10 Questions That Should Have Been Asked of Powell...

Since Tom Brokaw was tongue-tied on Meet The Press on Sunday and Andrea Mitchell was unable to think clearly about a man she covered for 4 years, I thought I should suggest some questions for any other reporters who get a chance to interview former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

1. First and foremost, if you are so concerned about the direction of your so -alled party, why didn't you get involved or even speak out during the Republican primary?

2. Why did you wait for the last 16 days of the GENERAL ELECTION to speak out if you were truly troubled about "your party's direction"?

3. As the man who presented the facts to the UN Security Council on the U.S. intelligence in Iraq, does your endorsement of Obama mean that you agree with Obama that it was the biggest misstake we ever made by going into Iraq?

4. And if you don't agree with Obama on Iraq then how do you square endorsing a man that thinks you are the leader of the stupidist foreign policy blunder the U.S. has ever made?

5. Does your desire "for a fresh set of eyes" leading America mean that you will commit to not taking a job in the next administration?

6. While we appreciate your economic assessment that McCain doesn't seem to know how to respond to the economic crisis facing America, should we take financial advice from a Secretary of State that was billions of dollars over budget on his spending in Iraq and Afghanistan?

7. And while we are at it, did you or did you not tell the president we should liberate Iraq?

8. Since Obama has made an issue of the sleazy tactics used to out former CIA agent Valerie Plame, did you tell him before you endorsed him that it was your long term deputy that was the leak?

9. Obama has said that he would sit down with Ahmadinejad without conditions and you have said that it is foolish to do so, is Obama foolish or have you changed your mind?

10. You authored, recommended and still advocate for the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. Does your endorsement of Obama (who doesn't agree with it) mean that Obama has agreed to break his promise to change the policy?

Richard Grenell spent 8 years working at the department of state (4 of which were under Powell).

Comments

[peterg76]

The endorsement is nice, but having waited until after the collapse of the McCain campaign, it comes across as opportunistic, not principled

[eden4barack08]

Not a valid argument. Lots of people waited until after after the last debate, to finalize and voice their opinion. Obviously, they were still hoping McCain could still turn this thing around and show his old "honorable" self. He failed miserably, especially at the last debate.

[eden4barack08]

You are soo wrong on # 9. Powell has always been for diplomacy first.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFFeSzsVR_g

As for the rest, the point is that he's just a man who's been disappointed by the direction his party seems to keep moving in, which is farther and farther to the right. For one of the few moderate Republicans left, that was obviously disturbing to him, hence his decision to vote for Obama, and hope for a change from this far right position the country is in. That does not mean he has to agree with every single issue, the Democratic party or Obama's candidacy propose, and he doesn't have to endorse every idea. He said he'll be voting for Obama because he believes it's the general direction our country should be taking right now, as opposed to a continuation of hawkish Republican orthodoxy, which is wrong on the economy as well. Period. He does NOT have to check off a list of agreements and get them all right. He prefers the general direction one candidate will lead the country to, and dislikes the other candidate's direction. That's it.
Even ordinary citizen voters don't always agree 100% with the party or candidate they vote for.

[JacqueItch]

Colin Powell is damaged goods.
It doesn't matter what distinguished service he may have had, or that he came up through the ranks to attain higher social stature---­-particula­rly in the eyes of those who embrace militarism.
He showed America a treasonous cowardice by not openly condemning the war he advocated after he realized more his own role in making it happen.
He understands the Constitution; his writings refer to it often. But he disobeyed the Constitutional mandate to hold leaders accountable, especially in matters of international relations as SOS. When our leaders changed the info to pursue an agenda, they trashed the Constitution. Powell had a hand in this.

I would not endorse Powell to be WalMart greeter.
He has not shown himself to be an honorable man.

[XME]

General Powell GAVE his reasons for backing Obama. They were numerous and well thought out and explained. As for questions about where he may differ from Obama, he's not obligated to justify to ANYONE why he endorsed Obama, and yet he did...that doesn't mean he has to agree with him on every issue. It simply means that he belived that the Obama/Biden ticket is the better choice compared to the McCain/Palin ticket...n­ot that is in lock step with every single policy stance that Obama has.

Republicans who are offended by his choice need realize that NO voter, not even those that are high-up OWE the Repulican party their vote if they don't feel good about their ticket, and he made very clear the reasons he doesn't feel comfortable voting for McCain/Palin.

[OpinionsRMine]

I couldn't have said it better myself! Thanks...

[MOMMASHANKS]

Powell clearly spelled out all his reasons for endorsing Obama, and therefore there were no more questions for anyone to ask. And, as for waiting until now to give that endorsement, his endorsement is certainly all the more credible because it has come after all of the debates have been done, and after seeing how sleezy and disgusting a campaign McCain/Palin are running. And, granted, Powell might have made some mistakes in the past, and perhaps major ones at that, it is commendable that he wishes to and is trying to contribute towards turning the tides rather than perpetuating the same failed policies due to a misplaced and misguided sense of loyalty.

[Helzapoppin]

Powell has for most of his career been known in Washington circles as a bit of a suck-up to whomever holds the reins of power. I'm thinking he's just turning with the political winds, hoping for some redemption for his horrendous behavior and choices during the Bush administration. Personally, I don't think he merits any such redemption after the monumental fraud he was instrumental in perpetrating upon the country and the world. And no, I'm not a McCain supporter.

[Wilbur]

Good post! My feelings EXACTLY! Colin Who....?

Wilbur

[Cowboylove]

Colin Powell was lied to be George Tenet and Dick Cheney. He was used adn abused by the Bush administration. His comment on the invasion of iIraq was you break it, you fix it - the period after the invasion is going to be the worst. Colin Powell said we would need a half million troops. Bush and Cheney did not like what Colin Powell had to say, so he was replaced with Condi Rice.

As for Don't ask don't tell, it was courageous for him to support that policy at the time. This is nearly 20 years later, post Will & Grace and people's attitudes are considerably different.

[anelder]

It's refreshing to see from your post and those who 'ditto' you that the left has just as many nasties as the right has. I've not wanted to believe they only existed on the right.

I wish I knew who you knew who gave you such a inside observation on what has always been known in Washington.

I would have to suppose that all the other 'inside' repubs that were lied to by this adminstration and came to realize it would by your judgment be condemned and dismissed by their behavior.

It's nice to know someone who is perfect and hence able to make such judgments.

[hughtensil]

Mr. Grenell,

The Bush administration has fundamentally shifted the ground from under Powell's feet, and everyone elses. He is obviously a thoughtful man; deliberate, well-intentioned and no doubt deeply scarred by his association with Bush/Cheney. After what can only be described as a lengthy hiatus from the public sphere, Powell has decided to serve his country rather than his party. He is a brave man whom history will judge well. Thank God some are willing to step up.

[Bitsko]

I, like you, can think of many questions that should be asked of Mr. Powell going back to the Nixon administration, but I'd rather think about getting Senator 0bama elected first.

[jmpurser]

Loved the questions and I wish they had been used. Powell had no problem with the direction of the GOP for the last 30 years and that direction hasn't changed. What has changed is the wind direction and how it might affect Powell's future.

[Rog49Thomas]

There is nothing like a defeat (particularly a crushing one) to spark introspection and rediscovery of one's true principles. Or at least the pretense of same.

[bluekatz]

Wait one darn minute , of all the high level endorsements why scrutinize Powell, Ask those same questions of those who endorsed McCain. We all know those questions would not be asked if he endorsed McCain, so I see the race bait is here too. Damn, people just cannot accept the fact that people do not have to go along with the bullsch!tt. And if you are truly a human being you will not vote for the rac*st vomit coming out of the McCain camp in which McCain endorsed. Its his campaign and whatever comes out he OWNS IT!

There are HUMAN BEINGS that have a conscience and will look not what is only good for them but for others and Powell is doing just that. Damn this is truly ridiculous.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

Good questions. Each and every one of them!

[anelder]

Not one of them is relevant. But considering the source than one has to acknowledge the questions are couched in a manner bound to a success for those who are not too deep in their thinking.

Just like this campaign. Avoid the issues deviling our country by smacking on the divisive things that are bound to grab our attention. It's like the tower of babel out there.

[Salon]

Truly questions that should have been asked. Unfortunately, unless you write a pro-BO article or McCain and republicans suck article, there will be little interest or discussion. With those subject matters, you can go down as a BO standard bearer on this site. Thanks for trying though

[kristycu]

your comment would make more since if it were somewhere else, what are you talking about

[TrueBlueMajority]

No one else has taken a swing at these batting practice fastballs?

1) The non-stop accusations of terrorism and socialism, the rightward lurch of the Palin pick, and the mob mentality nastiness started after the primaries.

2) Perhaps he wanted to make an informed choice rather than a snap judgment based on years of friendship with McCain or racial identification with Obama.

3) "Facts" is not an accurate description of the presentation to the Security Council. 70% of the American public agrees the war was a mistake.

4) Is stupidist a word? Reasonable people are in agreement that the Iraq war was a mistake, just as the VietNam war was a mistake. (The rest are supporting McPalin.)

5) Powell already said he has no plans/desire to serve but would consider it if asked.

6) Can we take economic advice from anyone in the Administration that ran up the largest deficits in our history while handing out tax cuts and promising people would never have to pay for it?

7) After the "liberation" was done, why did we stay?

8) Tell this to the special prosecutor.

9) If we only talk to people we already agree with, we can never engage in diplomacy. Powell believes in the value of diplomacy.

10) This one I don't know, but I don't agree with all of Obama's policies either.

If I can answer these questions that pretty much explains why Brokaw did not feel the need to ask them of Powell.

[Myshkin57]

And never mind that at least a few of those questions WERE either asked and answered or answered without prompting.

[lbcyclist]

Those are really pointless questions, written as if he is a defendant in trial. Some better questions would focus on General Powell's assessment of the future, and the lessons he learned from the past.

[joseph debba]

All 16 question are stupid, but even worse, you know they are.

[anelder]

Agreedd, he does. He has a point. From a lot of these responses I would say he succeeded.