I *have* been carefully watching Neville Powell ever since he adamantly refused to can the Clinton appointees -- the ones he was entitled and expected to can -- and I don't just trust him.
He was *very* much against the first Gulf War, and his ties to the Saudi royal family are just a little too uncomfortably close for me.
My hunch is that Bush is a little too dazzled by his resume and wouldn't let anyone else get away with this kind of crap. I could be wrong, but I'm an excellent judge of people and can quickly (and accurately) size up just about anyone.
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.