Colin Powell, RIP

I always thought he got a raw deal when he moved into politics. A person doesn't get to be a general without political acumen.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-33957894

Lots of respect for what he did in life. 

A fine man who could reach across the political divide.  Sorry to see him go.

Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) said:

A fine man who could reach across the political divide.  Sorry to see him go.

This. 

We have lost a great American. 

And he was a car guy. 
 

The sad reality is that he did not want "the job", and that is exactly why I think he would have been great at it.

I always thought he had great potential, that was pretty well dampened by the whole WMD assertations, but it seems like he did pretty good for himself.

Hopefully more like him will be showing up going into the future.

Remember the Top Gear episode when he and Joe Biden drag raced their Corvettes?

I couldn't agree with the Powell doctrine more. Do not go to war until all other possible avenues are exhausted.  Once the decision is made, use the full might of the military to achieve a clear, concise objective.  

In reply to Appleseed :

MIT did exhaustive work on computerized war simulation strategies back in the 60's and 70's and they identified three correlates to success:

1.  Don't start a fight.

2.  If someone starts a fight with you, provide a huge disproportionate response.

3.  Be quick to suspend hostilities so your opponent has time to reconsider.

Obviously Powell was highly constrained by what his political leaders wanted but it always appeared to me that he understood and was doing his best to apply the strategies. 

In reply to RX Reven' :

Agreed. He was very intelligent and I believe a compasionate man. No one wants war but if it must be make it unbearable for your enemy.

We need more like him in government/military.

Unfortunately, I'm already seeing people using his death as vitriol against the vaccine, even though he was 84 with cancer. 

aircooled said:

The sad reality is that he did not want "the job", and that is exactly why he I think he would have been great at it.

The problem is, the best people for the job are usually smart enough to not want it.

I was sad to hear of his passing.

I was a kid when Desert Storm/Shield occurred and remembered him from TV as a youngin (born in 82).

As I got older and learned more about him, I liked him more and more. Had hoped that years ago he made a presidential bid, but as stated above, most that would be great for the role dont want the role.

Godspeed sir. Thank you for what you did for our nation.

z31maniac said:

We need more like him in government/military.

 

Unfortunately, I'm already seeing people using his death as vitriol against the vaccine, even though he was 84 with cancer. 

And Parkinson's. There's your "underlying conditions" example.

I saw Powell speaking as the headliner at a tech company offsite about twenty years ago.  He was impressive. 

Perhaps the thing I respect most about him was admitting he was hoodwinked into giving the speech at the UN supporting the Iraq invasion, and that he regretted it.  He took responsibility for a mistake and didn't make excuses.

ddavidv said:

z31maniac said:

We need more like him in government/military.

 

Unfortunately, I'm already seeing people using his death as vitriol against the vaccine, even though he was 84 with cancer. 

And Parkinson's. There's your "underlying conditions" example.

Ok, I'll play devils advocate. If he had cancer, and Parkinson's, and those contributed, don't report it as a COVID death with a "see how bad it is" undertone. You're begging to stir up people. 

Appleseed said:

I couldn't agree with the Powell doctrine more. Do not go to war until all other possible avenues are exhausted.  Once the decision is made, use the full might of the military to achieve a clear, concise objective.  

The last part of the Powell Doctrine, and perhaps the most important part, is knowing exactly what your exit strategy is.

jwagner (Forum Supporter) said:

I saw Powell speaking as the headliner at a tech company offsite about twenty years ago.  He was impressive. 

Perhaps the thing I respect most about him was admitting he was hoodwinked into giving the speech at the UN supporting the Iraq invasion, and that he regretted it.  He took responsibility for a mistake and didn't make excuses.

Yep, I think it's far more honorable to just own it. "You know what, I made a mistake, I apologize. No excuses." Instead of trying to blame others, etc. 

z31maniac said:

jwagner (Forum Supporter) said:

I saw Powell speaking as the headliner at a tech company offsite about twenty years ago.  He was impressive. 

Perhaps the thing I respect most about him was admitting he was hoodwinked into giving the speech at the UN supporting the Iraq invasion, and that he regretted it.  He took responsibility for a mistake and didn't make excuses.

Yep, I think it's far more honorable to just own it. "You know what, I made a mistake, I apologize. No excuses." Instead of trying to blame others, etc. 

 

This x1000, we need more of it.

In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :

It was the same thing with John McCain. Never mind his showing off on the USS Forrestral that killed almost 140 service men or his reputation as a stool pigeon while he was a POW, which lead to more deaths of his own troops.

Powell was an honorable man in a city full of rats. 

RevRico said:

In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :

It was the same thing with John McCain. Never mind his showing off on the USS Forrestral that killed almost 140 service men or his reputation as a stool pigeon while he was a POW, which lead to more deaths of his own troops.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/john-mccain-fire-uss-forrestal/

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/was-sen-john-mccain-a-hanoi-hilton-songbird/