Colin Powell Slams Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh: "Nothing Wrong With My Value System" (VIDEO)

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell took aim at Sarah Palin and the Republican party's emphasis on small-town values during an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakharia that will air this Sunday.

Powell also says that we should rethink its "don't ask, don't tell" policy on homosexuals in the military. And he tells Republicans that they should stop listening to Rush Limbaugh:

"Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh?" Powell asked. "Is this really the kind of party that we want to be when these kinds of spokespersons seem to appeal to our lesser instincts rather than our better instincts?"

As noted by Think Progress, Powell says:

Gov. Palin, to some extent, pushed the party more to the right, and I think she had something of a polarizing effect when she talked about how small town values are good. Well, most of us don't live in small towns. And I was raised in the South Bronx, and there's nothing wrong with my value system from the South Bronx.

And when they came to Virginia and said the southern part of Virginia is good and the northern part of Virginia is bad. The only problem with that is there are more votes in the northern part of Virginia than there are in the southern part of Virginia, so that doesn't work.

Watch it:

Comments

[420]

Collin Powell lost me with the United Nations stuff. I have now come to admire him and love how he is so spot on with his latest remarks on the nation. His endorsment of OBAMA, and wh he did was perfect. His reaction to Palin and Rush is more spot on. WIth great minds and visionaries like Obama and Powell, each representing opposing sides, the see the same vision for our country. Hope YES WE WILL!

[wayoutleft]

rush and palin still believe the lie powell told at the UN. if he wants a different mindset from them- he can admit to that lie- which he ought to ask the nation of iraq forgiveness for- humbly and publicly. that is his moral obligation. he hasn't met it.

[Saidas]

If you do a little research, you will discover that it was Powell that was lied to by Rumsfeld, Wolfewitz & Co. and he was ambushed by them at that now infamous UN meeting. Powell was furious about this and rightfully so. Do you not remember his disappearing from the scene soon after that? They realized he wasn't going to play ball and the rest as they say, is history.

[exflatlander]

He shouldn't have "disappeared"; he should have openly denounced them. How many more Iraqi cicilians have died? How many Americans have died or come home broken because he "disappeared"?

[CeeCee]

The lie was not Powell's; he thought it was true because it came from Rumsfeld.

[PresWatch]

Right. Rumsfeld and Cheney were such above-board and obviously honest
men. Sure.

[ullyses]

Not so CeeCee. Powell knew it was a lie but he was a dove flying with hawks. What could he do?

[exflatlander]

And Rumsfeld was such a visionary leader??

[elimenez]

This is like when Darth Vader picked up the emperor before he killed Luke and tossed him over balcony into the energy generator effectively killing him. Darth Vader had come back to the light side then.

[ZeusBoots]

She showed us what so called "small town values" are, and we decided we did not want anything to do with that sort of mind set.
Small town seems to be analogous with small minds by her standards.
I wish her name would cease to be mentioned anywhere.

[leatherbunny]

General Powell over estimates Palin's intelligence, she probably thinks the Bronx is its own Country and small town America most likely; the biggest cities she'd seen... I wonder if after moving to Alaska, if she had ever visited the lower 48 before the campaigning for McCain began?

[maxgen]

"Small town values," are much less admirable than they are painted.

Small towns do not have uniform values, although they have certain characteristics in common. In varying degrees, you are almost always watched and judged; you must not stray from your community values, ethics, morals, causes, ideals, practices, religious dogma and ideas of patriotism or Americanism. As a child you are punished for straying, especially by your parents and relatives; since some of the values are to always protect the family reputation, toe the line and uphold the values. A deviating adult is rejected by the community; he is unacceptable, unwelcome, isolated, harrassed, assaulted or forced to move.

This treatment, a form of brain washing, results in fear and pressure to conform. It tends to produce robots who don't ask questions and whose main goal is to insure their place in the community pecking order.

Members of small towns also may belong to sub communities (church members, educators, etc.) and wider communities (the NRA, the KKK, Rush ditto heads, etc). The communities have their own hierarchy and elites, who follow different rules than those on lower levels (eg. Rush can rant and rave about drug abuse, but when he's caught, it's OK). And even when those in higher levels commit attrocities (eg. lynch blacks), the other members of the community condone or tolerate it.

Fascists and our politicians also use of the same techniques to mold and control the public. Witness Hitler, Mussolini and Bush.

[canadiansoccermom]

A very good description of the overused sound bite "small town values". Palin displayed that same unwelcoming and unaccepting behavior when she referered to "real Americans". She also doesn't play by the same rules as those on "lower levels". Since she first came on the scene I felt that her behavior was alarming.

[notbuyit]

All those Pretty Blue Cities have spoken to the "Small Towns " of America. We voted to not have people like Palin "Teach us Their Veiws on Values".

[Punkynsnow]

Very, very well put.

[CostaDelBarto]

Palin is not fit to lick Powell's army boots clean.

[Angelic11]

just curious...anyone think Powell voted for Obama? I do.

[sandpiper1]

Why would a man of such intelligence and insight still want to be a member of the Republican Party considering what they represent? Their values system are for the rich and connected, ignoring the ordinary Americans, yet these people still believe that the party represents and cares for and about them.

[joceeco]

Why would any minority or sane White person want to be associated with a party that includes the likes of Palin, Rush, Hannity and Fox News.

[galateadoro]

He did, of course. Powell endorsed him, forgot?

[wembakoy]

Please defend human right all over the world. Don't be selfish. Share the video to all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kTp5Cjx8TQ&feature=channel_page

[labman57]

Colin Powell is the antithesis of Sarah Palin. He represents compassion, honesty, integrity, sincerity, modesty, and intellect. Palin, on the other hand, is a shallow, self-serving, disingenuous Machiavellian.

[thesenator1]

Wrong! Colin Powell is a deadly fool, a political general who is a Rockefellerite member of the corrupt and uncaring Trilateral Commission who is in bed with his Manhattanite pals on Wall Street and the criminal big banks and corrupt big business interests. He advocates "THE gravest evils" of abortion (as both recent Popes and the Catholic Church for 2000 years has rightly called the 1st degree murder of innocent unborn children) and genocide. He is a turncoat, a hater of God, and a betrayer of all that is good. The "mainstream" press and media "love" him because they are in the same camp as Powell. Powell is also a political coward who maybe COULD have been "the 1st black President" instead of Obama, but hid behind his wife's skirt when he had the chance to run. He is NO Republican, but rather a RINO. He should switch parties to the deadly, lawless, corrupt, incompetent, and immoral Democrats.

[Punkynsnow]

Whoa! Sounds like someone forgot to take their meds.

I believe the General advocates choice, which is completely different from advocating abortion.

Genocide?? Can you spell I-R-A-Q? A country we invaded without provocation, under the feckless leadership of a Republican president (who avoided combat duty as a young man of privilege) and which has as a result suffered hundreds of thousands of its citizens being killed. Mr. Bush didn't want to go fight in Viet Nam, but he sure had no reservations about sending thousands of our young men and women to Iraq to be killed and maimed. Or about giving out no-bid service contracts to companies run by cronies who have made billions of dollars in profits, funded by US tax dollars. Yes, that's real competent, moral and lawful leadership, by cracky.

[CeeCee]

You need serious help.

[700rpm]

Wingnut.

[Old-Surveyor]

Talk is cheep. What do you have to back up your words except your opinion?

[OhComeOnNow]

You are very astute! Great observation. I know the tro//s disagree, but they don't know much except small-mindedmeanness - like Powell mentioned.

[Bibbo]

Powell has led a very honorable life in many ways but his stand on abortion and gay rights is so damaging to true human rights that it would be better on balance if he was a complete unknown. True human rights(not Depak Chopra mumbo jumbo psycho-babble) requires man to understand his true nature and his true end in regards to his maker. If the truth were easy or always exactly what we want it to be there would be no controversy on these issues.

[klmebane]

powell's stand on the rights of all tax paying citizens to be treated equally under the law is damaging to human rights? how do you figure? no one likes abortion, but for those of us who live in the real world, we understand that making it illegal won't stop the "holocaust" as anti-choicers are fond of calling it. i don't want to force people to have abortions, but i don't want to force them to have babies either. that decision should be up to the person(s) who would have primary responsibility for the resulting child and their physicians, period. the government has no business in my womb telling me i have to have a baby. and i've never had, and excepting a medical emergency, never will have an abortion.

[joeyfoto]

Let us all bow our heads and pray that Sarah Palin is the future of the Republican Party. That way their candidate; their party platform; their agenda and their 'base" will finally be consistent and coherent. At last, a GOP that will be unified around true Christian principles. Absolute opposition to abortion; absolute opposition to gay rights; ending the delusion of separation of church & state; capital punishment inflicted without the dithering of unelected judges; finally a return to 18th century frontier principles of freedom from government interference. This will liberate the federal government from having any economic policy (other than union busting) and no need for a national health policy. Won't it be wonderful!

PALIN / BACHMANN 2012
"VOTE FOR SARAH & MICHELE OF YOU'LL GO TO HELL."
Brought to you by the committee for a permanent Republican minority.

[Shayrae]

Amen to that prayer.

[Old-Surveyor]

Nothing is absolute!!

[wannetta]

PALIN IS THE MOST STUPIT TRICK EVER SHE HAS NO VOCABULARY WITH HER DOGGONEIT SELF AND CLAIM TO HAVE A journalism DEGREE THIS TRICK WILL DO AND SAY ANY THING JUST TO GET AHEAD, THERE IS A NAME FOR THOSE
KIND OF PEOPLE SHE NEED TO STAY IN ALASKA WITH THAT LITTLE TRIBE AND TODD BET YET GO TO RUSSIA AND WATCH
OUR HEADS POP UP
THESE UNIVERSITY GOT TIRED OF THIS TRICK AND GAVE HER
THIS LITTLE DEGREE


Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in journalism

QUESTION ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A THIRD GRADER COULD NOT ANSWER THE THIRD GRADER QUESTION
????????BEING ("WHAT IS THE VICE PRESIDENT JOB") THIS
TRICK COULD NOT ANSWER THIS THIRD GRADER IN THE RIGHT
MANNER, HOW CAN YOU RAN FOR A POSITION WHEN YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE JOB IS? WHAT WAS THIS DUMBO GOING TO DO GET ON THE JOB TRAINING IN ORDER TO BE THE FUTURE FOR THE GOP SHE NEED TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL
STARTING AT THE THIRD GRADE AVON??? DOSE NOT WANT HER SHE CAN BE PRESIDENT OF DOG CATHER THEN I WOULD FEEL SORRY FOR THE DOGS

[Old-Surveyor]

I thought the post did not allow language like the above post. Yes, I know what a "trick" is.

[OhComeOnNow]

8th grade - the four best years of your life.

[drayak]

She didn't answer the question. Her opponent (Biden) said, with indignety, he would do it as article 1 of the Constitution stated he should, too bad, you didn't hear that. Oh yeah, article one, covers the legislative branchs, not executive. And he taught this in college. Talk about idiots.

[iswideopen]

Thank you, General Powell. You said it better than anyone else could have. And it is absolutely the truth.

[peter777]

Good for Colin Powell. Rush Limbaugh and his right wing talkers have helped marginalize the GOP. What the remaining Republicans do not seem to realize is that Limbaugh is primarily in the entertainment business at their expense. They are just too dumb and without principles to realize that Limbaugh is selling skunk water for medicine. And, Palin- she will complete the migration of the GOP to the marginal rigid right--- where will they be relevant?

[iswideopen]

Nowhere, except in the "real America". We see how that worked out for them. May the republicans live there FOREVER.

[Knowledgeseeker]

Mr. Powell is right on the money....
But also strongly believes that the republican party is not for minorities.
with racism in republican party, I don't think they are going to be relevant for the next generation to come

[Tugar]

AND JUST WHY DO YOU THINK GEN. POWELL JUST UP AND LEFT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION, ALL OF A SUDDEN ?

He swollowed the same kool-aid that was fed to all of us about the presence of Iraq's WMD's. However, when he discovered no supportive evidence of this, he had no power to put an end to it, but simply WALKED AWAY, knowing our young men and women had been sent to war based on false pretenses.

I will always believe him to be an honorable man, and I respect him for walking out when he did. But I also know, that he will always regret his part in America's mistake that is still causing an untold number of lives to live with wounds and disabilities never to heal. And others who will never return alive to their loved ones again.