Another good one by Kurt.
Actually, this is one of the most reasonable obits I’ve read about Powell. Good job.
I hadn’t thought of the “Boomer elites,” although I would like to point out that he actually wasn’t a Boomer, but like so many of our elite now, came from the generation just before. He was 84; the oldest Boomer can only be 75, since the start date is 1946, the start of the post-war baby boom.
But people of his generation became the elites for the Boomers, since they were just enough older to be their leaders. Many of the “don’t trust anyone over 30” crowd were actually pushing 30 or even over 30 themselves. They were about 10-15 years older than the Boomers themselves. Look at our current gerontological leadership (Pelosi, Feinstein, Biden and a host of others) and you will see that they are actually not Boomers.
“Many who knew him respected him greatly”
When he was made Chairman of the JCS it was discussed around my Government Contractor office whether he was qualified or just an affirmative action selection.
A retired Colonel in the office served with him and had nothing but respect for Powell.
So we concluded yes he was qualified, however him being black was a reason for his selection.
Powell looked down his nose at Rush Limbaugh and his audience. That pretty much says who Powell was. I miss Rush. Powell? Not so much.
I remember, for months, Colin Powell would give secret speeches where he went political (no recordings allowed, no discussions after, etc.). And then FINALLY, the Great Unveiling, where he announced that he was a Republican.
Then, for the rest of his life, he NEVER said anything bad about Democrats, but always had nasty words for the GOP, or at least those in the GOP who tried to represent the base, saying things like “The Republican Party is a bit rough around the edges”, “they really need to lighten up on the divisive social issues”, etc., yet he still was NEVER BOTHERED by the pure hatred being spewed by the Democrats.
But, alas, the Republicans FINALLY nominate a ‘respectable’ candidate for the White House (at least in his world), named John McCain - the PERFECT candidate, with tremendous experience and hatred twoards the GOP base that rivaled Powell. So who does Powell endorse that year (2008): Obama, a person barely removed from the streets of Chicago with virtually no political or leadership experience - by far the least qualified person ever to step foot in the White House.
While many think it was simply Tribalism, and maybe it was, but perhaps, when coupled with his hatred of the GOP base and his NEVER-criticizing of Democrats (along with dropping out of sight when Democrats do stupid things, or get caught in corruption), perhaps he went to the Democrats and asked whether he could do more damage to the Republicans from the inside (claiming to be a Republican) than from the outside (being honest, and admitting he’s a Democrat). And the Democrats told him he’d be more helpful to their cause if he claimed to be a Republican.
Speculation on my part, but even most Republicans, even the worst RINOs, seem to have a tolerance limit with the Democrats, but not Colin Powell, ever. There simply was NOTHING that the Democrats could do that bothered him.
Kurt is being too kind. I do think that, when all is said and done, Powell was a Bad Guy.
If this useless fraud hadn’t been trotted out by the media every four years to sanctimoniously tell the world that he was a “lifelong Republican” voting for a Democratic nominee once again, I would have thought he passed away years ago.
I like the article, but have one issue with it. People older than 75 are not Baby Boomers. They come from the generation born prior to 1946, the first baby boom year. So please don’t blame boomers for people like Schumer, Pelosi, Biden, Maxine Waters and, yes, Colin Powell.
As I told my kids, he was a good soldier and a lousy politician.
He was apparently instrumental in the career of a friend of mine while he was climbing the ranks in the Army.
“But our current elite, especially the Boomer establishment...”
This man really thinks that his “Boomer establishment” meme, that he mentions much to often, is a never-before-noticed piece of genius that he, only, has discovered that unravels and explains what is wrong in the United States, but it is sheer stupidity.
“...it certainly helped wash off some of the stink of being caught up in the mustard gas fraud.”
I am no fan of Powell’s, but I talked with a soldier in that war; he said they were hit with mustard gas.