Colin Powell: Secretary Of Education?

Update - 11/6: MSNBC reported: "One person who will not be serving in an Obama administration: Colin Powell, who said he has not been approached by the transition team. He says he wants a new generation of leaders to step up and serve."

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Colin Powell has been mentioned as a potential member of Barack Obama's cabinet, both for Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Education.

In his endorsement of Obama, Powell called for a greater focus on education.

"I think the American people and the gentlemen running for president will have to, early on, focus on education more than we have seen in the campaign so far. America has a terrible educational problem in the sense that we have too many youngsters not finishing school. A third of our kids don't finish high school, 50 percent of minorities don't finish high school. We've got to work on this, and my, my wife and I are leading a campaign with this purpose."

Powell is a founder of America's Promise Alliance, a coalition of businesses, educators, and others working to improve the health and well-being of children.

Read more about Obama's cabinet on the HuffPost Big News page.

Comments

[HGPilot]

New York Times, Sept. 9, 2005
"The former secretary of state, Colin L. Powell, says in a television interview to be broadcast Friday that his 2003 speech to the United Nations, in which he gave a detailed description of Iraqi weapons programs that turned out not to exist, was "painful" for him personally and would be a permanent "blot" on his record."

I completely agree, and as far as I'm concerned, Colin Powell disqualified himself from any future position in American government on Feb. 6, 2003 when he made that presentation to the UN. He knew that the "evidence" he was presenting was false, and he bears a certain amount of responsibility for the start of the Iraq war.

[egalindo101]

Dept of Education? I'm not crazy about that idea. But, I would have no problem seeing the former general move into the DoD. Remember, he quit when he found out he'd been tooled over by the Bushies. I think he'd walk into the Pentagon on 21 Jan. 2009 and take firm control. Then go home and work on an old Volvo.

[anise8]

I would love to see an accomplished educator in this position and Gen Powell should continue working on his project. I do like Gen. Powell but not in this position.

[koufax]

heard from a very good source that Nelson A. Diaz is strongly being considered for Sec. of HUD. He was Clinton's General Counsel for HUD and would be a terrific choice.

[carol]

I'm an academic. Frankly, these political appointments to the Dept of Education of people with zero credentials in any classroom must stop. There ARE things to know about educating children and adults that you don't learn from serving on some Chamber of Commerce Board or being a military olfficer. Appointing Powell as Sec Ed is equivalent to appointing Bill Gates Secretary of the Navy or Commander of Nato. We need a coalition of all interests involved in education but business leaders and old soldiers should not be running the show. Plus....I haven't entirely forgiven Powell and I'm not sure I ever will.

[CactusTom]

I understand your pain with Powell. His biggest mistake was not in running for president only to turn around and end up in the Cheney gang. His second biggest mistake was in trying to counter the Neocons from inside the administration only to get badly used by them for evil purposes.

But! But no one is a more caring person at heart. He would be useful as secretary of education in that normally useless post, but I hear that Obama wants to go with mostly younger players on his team.

[Hare]

Useless? No wonder teachers get so little respect and remunarion if some nobody thinks the whole thing is useless.

[CharlottesvilleVA]

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

[Wiredwilly]

How about someone with a brain instead.