Posted on 07/08/2007 3:55:43 PM PDT by Enchante
FORMER US secretary of state Colin Powell has revealed that he spent 2 1/2 hours vainly trying to persuade President George W. Bush not to invade Iraq and believes today's conflict cannot be resolved by US forces.
"I tried to avoid this war," Mr Powell said at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado. "I took him through the consequences of going into an Arab country and becoming the occupiers."
Mr Powell has become increasingly outspoken about the level of violence in Iraq, which he believes is in a state of civil war.
"The civil war will ultimately be resolved by a test of arms. It's not going to be pretty to watch, but I don't know any way to avoid it. It is happening now," he said.
He added: "It is not a civil war that can be put down or solved by the armed forces of the United States."
The signs are that the views of Mr Powell and other critics of the war are finally being heard in the Pentagon, if not yet in the White House.
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...
The military sets the rules of engagement.
Your ignorance fits with your anti-Bush agenda, however, so if you ever fixed your ignorance, what WOULD you do?
Islamists (that’s not the correct form, exactly, but never mind) does NOT equal “Islam” or “Muslim”. It has to do with the self identified extremist who run around the world killing, killing and killing in the name of Islam.
Bush is consistent on his view of and use of those distinctive terms. Many on this site try with all their might to convince themselves and the rest of us that they mean one and the same thing.
No sale.
I’m not so stupid as to believe that the evidence shows every Muslim on earth to be out to kill me because he’s Muslim and I’m not.
Far too many ARE, and therein lies the danger.
The rest of them are scared to death, with good reason, that they too will be kidnapped, tortured, raped and beheaded and their families will, too, if they speak out against the killers.
Powell is hard to read, so it’s nearly impossible to put this in perspective.
Abraham Lincoln, on the other hand, switched generals more often than horses. He was intent on winning and finding the right guy to accomplish that.
There was even a strategic shift to a degree with the newer emphasis being on Sherman’s march and conflagration. Eventually, it became clear that defeating the south meant Robert E. Lee himself
There was loss of face in the change of generals. The fine-tuned strategy was no real problem.
I want our goal in Iraq to be that we knock them out of the fight. No power to project power either via terrorists or conventional means.
I think the best way to do that is to align our forces on the borders with Iran and Syria and Turkey. We protect the Kurds. We let the Shi’ites and Sunnis fight it out without outside intervention.
good question.
Yep.
And many of the same people were telling us an invasion of 30 million people into our own country was not a big concern of the American people. Suggesting it just wasn't a big priority or issue.
The REAL question here is, Did anyone try to warn Bush about hiring Powell?
Are you referring to their religion, and being fanatics about their religion? Is so, that will never happen my friend...In addition, it's not our job to do that, nor do they want us to.
They remain in the dark ages due to their religious beliefs and practices. Our sun will burn out before anyone changes that.
And can he prove it?
Or must we just take his word on it?
LOL!
Powell is the most extreme example of affirmation action pushing incompetents up way and beyond what they are suited for that I know of.
If he had been white I doubt if he would have made Colonel.
John
thanks.
Many of your same chargers were said regarding Japan back in WWII. They were incapable of a quasi democracy, the lacked God, etc, etc. - Move ahead 40 years and they are an ally.
All of the ME doesn't need to come that far.....but it does need to be dragged out of the dark ages by one means or another. Do they all need to love us and talk about rainbows and butterflies......No. The real world is about compromise and accepting certain differences when those said differences don't become an NS threat to us.
Aspen Institute
Walter Isaacson
President & CEO
Powell was among his “friends”.
Nice thoughts, but won’t happen.
If we'd have destroyed Fallujah (nukes not necessary, but might make the point sooner) and every other pipsqueak Iraqi town that screwed with us, you might have a valid point about reforming Iraq in the way we did Japan.
The Japanese were a technically proficient people; even though they had faith in a screwed up Oriental religion, they still had an emerging middle class that was amenable to industrialization, as they had shown in the years leading up to WWII. The ragheads have no technology that they haven't purchased or stolen from better and brighter minds.
Just as we can't deport 12 million illegals (we need to set enough strict standards that induce self-deportation). The same logic to an extent holds true in the ME...While we need to stay on the offensive with AQ and their mimics right now....We need to help create an atmosphere where the values of self-worth and freedoms can take root. From there, there will be a type of self-deportation away from radical Islam and toward the truth....
I don't know where your getting this. It's simply not our job to run around this planet forcing our ways, good or bad, on other countries. Period.
Just as we don't want any other country coming in here, doing the same.
If we are directly attacked, that's a different issue altogether.
I don't buy into the U.S. being the global savior. Not for a minute.
When their hijacked way of life becomes a NS threat to our nation it most certainly is our job.....to either kill them all in mass....or kill the hardcore activists among them first (while looking to drag the rest of their dark aged mind civs out of such a state of mind).
Your notion of being directly attacked is silly in today's modern world. The world is far too small and far to easily mass casualty dangerous to allow the "hit us first mentality". That is pre-9-11 mindset. That era was nice while it lasted....but we have to be adults now and recognize the need for preemption.
Hell, Germany never attacked us (nor did Italy) but we most certainly went after them much harder then we did Japan after Dec 7th, 1941.
We're not trying to be a "global savior"...We are saving ourselves (the larger positive by product of that will likely be a better off world in the areas where currently we have enemies).
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