“Colin Powell, interestingly enough, said that Obama got us out of Iraq,” McCain told theNational Review. “But it was Colin Powell, with his testimony before the U.N. Security Council, that got us into Iraq.”
Um, um, Senator, who was one of the leading cheerleaders for invading Iraq? Look in the mirror, dude.
I was strongly opposed to the war BUT a lot of otherwise decent people-Tony Blair, Jack Straw, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Joe Biden to name a few-went nutty after 9/11 and publicly backed the war whatever their private misgivings. Powell along with his British counterpart Jack Straw opposed the war in internal debates but neither resigned in protest, which in Powell’s case could have torpedoed the the whole disastrous enterprise. Unfortunately, other than Cryus Vance quitting after the botched hostage rescue in 1980, we don’t have a tradition of principled resignations over policy. Powell is also a soldier and when he lost the debate to the Vulcans, he saluted the flag and supported his Commander-in-Chief. I believe he was wrong to do that, and wish he hadn’t BUT at least I understand why.
On the other hand, John McCain enthusiastically beat the drums for war and now it’s all Powell’s fault? Fuck you, Senator and your little racist running dog Sununu too.