Powell's duty is to call it the way he sees it. He does no one any favors to hold is tongue, because if a strategy is bad, spending more lives and dollars to prosecute is patriotism, not folly.
No one can doubt that our post-invasion operations in Iraq have yet to succeed. The only question is whether we are on the path to success with our current strategy, or whether a new strategy is needed.
I think we're doing better than the MSM would lead us to believe, but not nearly good enough. I'm certainly disposed to believe that a retired 4-star (and more recent Secretary of State) is likely to have better informants and a better way to assess evidence than I (or most other FR posters, for that matter).
Bu-bu-but he's not allowed to disagree with Bush!!! That's treason!!!! It's treason I tell ya!. /idiot
We are becoming every bit as intellectually lazy as the left was 10 years ago.
The media is not the proper forum for Powell's reservations. President Bush and those in charge are presently reassessing the strategies. Notice that the President has not called on Powell for his input. Why? Think about it.
Powell is retired..
His "duty" is no more than any other out of office FORMER General or Secretary of State. He had his time to get it right. Just like Jimmy Carter - some folks don't get the message that their play is over -- curtain down, exist stage LEFT.
His time and his opportunity is gone.
He should show come integrity and class by "speaking his mind" in the appropriate venue... The press is not the appropriate venue.
You seem to have a lot more faith in Powell's intellect, informants and credibility that supported by his long history..
Semper Fi
I think he's a PC idiot. One of the reasons we probably did not act more aggressively (which would have been the appropriate solution and would have spared us the deaths and problems we are having now) is because the State Dept under Powell overrode the military. But now he wants to distance himself from something that was clearly his fault. What a jerk; and not only a jerk, but a spiteful, backbiting one, at that.