He is a military man who has seen battle .. I am not surprised that he didn't want to go to war.
I also recall during that time, the fear was that 50 thousand + troops could be killed. Name me one General who likes that thought.
As for why Bush picked him ... I don't think Bush was dazzled by his resume .. I think President Bush valued his opinion and that is why he picked Powell.
It is a know fact that President hasn't surrounded himself with yes men .. which is fine by me. I want our President to hear both sides of the argument so that he can make a sound judgement on what should be done.
Nobody *wants* to go to war, but he was fiercely against it -- and has a history of that. If every military higher-up felt the same way, we'd never, ever again go to war.
I also recall during that time, the fear was that 50 thousand + troops could be killed. Name me one General who likes that thought.
Nobody does, of course. That's a silly question. But he was THE most adamant against it.
As for why Bush picked him ... I don't think Bush was dazzled by his resume .. I think President Bush valued his opinion and that is why he picked Powell.
It is a know fact that President hasn't surrounded himself with yes men .. which is fine by me. I want our President to hear both sides of the argument so that he can make a sound judgement on what should be done.
Yes, I also appreciate that President Bush has enough self-confidence that he could appoint those he believes to be the best and brightest -- unlike his unworthy predecessor whose ego is so fragile that he could only appoint third-tier retreads and losers, so that they would never outshine him in public.
I'm generally pleased with Bush's Cabinet appointments (although I believe Norm Minetta has to go) and I was *thrilled* when he announced that Powell and Rice would be at the top of his foreign policy team. But then I read and listened to what Powell was saying and my antennae went up as I became more and more disheartened.