Colin Powell-No Integrity

Of all the characters in this sad drama -- the guy playing the role of Colin Powell definitely is the most disappointing for me.

You won't see him around after next year -- no matter who wins. But in my opinion, he has tarnished his name by associating with this bunch of miscreants.

They all knew.
No WMDs, no immenent threat and no connection with Al Q in Iraq. Is lying to the Congress a crime?

It took me awhile to find the Colin Powell lies but there they are. If he was lying, logic says they all were.

I agree. I have been most disappointed in Powell.

I said from the beginning (of Powell's relationship with the administration) that he was proving to be unprincipled and not worthy of a Democrat's respect. Even started a thread that went nowhere. I think most Democrats would now agree about him.

I still think that he has principles, made some hard decisions, tried to figure out how to best mitigate the damage. I'm disappointed, to be sure, but I would bet he was given some ultimatums -- play nice or get out.

I will be interested to see what he does when he is released. Would also not be surprised (this is in the pure speculation category) if he maybe does something helpful to the Democrats from the inside.

Anyway, disappointed, think he made some bad decisions, for sure. Still wonder what someone else in his position might have done, and wonder what he managed to do behind the scenes.

(LOVE your poem/ song, Edgar.)

Thanks, sozobe.

Integrity
A person of integrity would have quit before going in front of the UN and outright lie about a situation that was going to end up killing and ,maiming people.

Colin Powell has no credibilty left. He has dishonored America.

Even moreso, he's dishonored himself and all he's achieved as a black man in America. All the years of garnered respect and admiration down the drain. It's incredible when you think about it and you have to wonder... what could he have possibly been offered in exchange for his soul? Or could it have been blackmail? Maybe they've got some real ugly dirt on him or his wife or something.
I don't know. It's just one of the most baffling things...

No. I think he went into this thing with a certain degree of naivete' -- supposing he could impose his will on Bush.

He just did not realize he was not going to be dealing with Bush. He was going to be dealing with the people in charge of Bush.

Once in, he was swimming against the flush.

He should have bailed out -- but I can understand why that was such an unacceptable option.

It is a tragedy.

No Dirt
I there were any dirt on Powell it would have surfaced. Ater all he was touted to run for Pres.

I say again. An honorable person would have resiegned before going in front of the world and outright lie about something of the magnitude that was war.

I'd welcome him into the Democratic Party in a heartbeat.

He definitely got caught in the struggle between the right wing and the middle of the Republican Party. He fought for diplomacy but Rummy and Cheny simply overuled him.

I think he's still got immense credibility with the American people and with foreign diplomats as well.

Colin Powell is the politician I have the most respect for in America. I don't think any other politician has more integrity.

Even post Iraq war.

I wish he would run for president. In a way, he's no politician at all.

What makes you conclude that, Craven?

That he's no politician or that he has integrity in my book?

I can't separate the two.

I agree with Frank's take on it.

I really think he went into it with a lot of idealism, and then was faced with an untenable situation.

Very curious what will happen post-Bush administration. (He is almost certainly, from what I gather, out in a year whether Bush is still there or not.)

Let me say one other thing -- because I truly hate "giving up" on someone for whom I had such respect and, admittedly, high-hopes.

"Rehabilitation" is never an impossibility.

If Powell can find some way to extricate himself from the mess he's managed to get into, I will be delighted.

I can separate the two, and I would be interested, Craven, on how you still see him as a person of high integrity.

I want to, but his actions e Iraq are making that difficult, at least in terms of his willingness to, as it seems, speak in ways he knew were lies, on a very serious issue.

Well edgar, my reasoning is the following.

1) I do not think war in Iraq is automatically a position of no integrity. I disagree with this particular war and it's justifications very strongly but do not think that someone who does agree with it lacks integrity as a matter of course.

2) I do not know if Powell did not agree with the war. I think he preferred other alternatives but to what degree I do not know.

3) If he preferred other alternatives but did not get his way I do not fault him for doing his job anyway. His job is not to have his way but to be a part of a group that will make this decision.

4) I think he was a lone sane influence on the core of the administration, and that he did not win when outnumbered is something I do not fault him for.

Now all of that is pretty simple and the next step is where the integrity issue comes in.

Did he go along with something he had a principled disagreement with?

I don't think so. I think he preferred other methods but do not think he was categorically opposed to teh methods used.

His loyalty is something that can be contrued as integrity or the lack of it. Because it's either his loyalty to the team he works with (and by extension his country) or loyalty to his principles.

I do not know if his principles were incompatible with the loyalty for the team he was working with.

I do not think he had alternatives that would have better satisfied his principles.

For example, I do not think he could have walked off and made a difference in exit that would have outweighed the difference he made internally.

Now about being a politician I say he isn't because he has a quiet dignity that is almost incompatible with politics.

He could have politicized his opinions and positions many times in his career. But he doesn't seem to seek the spotlight at all. And seems to prefer to do a good job quietly.

I think many people here are frustrated that he wasn't more outspoken. i understand that but I think tehir wish is both contrary to his personality and perhaps a bit of a projection of their values onto him.

He shares a lot of my values, but perhaps not all. And when people say he was a "House Negro" (a term I find offensive and I have no respect for Harry for using such tactics) for not standing up and doing what they think they should do I think they preoject a lot of what they think onto what they think he thinks and what he should do based on that.

Frankly, I prefer the quiet dignity to the outspoken hyperbole.

My 2 cents.