The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Questions To General Powell

Posted on | October 28, 2012 | 23 Comments

by Smitty

How was that Jamaican Independence gala in August?

sfd

More to the point, how does your recent endorsement of #OccupyResoluteDesk square with the idea of a commander abandoning his troops in their hour of need?
This bit from Hayward stretches credulity, emphasis mine:

But I appraised the genius of Powell’s endorsement when I saw Chris Matthews’ reaction to it: “Do we really want to go back to people who got us into war in Iraq?” I’m sure by this Matthews means that a President Romney would be Bush III, but might this not work even better on those lefty voters who see Obama as Bush III? If the person who sold the Iraq War at the UN is now selling us Obama, I can see another hundred thousand votes going to the Green and Libertarian Party candidates. It’s right out of the Rush Limbaugh “Operation Chaos” playbook. Powell may have just won Wisconsin for Romney.

That seems too clever by half, Steven. Whatever damage is done in one state (an maybe Wisconsin really is that loopy, harboring a TrogloPundit like it does) but various ethnic and military constituencies would more than outweigh the damage in cheese-land, I should think.

Except that, based upon the Benghazi rumors tumbling like skeleton bones out of that Libyan closet, nobody but said skeletons should be brain-dead enough to cast a ballot for #OccupyResoluteDesk.

Seriously. I can’t figure out why the ex-chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and also former Secretary of State, would endorse such a useless piece of work as Barack for any office. Nor is it fair to play any guilt-by-association card with Farrakhan. But that does add a certain interesting angle, doesn’t it?

via Riley on Twitter

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Category: Barack Obama, Election 2012

Comments

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Maybe because Colin Powell was always a perfumed useless piece of work?

  • http://anexconsview.wordpress.com/ Paul H. Lemmen

    Perhaps it is that Powell was always a product of the Army’s version of Affirmative Action … a progressive mole.

  • http://twitter.com/thatMrGguy Mike G.

    Interesting picture there.

  • http://www.facebook.com/dana.pico Dana Pico

    Colin Powell had already retired from the Army when the Soldiers Creed was introduced, the one which contains the promise, “I will never leave a fallen comrade,” so maybe he was unaware of the exact promise, but, as a soldier, he had to be aware of the idea. He is backing a Commander-in-Chief who deliberately left four fallen comrades.

  • Wombat_socho

    No. He had a good combat record in Vietnam; if he allowed himself to be poisoned by politics, it came later, when so many generals start playing the political game instead of taking care of their troops.

  • JeffS

    While the current version of the creed does include that phrase, the concept of leaving anyone behind has never been accepted in the modern military. Read up on the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, in Korea, and how the withdrawing forces brought out their dead.

    We’ve been recovering the remains of fallen service members since WWII; check out the history of Mortuary Affairs (nee’ Graves Registration), and how DoD has long gone out of its way to recover remains from WWI and WWII.

    So while Powell left before the new Soldier’s Creed came out, the concept of not leaving a fallen comrade is old.

    Powell should know better. Shame on him for forgetting this.

  • JeffS

    Concur. Promotion to flag rank corrupts some officers.

  • http://theothermccain.com smitty

    I can’t buy off on a PUPOW making four stars in the Army.

  • http://wizbangblog.com/ Adjoran

    Look at his career. He was a political climber who schmoozed the right people and played the game.

  • http://wizbangblog.com/ Adjoran

    Does anyone believe that if the former Secretary of State objected to being seated with “Minister” Farrakhan – or “Calypso Louie” as he used to be known – that he couldn’t have had his seat changed (or, more likely, moved Farrakhan to the cheap seats)?

    If he’s sitting beside him, it’s because he had no objection to it.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Wesley Clark?

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Exactly. Once they get sprayed with officer’s perfume, some get addicted.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    Ad caption: Colin Powell And His Friend Endorse Barack Hussein Obama.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    For my job, I receive the all the DOD News press releases and, at least once a week [often more], one comes in that says: [Soldiers or Airmen or Marines] Missing From [WWII, WWI, Korean, Vietnam] War Identified. They do a magnificent job bringing our boys home.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    THIS.

  • Steve Skubinna

    Powel got beat up so badly for being the House Negro (cleaned up version of the label) that he now has Stockholm Syndrome.

    He’s just gone full Patty Hearst.

  • Quartermaster

    Skin color Smitty. Look at his career stations. Also realize that the real load for Desert Storm was carried by CentCom, not Powell and Co. A PUPOW can easily make 4 stars by gaming the system correctly. It also happens in the Navy. The outgoing USFF CA is also a very good example of a PC perfumed Prince.
    Powell was a good example of what David Hackworth called a “Perfumed Prince.” Powell was exactly that. there are far too many of them among th4e GOFOs these days.

  • Quartermaster

    Chosin Reservoir was a mess, and some of our dead were left behind in the chaos. My uncle’s body was one of those left. The Marine officer that came to the house to inform my Grandparents were deeply pained to inform them that the body had been lost. It was 1953 before the body was recovered.

  • Quartermaster

    He started playing the Political game in teh 70s, post-Vietnam. Affirmative action was alive and well in the Mess the Army became in the 70s after the withdrawal from Vietnam and Cogress’ abrogation of teh treaty that ended our involvement.
    The Army was not a healthy place again until well into the 80s and Powell had already burrowed under the skin and was feeding heavily.

  • SDN

    Smitty, as long as general officers must have all promotions confirmed by the Senate, political skills will be at least as important as combat skills.

  • SDN

    Again, Senate confirmation is the key.

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