Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t he the key man in pushing to stop well before Baghdad in Gulf I? If so he laid the seeds for Gulf II along with lots of slaughter in between.
I give Powell credit for being a hard worker and a reasonably diligent soldier, but there is nothing in his resume (other than his skin color) which would justify the speed of his promotions.
Your average West Point graduate might retire as a bird colonel with a service record similar to Colin Powell, particularly if most of his career is in peacetime. Not that there's anything shameful about retiring as a colonel. Good operational officers at this level is really what determines military excellence.