarian killings started being reported right after the capture and incarceration of Saddam.
"Al-Sistani who had been in London undergoing medical treatment has refused to get involved in previous crises and has stayed above the fray, supporting neither al-Sadr nor the U.S. troops and the pro-U.S. government."
I believe that. Not.
TexKat, you won't find the history of the Iraq War written in articles of what Iraqi politicians and religious leaders tell reporters. If one did they would believe Sadr is disarming his militia today. The reality of Iraqi politics is mostly cloak and dagger and never reaches the AP or the NY Times.
Most Iraqis saw this as much a power struggle between Sistani and Sadr as it was a battle between Allawi and Sadr.
By leaving the country and publically supporting neither side early on he was sending a message to Allawi to take him out and he wouldn't stand in his way. But, later Sistani feared what would happen if the most holy site in Shia Islam was destoryed so he stopped the fight.
Shia were killing Shia in gang related violence for power in 2003 and 2004.
When Sadr killed another Shia cleric no one called it sectarian violence. In late 2003 and early 2004 the Badr the the Madhi Army clashed at least once.
Just because Sunnis and Shia clashed before January 2005 doesn't mean it was anything deciently organized by the main players in Iraqi politics. The main players of course were the Badr and the Madhi Army. The Baathists also weren't targeting Shia in an organized way. al-Qaeda was targeting Shia with horrific violence, but it was off and on until 2005.
Shirley you jest! :)
Sadr and the Madhi Army in cohots with Iran.
Gee. Imagine that! LOL
ALERT! Just heard John Fund on the WSJ Report on FNC saying there was a concerted effort by the intelligence agencies to thwart Bush. He mentioned someone by name I can't recall, BUT THEN MENTIONED M A R Y MC CARTHY BEING ONE OF THE "HELPERS!!"
That comes as no shock...we all have suspected as much....all we need are names!
Fund was mentioning the candidate who is running against Weldon....can't remember his name (ex-mil, dem candidate). He said that Weldon is in a tight race against this guy, and this guy is being supported by both Mary McCarthy (CIA leaker) and Sandy socks Burgler (the stealer of highly classified documents to protect slick willy from the 911 commission/omission). If Weldon were smart, he would use that against his opponent....do you want to vote for the person who is being supported by a thief and a traitor????? HA!
Here's are buddy Powell....we had him pegged a long time ago....
Yep, Tony Snow nailed them all with "They should have listened to me>"
Perfect title for all the election time fiction.
And .. what was the reason again she wasn't prosecuted for
leaking classified information??
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