You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me.
No really.
I've always seen Colin Powell as weak, but now, I see him as nothing less than U.N. material. Well meaning. Innocuous. Nice. Neville Chamberlain-like in his demeanor.
********
Great story on John McCain and Mo Udall on Slate via Pajamas Media.
What part of this is shocking? Powell was the best and brighest military person on the Bush team, that's why he didn't stay on the Bush team. Powell advised Bush not to invade Iraq. He knows al Qaeda is still in Afghanistan, he knows Iraq is not central to the war on terror. That fact was just verified by both Ambassador Crocker and Gen Petraeus in their answer in testimony before the Senate... specifically in answers to questions posed by Feingold and Biden.
ReplyDeletePlease answer this:
How can you continue to support an administration that has allowed al Qaida, the 9/11 attackers, to claim safe haven in Afghanistan/Pakistan and continue to grow stronger than they were 7 years ago? And to pour a third of a billion a day into Iraq with no end in sight... a fact also verified by Petraeus. What part of this do you find worthy of support? Do you see this somehow as competent? What is it about Powell that seems shocking given the circumstances?
Who's joking? Obama's speech on race was a serious, sober, nuanced statement that people of all political persuasions can be impressed by. Certainly, that's been my experience with people of all different politics whom I've talked with about it. That a serious (if imperfect) statesman like Powell would indicate his approval is hardly surprising.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I feel happier about 2008 than any presidential election in recent memory -- either way, we're likely to end up with a solid, competent President.
Every way that America has ever fought, E-V-E-R, including the Revolutionary War and the Civil War has had the very same kind of vociferous condemnation that you project, Ellen.
ReplyDeleteThat there have been mistakes, as there always are, in our engaging in Middle East and Iraq is undeniable. That we should never have ventured in is utter hogwash.
Gee. That IS shocking. An American citizen speaking his mind about politics in a thoughtful and reasonable manner, and who is honest about the problems we face in both Afghanistan and Iraq. How scandalous!
ReplyDeleteWhat is NOT shocking is those that despise Obama weren't at all moved by his speech on race, and aren't any more likely to vote for him now than they were before the speech. I'm hard pressed to think of one person I know who wasn't impressed by Obama's speech or came away with some degree of respect for him for having the guts to talk thoughtfully about a difficult topic (except you, of course).
You are correct, Vienna, everyone except for me.
ReplyDeleteAny man who can remain at a race baiting church like Barack has for 20 years and countless contributions to Wright's divisive, vicitm making positions does not have my sympathies at all. In fact, Vienna, I think you've been had.
So be it.
Nah, not me. Obviously you've been brainwashed by watching the same snipet of his speeches over and over and over and over and over and over again on Fox News.
ReplyDeleteI'm not condoning those portions of his speeches, but don't you think it might be interesting to see and her the other 99.99% of his sermons?
For the record, I view about 5 minutes of Fox News and television per month.
ReplyDeleteAs to your last question, V, my answer is 'NO.' 'Hell, NO,' actually.
""Every way that America has ever fought, E-V-E-R, including the Revolutionary War and the Civil War has had the very same kind of vociferous condemnation that you project, Ellen.""
ReplyDeleteCan you see the complete lack of substance in this statement? 'Every war we've been in has been criticized, therefore criticism doesn't matter'? Way to not engage with the specific facts of this situation.
""That we should never have ventured in is utter hogwash.""
Explain, for example, how invading Iraq at the point we did was a superior option to, say:
A) Invading Iran instead
B) Waiting 5-10 years until we've gotten Afghanistan under control (it's not looking so good there these days) and THEN shifting our resources to Iraq.
""Any man who can remain at a race baiting church like Barack has for 20 years and countless contributions to Wright's divisive, vicitm making positions does not have my sympathies at all.""
Divisive positions? You mean like the Christian Church's stands on abortion, homosexuality, and prescribed gender roles within the home?
What bothers you isn't the idea of division -- on nearly every issue, the United Church of Christ preaches far less division than your average church.
What bothers you is the idea that a black man might feel America has not yet begun to treat him fairly, that much de facto racism persists despite the end of de jure racial hierarchy.
That's why a few sound-bites out of decades of inspiring speeches (read, for example, his entire "Audacity of Hope" speech, not just the one sound bite that pisses people off) are so anathema to you that you think which church Obama goes to say more about him than, I don't know, THE ACTUAL POSITIONS HE TAKES?
At the end of the day, Obama's association with a bitter old coot who sometimes inspires and sometimes takes the bus to crazy-town is NOT NEARLY AS OFFENSIVE as McCain's embrace of the vile Jerry Falwell for purely political gain, a few years after he'd accurately described the man as an 'agent of intolerance'.
But gee, that kind of division is okay with you!
At the end of the day, though, I'm going to do something that may shock you -- I'll judge each man ON THEIR MERITS TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, rather than which religious leaders they align with.
At the end of the day, where they go to church doesn't mean squat for the future of our country. They could be Atheists, they could be Muslims or Hindus or Jews, but their policy positions would be precisely the same.
""
ReplyDeleteAs to your last question, V, my answer is 'NO.' 'Hell, NO,' actually.""
How very Christian of you!
Well, if you decide to display a bit more class and understanding of those different from yourself, here's the full text of his Audacity of Hope sermon:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/03/for-the-record.html
The few sound-bite clips I've heard of Rev. Wright are stupid inflammatory bile, I agree. But his larger sermons portray a man who's mostly good. He voluntarily served this country in our military, turning down the deferment he was owed, at a time when so many others (including our current leaders) were trying to get out of fighting any way possible.
He is, at the very least, a complex figure worthy of our sympathy and at least some measure of respect, even as we condemn his more inflammatory statements.
And besides, *this* is the most important thing you can find to discuss about Barack Obama's speech on race? Give me a break.
Hey Joe......guess what? the subject of this post is Colin Powell.....
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post. Neville Chamberlain was more popular in Britain than Winston Churchill, until people woke up and realized what was at stake. Sorry you are becoming somewhat of a magnet for people who do not have a clue as to what is at stake.
ReplyDeleteEither that, or some of us think things through enough to understand them better than those who think in dichotomies: You're either a Churchill or a Chamberlain, you're either for defeating the terrorists or you're not, etc...
ReplyDeleteThose of us who actually give a shit enough to make international security our life's work do so because there are very real gains to be made on America and the world's behalf once you skip the cheap and easy sound-bites and actually start looking for policies that will achieve realistic objectives.
Nah, Joe, you and I have no clue what's going on or what's at stake, apparently. A lifetime of international security experience (yours) and a lifetime of military service (my husband) means very little to those spoonfed a steady diet of easy soundbites from Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, Laura Ingraham and the like.
ReplyDeleteIn today's America, thoughtful and reasonable discussions are for un-patriotic terrorist loving losers - while true American Patriots follow blindly and ask no questions. How very sad for us.