You will be blessed.

If Colin Powell had been the one to decide, there likely never would have been a collection of some 400 suspects locked up in Guantanamo for years without trial.

While locking up people for years without trial may be acceptable to neo-cons, it is not the American way. And if it had been up to Colin Powell, America might never have gone to war with Iraq, let alone filled up Guantanamo with “suspected” terrorist.

And what happened when, at the beginning, American civilian prosecutors looked at the the Bush team’s list of Guantanamo detainees with an eye toward prosecution?

There were HUNDREDS of cases those prosecutors threw out due to “LACK OF EVIDENCE”. They did not want to try the cases!!!! So, then it was on to the military courts to see if “LACK OF EVIDENCE” mattered there.

If the Bush team had listened to
(1) Colin Powell
(2) American protestors(”fascist sympathizers”)
(3) “OLD” Europe
(4) United Nations
The Bush team, likely would never have gotten American into the mess it is in.

It is “eyecrossing” trying to figure out who or what the Bush team listens to as it decides to take action. The Bush team does seem to come up with a consistent output; “TRAIN WRECK”.

See you on another topic. . .

I basically took your comments to mean that one must always be true to one’s self. To Compromise was not something worthwhile.

If that was not your meaning, then I apologize.

But to emphasize on the “being true to oneself” idea, that is difficult to impossible if you are working for someone else…and hope to continue working in that environment. That would likely be called an organization. The very nature of “organization” means “compromise”.

And Mr. Powell, working for Mr. Bush, likely had to do things that did not always agree with his best judgement. And Iraq may have been one of the things that put his judgement at odds with the Decider’s judgement.

If the Decider had decided to follow Mr. Powell’s suggestion in 2003, Mr. Bush would have had to increase his troop allocation for his Iraq war, because Mr. Bush’s war effort would have had a Iraqi “civilian” component added to the military component. A military draft may have needed to be discussed.

While the military people, if they were free to speak, might have talked about additional troops, the civilian leadership would not want that discussed. The word “draft” might have come up.

The Iraq war would have fared much better if the Decider had wanted to become an admired and effective Decider. But being the developer of so many “TRAIN WRECKS” – one more train wreck was not going to matter that much.

Was Powell an opportunist? Not the way that word is typically perceived. Opportunists are generally thought of as watching for something of value approaching and then grabbing it, while dedication to country and duty is what most see in a military career. The military is not where you would typically search for opportunists.

The military has had to search for “opportunists” who were trying to avoid becoming an “opportunist” via draft dodging.

While opportunities do arise, everywhere, the military is not the kind of position that you would typically look to find opportunists.

I have never been able to keep a day job for long because I can’t stand the hypocrisy and utter BS that most people (it would seem) “have to” put up with. I’m just not able to do it. And as I stated in my post, I have paid the price. I have had health insurance only once in my working life, and that was when I worked for a union. (And, this being America, even that coverage SUCKED.) I don’t have kids, so I didn’t have that responsibility that would require me to do something I loathed in order to get coverage or make a decent living.

I apologize to all for going off-topic here, but I think it’s important and goes to the heart of the matter: I truly believe that if more people would stand up for themselves, for what they believe in, for what they know in their gut is morally right, would not shrink in the face of corruption, would not bow down to the almighty dollar at any cost, a myriad of social problems would disappear, and we’d have a better country and a better world.

But alas, I am that most deadly combination—an idealist turned misanthrope.

Colin Powell is just another opportunist who traded any integrity he may have had for power–IMHO.

Or perhaps I should congratulate you for finally coming reciving the ephifany (or was it emerging from the closet called “fear”) regarding the horrendous situation called Guantanamo Bay, which, if I recall, you supported along with the Rumsfield, Bush, Cheney and Condi? Or did they really just have you polishing their boots and saying “yesss massa, will do gitmo”? And now that you quit -or have been set free to your promised land- you can finally stand up and say “Oh, that’s a boo-boo. Today today today!.”

I mean really, Colin, you are a little behind…just a little. When millions have already gotten the clue that bad is as bad does, you are begining to learn the ABC’s of morality, justice and humanity. Please, since you are behind in the class called “Ethics 101″ don’t preach to the chior, just see the tutor at the end of class and he can help explain what a “war crime” exactly entails.

So please, dearest Colin-who-has-found-rightness, don’t get all holier than thou on all of us. We were the ones begging someone, just someone to be the change in that cabinet, and while you were there, while you had a chance, you ignored that little thing called “concience” and followed the banwagon of Machiavellien pragmatisim, only to eat crow and attempt to redeem yourself in minor press conferences which have already gotten us all to agree that Gitmo was an evil thing in the first place.

“Of course none of that would happen in the future. Any commander worth his salt would say that capturing prisoners results in too severe a degradation in fighting effectiveness. Therefore, we can no longer take prisoners. All these who are dying to heap rights onto these scum will face the law of unintended consequences. The people they’re trying to protect will be killed instead. 72 virgins with an EZ-Pass lane”.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It sounds like this blogger wants to go back to the bad old days – before the Geneva Convention. Would all POWS be automatic DOAs?

The world has “been there, done that”. When gunpowder reined supreme, that thinking would not necessarily mean the end of life – as we know it.

And that is not a solution to anything. It is the end of everything – what is, and what is to come. Up to now, most of the world has been trying to “just get along”.

I believe most of America and the world is happy that Iran did not apply either the thinking of this blogger or the thinking of that member of the Bush team who seemingly advocated “water torture” of terror detainees. Is America loosing its front runner status in dealing, in a humanitarian way, with its adversaries?

But with regard to taking prisoners, that was the strategy used against the native Tasmanians. Australia then had Tasmanian resources without the “overhead” of native Tasmanians. And the jury is still out on the consequencies for those acts of an extract of the Motherland.

Scientist, by and large, don’t want to seen anything go extinct.

seems to be saying those Guantanamo detainees are already guilty. It was said they are terrorist. They have not been proved, in a court of law, but this is WAR and it’s ok to declare them guilty until they are proved to be innocent.

And was it the Bush team, those creators of the yellow-cake affair, doing the describing of those Guantanamo detainers. Has the Bush team turned America’s “innocent until proved guilty” concept.

The Bush team was able to put its mark on Congress and the Justice Department but it never quite got its hold on the court system. Trying to get the Bush team’s personal lawyer on the Supreme court did not work as well as getting the Bush team’s personal lawyer into the Justice Department.

If the Bush team needs to wreck the rules of America for its PERFORMANCE to be effective, then America needs to get new management.

There was a hint of a problem with the Bush team’s court MANAGEMENT when the Bush team tried an early terrorist. This terrorist told the world he was a terrorist. And he gladly went to trial in a civilian court.

But if there is protocol anywhere, it’s in the United States court system. Some things are not allowed. You can’t just break rules in court and expect the OLD Congress to come galloping in to change the rules to match the behavior.

The Moussaoui trail should have, maybe, been a no-brainer because Mr. Moussaoui admitted to being a terrorist. But in America you are innocent until proved guilty. All the Bush team had to do was prove a terrorist was guilty (like he said he was).

How did that trial in a non-military court go?

Not too good.

The judge became irate over some kind of messing with witnesses. There was a comment that someone was trying to get all the witnesses on the same page. Almost lost that case.

Perhaps the civilian court did not understand that this is WAR. And the Bush team perhaps did not have time to be bothered with RULES.

So, on to military courts where a Commander-in-Chief should have some influence? And what a surprise. It turned out that the judicial is the judicial.

And frequently it looks like the JUDICIAL is the last barrier to the wrecking of America.

Are you sure it was Colin Powell who said this? This sounds like it could have come from Paris Hilton!

Yeah, there’s a great idea – - turn the WOT into a lawyer-infested circus, complete with a clown car packed with liberal activist judges. No way do I want these people on home soil.

Uh, General Powell, we’re at WAR. Those “people” at Gitmo are terrorists. They didn’t hold up a 7-11; they are not common criminals who deserve due process.

Yes, Colin, our legal system is perfect for handling EPWs.

Our soldiers can collect casings on the battlefield to prove the enemy fired his guns.

Then we can dust every rifle for fingerprints

After every firefight we’ll put up yellow “crime scene” tape and have Lenny from Law and Order interrogate the local residents.

Then we’ll take soldiers out of the line to fly 7,000 miles back to CONUS to testify. After all, the accused has the right to confront his accuser.
Maddy Ginsberg & crew will make sure at least half the jury are Islamofascists since they’re to be tried by a jury of their peers.

Of course none of that would happen in the future. Any commander worth his salt would say that capturing prisoners results in too severe a degradation in fighting effectiveness. Therefore, we can no longer take prisoners. All these who are dying to heap rights onto these scum will face the law of unintended consequences. The people they’re trying to protect will be killed instead. 72 virgins with an EZ-Pass lane.

Why won’t this moron Powell just fade away like good soldiers do?

Powell recommended and tried to get the United Nations to lead the Iraqi charge. The Bush team was ready to go. And as we now know – ill prepared for the job about to be attempted.

Powell was the rational diplomat. Powell tried to give the Bush team some sound advice but the Bush team did not listen.

On the Iraq war, Powell had to be between a rock and a hard place … right beside some members of the CIA. Some members of the CIA could not believe the yellow-cake story. Some members of the CIA wondered how Niger could smuggle out 500 tons of uranium oxide under the noses of the French who operated the facility.

It is likely that no other president, in the history of America, would have attempted the Iraq war. And today, right now, I would not bet on whether the Bush team would try it again. I can just imagine that Will Roger’s comment, “When you realize you’re in a hole – stop digging” would have trouble registering with the Bush team. The war in Iraq is not a virtual world war game.

While neo-cons are quickly willing to forgive and forget that the war started via fake documents; most of the world wants relief from the Bush team’s management.

Colin Powell’s management and judgement was a shinning light in an otherwise “out of the box” and strange management of the Bush team.

Of course, “detainees” should be in the Federal system. It would have been nice, though, if someone had raised a few voices when it might have made a difference.

In the meantime, live with the fact that American atrocities at GITMO, Eastern Europe, and in Iraq will inspire terrorists for generations. Bush may be remembered as the stupid ass who destroyed America.

DISABLED MILITARY VETERAN

If you did you would likely wind up going to a different job – one way or another.

However if you wanted to stay in your job, you would likely compromise (perhaps your ethics and good judgement) – until you could find an alternative.

You won’t know what life was like working directly for Mr. Bush until he leaves office, preferrably by impeachment.

But if you worked for the Bush team and you felt his going to war was a HUGE mistake, then you would likely have not challenged the Bush team.

Because all of the Bush team’s major challenges have been “total wrecks” the Bush team may not be afraid of one more total wreck. Stay the course.

and everybody else in the region “not to solve a problem or crisis”,

and instead to “just to have dialogue with people who are involved

in this region in so many ways.”

Such as the vast oil reserves in Syria and Iran. Then it can be argued,

then it should be in the interest of Washington to

have more dialog with these countries.

The dialogs need be “not just for the purpose of

making a demand on them”.

This, is the only detail about these “dialogs” Powell discloses.

What could they possibly be discussing? Now that Washington made an

example out of Iraq, they can go spread democracy someplace else

now even without resorting to force.

Iraq was set out to be just that, an example of what happens to you

when you don’t submit to Washington’s demands. And as it happens, it was

a completely defenseless country.

It’s worth remembering recent relevant history (the recent US proposal to

install missile shields in eastern Europe) when reading this report, or

any report. Watching the top government officials being interviewed is

often interesting and revealing.

Well that’s the first part of this interview.

Powell is asked about Guantanamo, and in particular to explain

the statement in a letter to John McCain, “The world is beginning to doubt

the moral basis of our fight against terrorism.”

Powell’s reply,

“…So essentially we have shaken the belief that the world had in AmericaÂ’s justice system by keeping a place like Guantanamo open and creating things like the military commission. We donÂ’t need it, and itÂ’s causing us far more damage than any good we get for it. But remember what I started this discussion saying, donÂ’t let any of them go. Put them in a different system, a system that is experienced, that knows how to handle people like this.”

So essentially, we take those prisoners in Guantanamo, transfer them to the

US prison (which is already the most crowded in the world, with the majority

being US minorities), where they await trial, in this immoral American

justice system.

As an aside, What right do we have to even “handle people like this”?

Why is it us, who determine what happens to the Guantanamo Bay prisoners?

And did the world outside of the United States before Guantanamo was

exposed have a favorable view of the American justice system? It takes a

lot of delusional kool-aid to be able to ignore enough evidence of the

contrary to presuppose that.

You can tell by the way Powell looks nervous, sweating the whole way through. For all his years

in the military, and high level government duties, he looks mighty

uncomfortable in this video, perhaps at the prospect of getting called

on the lies he’s saying.