Colin Powell says Georgia provoked Russian crisis, hints McCain's response was hasty, reckless
By SilentPatriot Sunday Sep 21, 2008 12:30pm
On CNN Sunday, former Secretary of State Colin Powell offered some "straight-talk" on the Georgia/Russia conflict, and not-so-subtly insinuated that McCain's rather belligerent response was careless and unnecessarily provocative.
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Download | play (h/t Heather)
POWELL: And I think it was foolhardy on the part of President Saakashvili and the Georgian government to kick over this can, to light a match in a roomful of gas fumes.
SESNO: So you're saying the Georgians provoked this?
POWELL: They did. I mean, there was a lot of reasons to have provocations in the area, but the match that started the conflagration was from the Georgian side.
AMANPOUR: And yet...
POWELL: And that's a given.
AMANPOUR: And some debate in the presidential elections has basically been, "We are all Georgians now." What does that mean? It's the same as was said after 9/11.
POWELL: One candidate said that, and I'll let the candidate explain it for himself. [...] You have to be very careful in a situation like this not just to leap to one side or the other until you've taken a good analysis of the whole situation.
If I were a betting man, I would wager that Powell will throw his support behind Obama. Powell is rightfully criticized for pushing the administration's bogus case for war with Iraq, but there's no denying he is a respected voice of foreign affairs. The message an Obama endorsement would send would be a huge blow to McCain.
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Thank you, so someone finally sets the record straight.
Well, um, two months ago would've been a good time for Powell to support Obama if he was going to do it.
I agree. I know that personally, I have no use for him, but he is an incredibly respected man among independents, Republicans and yes... a lot of Democrats (think the Chris Matthews or Jack Cafferty kind who opposed the war but can't bring themselves to dislike Powell). People feel about him how they felt about McCain many years ago.
Also important - if Obama gets his endorsement it guarantees a LOT of great press.
I think they will roll him, Hagel, and Bloomberg out after the debates.
headline...tool of the plutocracy speaks truth....
where's the anthrax???
can i get 700 billion, i promise to run my business into the ground
Obama is speaking somewhere right now and you can see it live on the cable news channels. He is kicking Republican ass with a sharp toed shoe. He is mentioning everything that needs talking about.
Powell has been silent too long. You bet he supports Obama, but I doubt we will ever hear it from him.
It's hard to imagine Powell as an acolyte of McLame I suspect it will be a bit of a bridge burning but there never was a great deal of respect offered him by the neocons
McCain hasty and reckless? Hey Colin! Tell us something we DON"T know.
thank you.
FINALLY.
No one has been willing to call out McCain on his reckless behavior here. McCain, in no position to engage on this issue, jumps up and starts howling. Writing checks that he (we) cant cash and driving the international dialog towards further conflict in response to McCain's empty and self-serving rhetoric.
when is the last time you heard McCain discuss Georgia and Russia ? Since it left the front page Johnny hasnt touched it.
Not to mention that it would be an ass removing laugh riot to watch how quickly the neo-kkkons throw Powell under the bus.
Powell won't endorse anyone. Powell looks after Powell. When the national interest was on the line.....he deferred to the neo-con maniacs. He certainly won't risk the smokescreen of his own "good reputation" by endorsing.
He may once have been a brave soldier....but he has NO bravery when it comes to standing up for what is righteous.
Uncle dick promised Georgia over a billion bucks so deduct the costs to repair or replace military hardware and walla! A win-win situation,cool hun and uncle dick got to go on a Georgian getaway taxpayer funded vacation.
Let's hope Powell steps up soon and supports Obama. Now is the time. I understand that it's in Powell's DNA to play the loyal soldier...so he may not offer an official endorsement...but this is too damn important to NOT speak out.
This country is in serious decline. That's is becoming painfully obvious. Powell should get over his loyalty to the GOP and support Obama. After the way Chimpy and his henchmen shit all over Powell and his reputation, Powell owes zero to the Republicans.
C'mon, Colin. Do it for the US...or what's left of it.
Finally someone actually tells the truth.
Something we in other countries knew all along, but hardly any mention in the US media.
Alice X - (Chomsky Nader) - status quObama - change you can pretend in - @ 1:
Oh...c'mon...Colin Powell is just "angry". I'm sure Rush or Hannity will mention that today.
Not to mention, the first three letters of Colin's last name? That would throw the McCain campaign into a collective heart attack.
A few months ago this would have been considered a Conspiracy Theory. Now I guess it's okay to talk about because Colin Bowell said it was. Powell is still a douchebag who supports his superiors more than he represents the American people.
I'm sure that Rush and Hannity will tell their audience that they "are not surprised" that Colin would endorse Obama.
WTF? This morning when McCain was giving a speech, cnn, msnbc and fox aired all or almost all of it. Now Obama is giving a speech and only msnbc aired it and only a few minutes of it. Considering the financial "crisis" shouldn't we be able to hear all of each candidates approach? Forget politics, this is information from both men, one of which will be the next president of the United States.
Okay rant over and now back on topic. When I see Powell it always brings back that morning at the United Nations with that silly dog and pony show he put on to try to convince everyone that Iraq was hiding wmd. He allowed himself to be used basically as justification for the commission of a crime.
"We Are ALL Georgians Now" - John McCain.
So when will "Honest" Colin put his money where his mouth is and endorse Barack Obama? I ain't holdin my breath.
Thank You,
I have been saying this for a while but people kept implying I'm some conspiracist.
It was Genocide but all i heard was........
The US will protect Georgia and it's People from Russia and it's new Cold War.
“We are all Georgians now.”
If Powell ndorses Obama,the neocons will not look at it as a sign that Bush's policies are flawed,they'll just say 'no surprise, the black guy is endorsing the black guy.' Condi is on the fence as well, they'll say the same about her too.
I'm not sure however how they will handle the Bush twins and/or Meghan McCain endorsing Obama.
The lack of respect is stunning — is this the kind of leader you want?
As long as he's white, for some people, the answer is yes.
Sad, isn't it?
The Reverend @ 10:
Never was a brave soldier. More of a coverup artist.
If I were running for dog catcher, I wouldn't want the lying sack's 'endorsement.' Arsehole.
Is it just me, or is McCain taking a beating this week? And it's only Monday. How... refreshing.
Ronin Tetsuro @ 25:
When Obama gets to a 12 point lead...wake me.
Ronin Tetsuro @ 25:
Palin is his only hope.
The fact that McCain is reckless and impetuous is the narrative the Democrats should be pushing harder than his associations with lobby groups and Wall Street.
The proof that he's reckless and impetuous is not hard to find. The fact that he chose Palin for the second most important job in the world after having only met with her once is obvious proof. Poor old Paul Begala was trying to push that theme for about a week after McCain chose her, but none of the official Democrats would follow his lead. Why I don't know.
He was making the analogy between McCain chosing somebody as VP and parents chosing a guardian for their kids should anything happen to them. "Would you write a will that lists somebody you only met ONCE as the guardian for your kids should anything happen to you? No? Well that's what John McCain just did."
The analogy works, and has traction. It also fits in with the rest of his actions, both recently and historically.
Do you want ANOTHER reckless, impetuous person in the White House? Wasn't George Bush, running off and doing things without thinking them through first, enough?
Ronin Tetsuro @ 25:
Long overdue too.
General Powell, endorse Obama or STFU. The equivocation is really beyond tiresome.
I just hope that's it too late for the GOP to switch their candidate, I want them to be stuck with McCain, he can't recover at this point.
McCain is the new Bob Dole, the guy that the GOP runs just to maintain presence.
Americans need to wake up and thoroughly reject the fallacy that is "Conservatism".
Powell, was he duped by Bushco, or did he allow himself to be duped, or was he just naive. I'd have to have those answers before I could trust his judgement as far as any endorsement. He probably understands this now as well.
Obama is better off without Powell's endorsement.
Looked like they all agreed with Obama's positions.
[Obama: On Economy, McCain Has Had An "Election-Time Conversion"](http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/obama_on_economy...)
Check out the attacks on McCain. I am impressed and yes he is going after lobbyists. Finally, somebody is addressing the problem of lobbying.
Obama can smell it and going after it.
Dale @ 27:
She's only one wardrobe malfunction away from bringing them back into the lead.
The rest of the world has long know all this crap was Georgia's fault,
and, of course, the USA's.
It is gratifying to finally see Powell not lying.....
Powell should have been the first black president. Aside from the blunder of throwing his weight behind the current Bush Administration and the stupidity of being used as a tool by the same group, he's pretty level headed when dealing with conflict. Too bad that gaffe will haunt him, he would have made a great cabinet member (national security, defense, state) again for either administration, especially Obama's.
Oops, here is his attacking like a Clinton:
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/obama_on_economy...
Liberal AND Proud @ 26:
If you're waiting for polls to vindicate reality, you're gonna be hibernating for a long goddamn time.
The Reverend @ 10:
The US doesn't need only brave soldiers. It needs brave CITIZENS. Citizen Powell, do the righteous thing.
Liberal AND Proud @ 34:
Yep. All she needs to do is wear a less-supportive bra and she'll have the white-male vote.
Speaking of world affairs and what is not being addressed. Has anyone seen this? I wonder if this will even be mentioned in the debate. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7628890.stm
Don't you just love nuance. And now back to the one axon mind of Bush/McCain.
Ronin Tetsuro @ 25:
No. Like all Republicans, McCain is a beneficiary of the Bush legacy of scandal desensitization. Do you remember the old days when Clinton "renting out" bedrooms in the White House to big campaign donors dominated the news cycle for a month? These days, the Republicans have created SO MANY scandals that the news media acutally has to cherry pick the one that they're going to cover. Usually the dumbest and most salacious one. McCain being on the wrong side of the Georgia conflict won't make it back into the news unless Obama finds some excuse to bring it up this Friday.
If we were living back in the good old days, that story of Oliver North covering up (or f-ing up, depending on your perspective) the bombing of that Afghan village would have been a MAJOR scandal covered by every news outlet. As things are now, it barely made it into Olbermann's "worst person in the world" segment.
This is really a 'through the looking glass' world we're living in.
Unless you're in front of the UN with pictures of trailer homes in Arizona...then, you just shill for a corrupt, genocidal executive.
Powell showed he was a "Company Man" starting with My Lai coverups. And he used cartoon quality illustrations in the United Nations to dupe most of you into the Iraq INVASION!
If he endorses, fine!
I'm sorry, but when Powell sat there and LIED to us about WMDs, when he brought out that little vial to illustrate biological weapons that he strongly said Iraq possessed, when he showed us bogus satellite images of god knows what and saying they were proof that Iraq was all set to attack us, he lost all credibility.
He was morally repugnant then and he will remain, imho, a cipher.
Respected? Not by me, dammit.
ThunderMonkey @ 36:
That's a pretty damn big "aside" for someone whose entire adult life was spent in one capacity or another on the stage of national defense and international affairs. "Apart from the fact that he can't sing or play an instrument, he was a great member of the band."
chicano2nd @ 45:
Dude! You mean he didn't fool you and you didn't warn us. That's harsh dude.
#32: Powell is still, unfortunately, what could be referred to as an "unknown unknown".
An Obama endorsement could go either way, smoking gun or Trojan horse.
It won't make a difference really. There are those who won't vote for Obama no matter what, as evidenced by the Stanford poll/study showing the racist attitudes towards people of African descent cross party lines - Independents, republicans, Democrats & Libertarians alike.
It's not that people were unaware that bigotry & prejudice still existed, but apparently there is still too much denial that racism (the result of the collective bigotry & prejudice of one group towards another) will play a too large of a part in deciding the outcome of this election.
I can envision the dismissal of an endorsement by Powell for Obama:
"They're both black and everyone knows that blacks are the most racist!"
"Black people always stick together."
"Everyone better prepare for a riot if Obama doesn't win, you see how they're backing each other up now?!"
Or, they'll suddenly remember My Lai cover-up and pronounce that:
"Powell is a traitor, nothing he says matters!"
If only character really mattered more than anything else and there was only one standard for everyone, instead of two...
NEOCONS want war with Russia and we'll pay for it, just like Iraq.
Meanwhile we bailout Georgia for picking a fight with Russia.
I'm believe in Aide but not in Stupidity (People should be held responsible)
$1.1 Billion Giveaway for the Republic of Georgia Announced:
"The United States Supports The Recovery, Stability, And Continued Growth Of Georgia's Economy"
My gosh, have our taxes become nothing but a F*ckin Bank to play with?
mcLIAR doesn't have the high emotional I.Q. Obama does. mcLIAR is like
BUSH a gut thinker...abrasive,defensive,stubborn and a relatively poor communicator.
Did the cold water surrounding Powell's genitals warm and the Pair finally reappear?
Dale @ 40:
She'll be Raisin' McCain.
News in the US maybe, rest of the world knew this a while ago.
Dale @ 40:
Where is John Murtha on all of this? He was such a big deal a couple of years ago. Does he support Obama? He always seemed like a gut-thinker. I bet he could slap down McCain.
Ronin Tetsuro @ 49:
If the devil himself endorsed Obama, it wouldn't change my support because I am firmly in the Obama court. However, I would prefer Mr. Powell to keep his endorsement to himself. It would only lead to more distraction at a time we need to be talking of issues, not personalities.
Gosh, when McCain is President, the news cycle will be dominated by his bm and bladder movements, whether or not he awoke in the morning, and if he can name who the current President is.
Russia had been discussing the Georgia/South Ossetia situation at the UN for months before the conflict. If you look back at the transcripts of those UN Security Council meetings, those talks were the majority of the very few meetings that were not released publicly (April 14th, April 23rd, May 30th, July 21st/2008). So if this situation could have been avoided, we won't really know who is to blame.
and the republicans call themselves 'conservative'. they're NOT conservative at all, nation building
wars and huge spending....... please. Palin the 'stupidstar' raised taxes on oil co. profit conservative
......nope. NEOCONs aren't conservative........they're extremists.
The Reverend @ 10:
I agree with this. Besides, Powell is damaged goods after that high wire act in the UN with his WMD speech. I think that people know what they're going to get if you believe the stories of Powell and the My Lai massacre. The man was propped up by neo-cons and he will still support the neo-con brand even when they throw him into the gutter.
No amount of sympathy is going to change the fact that the man served his country by carrying out the hatchet jobs of Bush and the rest of his cronies.
The Very Bitter Ceci Hussein @ 62:
Bravo!
Trying to be optimistic in a negative world, I found something to hang on to. McCain is having a bad week with this financial mess. He is on the defensive and I imagine he will be there for the rest of the week. The news is going to be about what congress agrees or doesn't agree to do. By Friday, the day of the debate, McCain may well be at his wits end. He may be testy and tired. This atmosphere could well set him up to be on edge during the debate. He may slip or utter some gaffe that he will have to deal with. On the other hand Obama is now on the attack and I believe he'll keep that up all week. By Friday he could be in a very good place and go into the debate with cool and confidence.
What would we be saying if POWell came out and endorsed McCain?
Billy @ 35:
Is it true that Karl Rove was in Georgia four weeks before all this happened? Heard that on Thom Hartmann.
27 Dale Says: Ronin Tetsuro @ 25:
Is it just me, or is McCain taking a beating this week? And it’s only Monday. How… refreshing.
Palin is his only hope.
_____________________________________________________________
When she was referring to clear and transparent it wasn't to governing
But to her panties.
John J @ 51:
Believe it.
If he is referring to the McSame campaign they can say whatever and then deny it and say something else the next time. McSame doesn't know what he is talking about and says whatever the liars running the campaign tell him, at that moment. This is the most dishonest bunch of thugs I have ever witnessed even after Bush.
Jo @ 63:
Thank you very much. I was only speaking my mind about this man. :)
Powell will not come out for Obama. He will play both ends against the middle as he has always done -- how do you think he got four stars and the SecState
job.
He knew Iraq was wrong and participated (perhaps maybe possibly reluctantly) in torture discussions. He sold his soul when he did not publicly announce, "I am resigning because I am not a war criminal."
Typical senior military staff officer -- suck up, never rock the boat, promotion first, all other second.
Why is it palin reminds me of that one dweeby class officer who would have a spazz, because no one else was excited by the prospect of a sock hop?
glad you posted this. mccain and palin were laughed at at this forum.
kissinger also said sakaashvili was adventurous and that georgia started the fight. who propped up sakaashvili should be identified. he thought he had the support of the u.s. cheney, perhaps?
albright was able to get a dig in on palin on climate change. palin is clearly a joke.
When palin was referring to OPEN and transparent it wasn’t to governing
But to her panties.
pissed off patricia @ 64:
Not to mention, many of the recent polls that put Obama with a small lead (I know, polls are nothing much) were taken before the fallout and before many people had an opportunity to witness McCain's confusion over the economy in general.
kasinca @ 69:
John McCain doesn't have to make sense. As long as he doesn't lose bladder control, his base will remain strong.
Watching this video makes me remember why I liked Powell and once wanted him to run for president - intelligent, considered, well expressed, rational. It also makes me sad that he held up that vial of fake anthrax to scare everybody into believing that war in Iraq was the right thing to do. Ultimately, that moment of being a tool has compromised him, in my view.
On the other hand it's nice to finally not be the only American to remember that first day of reporting on the Russia/Georgia conflict which was the first and last day that U.S. MSM mentioned Georgia's role as instigator.
Ronin Tetsuro @ 68:
Uhh...no offense...but where ya been for the last 28 years?
Read this in NewsWeek:
"What is so unnerving about the candidacy of Sarah Palin is the degree to which she represents—and her supporters celebrate—the joyful marriage of confidence and ignorance. Watching her deny to (Charlie) Gibson that she had ever harbored the slightest doubt about her readiness to take command of the world's only superpower, one got the feeling that Palin would gladly assume any responsibility on earth:
"Governor Palin, are you ready at this moment to perform surgery on this child's brain?"
"Of course, Charlie. I have several boys of my own, and I'm an avid hunter."
"But governor, this is neurosurgery, and you have no training as a surgeon of any kind."
"That's just the point, Charlie. The American people want change in how we make medical decisions in this country. And when faced with a challenge, you cannot blink."
-- Sam Harris
There was a guy who worked at my company for five years, who is Russian, more specifically, Ossetian. His iTunes on his computer was full of Ossetian Language folk songs. When I emailed him expressing concern for him & his family, his reply, understandibly, was pretty angry about how the ethinic complexities and history of the area are ingnored, not recognized, and papered over in simplistic terms to serve the Bush-Cheny-Neo Con hegemonistic desires. Of course the south Ossetians have more of an affinitty for north Ossetia than they do for Georgia. He and his relatives were safe.
obama should make colin powell his national security advisor. i know colin had a bad sec of state stint with dubya, but he at least had the courage to admit his mistake, which is more than we can say for hillary. his major flaw was that he was doing what he was trained to do, that is...be a good soldier, loyal to a fault. but, the man still probably knows more about national security than anybody and i'm sure he's itching for a chance to redeem his name after dubya shitted all over it...
Liberal AND Proud @ 76:
How do you know if he loses control if he's wearing Depends.
C. Hussein Jr. @ 22:
While I agree that they will spin it that way, I also feel that the more generals and military folk who abandon Hero McCain the better. If Powell, Condi and whoever want to jump ship, or waffle, or abstain, then it's fine with me.
palin's high-school class picture?
http://www.umsl.edu/~ccj/images/velma.jpg
pissed off patricia @ 64:
To Obama, Friday's debate is the the most important event in the history of his campaign. It is even more important than the legendary Kennedy/Nixon debates. All I can say is the man better bring his A game and try to use his wits and acumen to put the nails in McCain's coffin. The financial mess did give him a leg up. But now, he'll have to take that and run with it to see some success.
Ronin Tetsuro @ 49:
A Powell endorsement of Obama would only be hilarious - the right wing will throw him under the bus telling us how he lied us into war at the UN while absolving themselves of any responsibility for being his parrots.
If he did endorse Obama, Obama should just nonchalantly blow it off, muttering something about judgement.
ysbaddaden @ 84:
Jinkies.