Military to Tap Interim Rulers [POWELL says US, not UN!]

Los Angeles Times ^ | 4/10/03 | Robin Wright

[BibChr]

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said Wednesday that the U.S. military will select emerging leaders in postwar Iraq to help create a new Interim Iraqi Authority to replace Saddam Hussein, but the United Nations will not play a leading role in the political transformation.

..."We believe that the coalition, having invested this political capital and life and treasure into this enterprise, we are going to have a leading role for some time as we shape this process. The people of Iraq will have confidence in us because of who we are and what we've done," Powell said in an interview with The Times [emphasis added by BibChr].

[Seeking the truth]

Iraq does not need any steeking UN!

UNecessary!

[brickdds]

Well put. He is simply an agent of the President and has no authority to do anything but SPEAK for his wishes.

[eureka!]

Powell has indeed been a pleasant surprise. He has taken off his statecraft suit (having tried much harder than most at 'diplomacy') and donned his uniform. Bless him....

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Correct. At times, he enjoys his accolades too much. But that's to be expected. Not many men can be as humble as our President.

[justshe]

He probably is, but he has to exist next door to many of them.

And participate in the EU. Blair has 2 useless organizations he must participate in.

[Smile-n-Win]

I wonder why Blair is not as disgusted with the UN weasels as Powell is.

I have a hunch that it might just be the media that's spinning it this way. You know, they have a tendency to report what they would like to be true.

[Sloth]

Good point. Most of the press has no qualms about propagating outright lies if it helps their agenda.

[B4Ranch]

I just wish Powell realized sooner that he would still have a job even if we don't belong to the UN. Get the US out of the UN!

[upchuck]

I may get flamed, but...

I expect the UN could do a decent job of handling humanitarian type jobs. Under coalition supervision, of course. But under no circumstances should they be allowed to handle money or make political decisions.

IMHO, the main problem with the UN is that they have mutated over the years from a humanitarian organization to a highly political organization. They are consumed with political correctness and in the process are making themselves irrevalent. Allowing known terrorist countries to chair committees such as Human Rights is an example of this. It's almost as if they deliberately set out to decrease their credibility.

[mabelkitty]

What is Brigadier General Vincent Brooks doing after Iraq?

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

It would be extremely dangerous to the success of a new Iraq Government to have the UN be in CHARGE of it.

Talk to anyone who has been in Bosnia lately? The country is a mess!!

We've talked to someone who very recently came back from there. The public is asking where we are.. why we aren't fixing the destruction they are left with. They blame the USA for their woe's. But it is the UN that is supposed to be handling the reconstruction of their country.

We cannot afford to have the UN's type of leadership be the controlling authority in Iraq.

They are even failing at bringing in supplies in Bosnia. The water system is a mess, fixing infrastructure.

The person we talked to had just shook the hand of the PM who was murdered only a week before his murder. Thats how recently he was there..and that is what he is hearing and seeing.

The liberation of the Soviet Union was a catastrophe too.

We must make sure that there is success when we liberate a people. The clean up afterwards is as important as the war. If the UN wants to help, and they should, then it needs to be under the auspice of the USA. Perhaps we can show them how to get it right! But we cannot, CANNOT let the UN control this,.. it will be disasterous if we do.

In order to calm things down in all the Arab countries, we do need the UN involved.. in a "vital" role as stated..and the reasons for that are very important. But the only thing that would be a huge mistake would be for the UN to be in charge.

We say.. No way!! There are simply too many failures on their record. (I didn't even mention all of them!)

Vets

[madison46]

"The suggestion that some of my colleagues would give that now that the coalition has done all of this and liberated Iraq, thank you very much, step aside and the Security Council is now going to become responsible for everything, is incorrect. And they know it. And they were told it," Powell said.

Thank you Mr. Powell. Thank you.

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks for the post and the ping ! Great article !

[BibChr]

I agree. And to give credit where credit is due, I heard this news from the similarly-pleasantly-surprised Eric Hogue, dynamic morning drivetime talkshow host on KTKZ here in brain-dead Godforsaken Sacramento, CA.

Dan

[MeekOneGOP]

Military to Tap Interim Rulers [POWELL says US, not UN!]

Excerpt:

The process Powell outlined, the most extensive glimpse the administration has given about how it will unfold as the war winds down, could spark new transatlantic tensions. At their Belfast summit just a day earlier, President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair agreed that the United Nations would have a "vital role." But Powell made it clear that the world body's role would be limited.

The United States' top diplomat, who struggled for months to win U.N. Security Council support for a resolution that would authorize the use of force if Hussein did not comply with U.N. disarmament, said he was "not unmindful" of the contribution allies could make in rebuilding Iraq. But he dismissed recent demands by France, Russia and Germany for a "central" U.N. role in Iraq.

"The suggestion that some of my colleagues would give that now that the coalition has done all of this and liberated Iraq, thank you very much, step aside and the Security Council is now going to become responsible for everything, is incorrect. And they know it. And they were told it," Powell said.

< snip >

U.S. military officers have already taken the lead in selecting a new generation of leaders to participate in the postwar transformation of Iraq's political system.

"This is the time you just turn your soldiers loose. They're starting to identify who in a community are the leaders and traditionally have been leaders for long, long periods of time," Powell said. "Who do people look to? They look to tribal leaders. They look to religious leaders. You start to build on that."


Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my General Interest ping list!. . .don't be shy.

[Yeti]

"The suggestion that some of my colleagues would give that now that the coalition has done all of this and liberated Iraq, thank you very much, step aside and the Security Council is now going to become responsible for everything, is incorrect. And they know it. And they were told it," Powell said.

We need to push the idea that it is our RESPONSIBILITY to see to it that the building process progresses in a way that is stable and beneficial to the Iraqi people. Letting the UN/france/etc... frame it in terms of who "gets" to is a mistake. If we use their language, the shades of meaning paint us as taking spoils.

Instead of saying "we get to" and "they dont get to," we should be saying "we must," "they must not," "we cannot allow," "we cannot risk" and "it is our obligation."

[Aric2000]

Iran will have to wait until we are done with Syria, by that time I think that the youg Iranians will have had enough and take care of it themselves.

They no longer have to worry about Iraq attacking as they destroy the Mullahs.

[Longlines]

I received this today and regardless of your patriotism, I think there is a message here. It's not my intention to offend but, if I did, too bad. God Bless America!

After hearing that the state of Florida changed its opinion and let a Muslim woman have her picture on her driver's license with her face covered this is an editorial written by an American citizen, published in a Tampa newspaper. He did quite a job; didn't he? Read on, please!

IMMIGRANTS, NOT AMERICANS, MUST ADAPT. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Americans. However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the "politically correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America. Our population is almost entirely made up of descendants of immigrants. However, there are a few
things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of America being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Americans, we have our own culture, our own society, our
own language and our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.

We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language!

"In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.

If Stars and Stripes offend you, or you don't like Uncle Sam, then You should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. This is OUR COUNTRY, our land, and our lifestyle. Our First Amendment gives every! citizen the right to express his opinion and we will allow you every opportunity to do so.

But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about our flag, our pledge, our national motto, or our way of life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great American freedom, THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.

If you agree -- pass this along; if you don't agree -- delete it!

I figure if we all keep passing this to our friends (and enemies) It will also, sooner or later, get back to the complainers. Let's all give it a try, please.

From the Desk of Longlines:

I would like to expand on the above article. I have worked for many years for a parent organization which has the motto:

"In GOD we TRUST, ALL others we MONITOR!"

Think on that little item for awhile, GOD, TRUST, and MONITOR. Ever watchful of the FREEDOM we all as Americans enjoy because of those who DEFENDED FREEDOM from the very start of the United States of America.

Another thing, I fly the Flag of the United States of America at my residence. Got a problem with that? Toss a paint bomb, defile the flag and you will be VERY surprised at the response. I will not call a cop, I PROMISE you, not until it is ALL over. Leave my flag, and mine alone, I defend. As do many, many others in this country and MOST CERTAINLY TEXAS!

Idiots are idiots, you do not worry about their feelings, no, you INSTRUCT idiots as you would a small child. Large and small, Countries and Individuals, instruct them in the error of their ways. Americans in my opinion and personal life experience, have ALWAYS stood tall and
defended others and for certain our own country. Attack the soil of America? Reap the whirlwind of an AROUSED EAGLE. Understand? That Eagle screams and the attackers go DOWN. Double tap time. The world in WWII found that out, others have and will again, maybe the current world understands anew. Do not cause the Eagle to scream, with outrage, with
the injustice of the attacks, the inhumane treatment of PEOPLE, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA has decided to PROTECT.

FOR WHATEVER REASON.

"Duty then is the sublimest word in the English language. You should do your duty in all things. You can never do more, you should never wish to do less." - Gen Robert E.
Lee

[ejdrapes]

What Colin Powell says is certainly different that what's been reported in the liberal press. It's too bad some Conservatives believe everything they read about Powell and jump all over him the first chance they get. They're falling into the trap the meida RATS have set for them. The RATS want to create this impression of division within the Administration, and I'm sure they'd love nothing more than if Powell left. Colin Powell is very popular inside and outside America and I'm sure it drives the liberals nuts that he's working for a Conservative administration, that he supports Bush. Even AlGore, the last time he was on Larry King, said if he had been elected he would have considered Powell for a cabinet post. Did he forget that Powell endorsed Bush?

[cherry_bomb88]

Thank God we are sticking to the Coallition NOT the UN