Powell tried to talk Bush out of war

I suppose when Powell lied the world into war at the UN he thought he was doing the honorable thing obeying his CIC. Except now hundreds of thousands of people are dead for no good reason.

I seem to remember that most U.S. citizens were for Iraq war because of 9/11, and weapons of mass destruction. Those of us who were against the war from the beginning were a huge minority. Blame the news media. The right information was out there if they had done their job.

I blame popular bloodlust.

I believe it.

I've long respected Powell. My take is that he felt like he could have more of a positive effect from within than by getting himself fired or resigning. I think he tried his damndest and probably did manage to mitigate a thing or two. But that ultimately it was too frustrating and he got out of there.

There might be some ego mixed in to the picture -- that he really wanted to think of himself as an exemplary public officer, and hated the idea of being fired or smeared in the way that would happen if he made too much of a nuisance of himself. But I really think he tried to do the right thing, and that the whole episode was extremely difficult for him.

The mobocracy should have had a clue when Powell went to the UN and the "Guernica" tapestry was covered by blue drapery.

I'm amazed that Bush could understand "the Pottery Barn rule" after only 2 -1/2 hours of explanation.

The problem is, Bush entered the Pottery Barn for the purpose of breaking everything in sight like the proverbial bull in a china shop, then tried to through up every diversion of political rhetoric to hide that he was at fault. Hiding in the china shop bathroom, he walked out with toilet paper on his shoe and only those with cognitive ability catch on.

That Mission Accomplished takes on an entirely different light if one really thinks about it (even fools have missions).

And yet he went to the UN with that case for war against Iraq knowing full well that the information he would be presenting was, at best, flawed.

He was one person that I would have voted for had he run for president, but I lost all respect for that man after he prostituted himself for the sake of the administration that day.

I do believe that anyone who is a product of the Pentagon will be a order taker, it's in their blood to do as they are told. Debate can only be inside of closed doors, never in the public face. Powell is/was a product of the Pentagon. He might possibly reclaim some of his standing but he can never undo what he has wrought.

I doubt he can reclaim any public standing with those who used to like him then got disgusted when he went on TV at the UN and told known falsehoods. All along there have been those who forgave him knowing he was just being a good company man but its not those people he has to convince.