Posted on 12/08/2006 5:51:40 AM PST by rightwingintelligentsia
On the same day that the Iraq Study Group offered its assessment on the deteriorating conditions in the Middle East, former Secretary of State Colin Powell called the conflict a civil war, joining a growing chorus of those who eschew the more benign-sounding "sectarian violence" terminology preferred by the Bush administration.
"It looks like, smells like and, in my judgment, is a civil war," the retired four-star general said last night. "People have argued with me that it shouldn't be called a civil war. Call it what you want, but what I'm looking at on the ground [is] rapidly undercutting the prospects for success" in Iraq.
In the same breath, Mr. Powell also said that the United States needs to make it clear to Iraq's leaders, its military and its police force that they must quickly learn to stand on their own feet, and that the country's fate is up to Iraqis, not America's troops.
(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...
He should know, it was his state department policies that caused most of it.....
I don't care if it's a friggin' lesbian pillow-fight... we stay until we get the right results!
And Colin Powell is a house servant for the Democrats.
(I can say that, right? I mean, the same sort of language was used to describe Secretary Rice. Damn--It's hard keeping all of these rules straight!)
We have all tehse articles in which people say it's a "civil war" usually accompanied by no definition or reason except "it's bad there". IF you have no refined definition for a civil war, why bother to use the term?
These people are just being trendy and playing politics, and that seems reprehensible to me.
All you have to do is look at our own Civil war and others to realize the term is not used for car bombings and terror attacks.
I used to like and admire Powell. Not anymore. Sad to see a guy with so much go downhill like this.
For someone as attention-seeking and power hungry as he is, there is something deeply wrong somewhere when he refused the nomination for VP when Bush ran first. But thank God he did refuse. The man is sub-human.
Maybe we ought to pull out, arm both sides, and then kick the winners @ss! Ha!
And the Post-Gazette is frothing over this report and Powell's comments. Stupid left-wing socialist scandal rag.
"Maybe we ought to pull out, arm both sides, and then kick the winners @ss! Ha!"
You know, that is the best idea I have heard in a long time.
He shilly shallies toooo much. He should STFU
This strikes me as the strangest comment he made. When asked if he has a future in politics, Powell answers that he will only be involved if one of the above asks his advice. Very strange requirement if you ask me.
You know that as soon as McCreep announces, Powell is going to endorse him.
Of course it is a civil war, in the sense that there are no other standing armies from another country trying to conquer the nation. Instead, all are doing it with proxies.
The media likes to get people to say certain phrases. "Civil War" and "Stay the course" are the two hot ones. Example - "Isn't this just more 'stay the course' thinking?"
They have successfully attached baggage to each, and now are playing a game to get people to use the phrases. The word games have reduced the chance for meaningful dialogue by causing everyone to parse words in describing the situation, strategies, and other issues of more real importance than politics and soundbites. A shame, really.
Colin Powell is not to blame for what is happening. Either is George W. Bush. Welcome to the New World Order: Where spoiled little princes with too much oil money and rogue nations can pursue their own private wars with little or no repercussions.
Sectarian violence just has a nicer ring to it.
Colon Bowel is a major architect of the current fiasco. As I recall, it was on his advice that Bush41 stopped Schwarzkopf from driving on into Baghdad, destroying the Republican Guard, and putting Saddam Hussein's head on a stake in Gulf War I.
Gulf War II is a DIRECT result of that failure of judgement.
Fine it's a civil war. Let's cut, let's run. Let's let the Shia's backed by Iran and the Sunnis backed by the Saudis kill eachother for years.
They may be distracted enough to leave us alone.
I remembered that presumably, the UN did not give the US permission to step into Iraq and like idiots, we listened to them. We only had authority to drive Iraq out of Kuwait. If that's so, I'm not sure what roll Powell played in that, if any. But by not moving into Iraq and taking out Sadaam then, we bought ourselves a whole lotta grief. It was a bad move.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.