Dissing the Alamo (National Review columnist says Powell Should be Fired)

National Review Online ^ | David Frum

[Miss Marple]

You are correct. The Washington Post, particularly Dana Milbank and Bob Woodward, and the New York Times, led by the odious Adam Nigourney, Adam Clymer, and R.W. Apple, have been working overtime to cause President Bush to either fire Powell or have Powell quit in a snit. They believe this will allow them to start the "racism" rant again, which is pretty hard for them to gin up right now.

The excerpts I have seen of this book indicate that Woodward has put his own thoughts in the heads of Powell, Rice, et al. It is not believable.

For example, I cannot envision President Bush waving his finger in the air and saying he "loathes" Kim Il Jong. Loathe isn't eactly a West Texas word.

Woodward was given access to write a series on the immediate aftermath of 9'11, which was very complimentary. Obviously, pressures at Simon and Schuster, the newspaper, and the press corps in general have caused him to embellish this series into a book with some digs and attampt to cause a division in the administration.

It is beyond foolish when conservative pundits allow those such as Woodward to push their buttons and cause them to rant in public. It feeds the influence of the liberal media and allows them to think that they are calling the shots. It also wastes the time of the administration having to answer questions about these silly stories.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

National Review has always been clueless.

Are you really sure you want to say that? As you know, NR was founded by William F. Buckley, who singlehandedly did more to revive the conservative movement than any other living American.

[dennisw]

Why are they even talking to the leech named Woodward?

[governsleastgovernsbest]

The role of the Secretary of State is to carry out the foreign policy of the United States as established by the President. It is not to be a "good cop" if that is not what the President wants him to be.

W is too gracious and too smart to criticize Powell publicly. But I believe that behind the scenes Powell's second-guessing is a source of frustration and anger.

[the_doc]

Powell is an American hero, right or wrong, and a black American hero in a Republican administration.

But anyone who denigrates the Alamo by using an Alamo reference just to denigrate a Texan, especially his own POTUS, is not sufficiently thoughtful in his role as a Secretary of State (or even as JCS Chairman).

Powell is just trying to insinuate that our POTUS is not sufficiently thoughtful to be a good POTUS. But I frankly suspect that President Bush is more thoughtful than Powell realizes.

(And I say that as someone who doesn't agree with Bush on some matters. I think he has some blind spots. But I still respect him more than Powell seems to respect him.)

Again, I think Powell is the one who is not being thoughtful enough. The Alamo was a bigger deal than Powell realizes. And it really is part of being a Texan, even if Powell doesn't get it. It is a conscious ideal of courage among Texans, not just a matter of an unsupported Texas machismo.

My bottom-line point is that we are not all Audie Murphys down here in Texas, but Colin Powell is certainly no Audie Murphy.

[hosepipe]

Firing Powell.....Ummm
All the "Powell's just a house nigger" people
will have to start their
"Powels being picked on as a minority" mantra.

The whores that they are..

[HairOfTheDog]

It is not to be a "good cop" if that is not what the President wants him to be.

I think the president is a big boy that doesn't need you thinking for him. He has said he is happy with Colin Powell, and I respect them both.

Good grief find someone on the other team to attack. It would get us further.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

I cannot envision President Bush waving his finger in the air and saying he "loathes" Kim Il Jong. Loathe isn't eactly a West Texas word.

True. Inside sources report that W's actual words were: "I harbor an aversion to Kim Il Jong to the point of abhorrence."

[Miss Marple]

National Review also supports legalization of marijuana.

It is possible for a magazine to be both conservative and clueless. Clueless means gullible and naive, which are two of the characteristics I see in this colummn.

Do you not understand that Powell is an excellent Secretary of State? Not only has he successfully negotiated the Security Council UNANIMOUS decision, but he also got Musharraf on board early on, which contributed to the success of the Afghanistan campaign. He has managed to weave a good delaying tactic in the Palestinian crisis, which has allowed Israel to continue to hunt down terorists. In addition, he has managed to get a huge coalition working with us on the war on terror. The man travels constantly, dows NOT undermine our foreign policy, and does exactly what the president wants.

All of the carping about Powell is ususally from unnamed sources (no doubt State Department Clintonista career types) and should be ignored.

Cite evidence that Powell undermines our foreign policy. I bet if you go back and look at the articles you will find they are either from the Post or the NY Times.

[the_doc]

I should add that I don't necessarily agree that Powell should be fired. But I am agreeing with the NRO columnist that Powell's attitude is rather seriously deranged. And we need to be careful as to how far we trust Powell.

My point is that if real heroism is required at high levels of government in our current mess, I would expect it to come from our National Guard POTUS, not from our ex-JCS statesman.

[section9]

You know how I figured this was a crock?

Powell, both Colin and Alma, are good friends of Rice. Alma Powell came from the same Black Birmingham social set that the Rice's circulated in, with young Condi in tow. They are close friends.

Powell would not put down Condi like this. It's not in him.

That's how I can tell that this book is a lie.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[the_doc]

Please see my #25 and #30.

[FBD]

A pox on both Woodward and Colin Powell.

If it weren't for Powell, we would not still be dealing with Saddam Hussein. Let's not forget who stopped the pursuit of the fleeing Iraqi troops out of Kuwait

Swartzcoff (sic) wanted to take the war to Bagdad and finish off Saddam.

Thanks to Powell, we didn't. So let's not talk about how much testosterone he has.

[oline]

AMEN!

[ZULU]

Next to Chrissie Whitman who is totally devoid of any positive attributes, except possibly, Mr. Eisenberg's moneybags, Powell was clealy Bush's WORST choice.

He is a dangerous, subversive, self-serving, treacherous, backstabbing, vile fifth columnist.

[oline]

Drudge played the audio tape W did use the word "loathe"...

[CCWoody]

I was watching Fox News yesterday morning while I was fixing 12 quarts of stew for a late lunch after church. It was not the right thing to do. When the part about this new book was being discussed it really irritated me. I came close to slicing my finger a time or two.

I agree with you that Powell just doesn't get it. At one point in the program, it was brought up that Powell felt like the odd man out (between himself, Rumsfeld & Bush). With comments like that it is no wonder that he feels that way.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

I respect you too much to want to engage in a major argument over this. As for evidence of Powell undermining the President in this and former administrations, though, please have a look at this, from the conservative think tank Center for Security Policy:

http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/index.jsp?section=papers&code=02-D_44

Now, it's true that on the specific issue discussed in the article, inspections in Iraq, the Bush administration eventually changed its position. But the article details a number of ways in which Powell has been out of step.

[Common Tator]

Are you really sure you want to say that? As you know, NR was founded by William F. Buckley

There are two things you know about any man who uses his middle initial in his name. First he deep down thinks he is inferior. He must use an initial to stand out. Secondly he thinks the people he is trying to impress with look up to a middle initial.

Would it imrpress you if I became Common F. Tator?

A person who tries to impress others with the size of his vocabulary does not think his thoughs will impress. He believes himself to be so inferior that he must impress with the size of his vocabulary and not the power of his thoughts.

All William F. Buckley has ever done is try to take credit for being the brilliant thinker behind the revival of the Republican party. He is not. He impressess the unknowing, ignorant and less bright. He does not impress much of anyone else.

There is a reason the Leftist dominated Public TV carried William F. Buckley's Firing Line. If Willian F. Buckley could not convince the viewing public that Republicans are self important pompous a$$es no one could.

[Zviadist]

Swartzcoff (sic) wanted to take the war to Bagdad and finish off Saddam.

He is also strongly against a new war on Iraq.