Pardon his French! (Powell calls top hawks "f---g crazies.")

[kskiska]

Did Secretary of State Colin Powell tell his British counterpart two years ago that the U.S. government's three top hawks were "f--g crazies"?

Respected Brit journalist James Naughtie reports that in private talks with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw before the war in Iraq, a deeply frustrated Powell used just those words to describe Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Powell's chief rivals in the Bush administration.

Yesterday, Powell - through a spokeswoman - predictably denied Naughtie's account, which appears in a new book, "The Accidental American: Tony Blair and the Presidency."

"This is nonsense," Powell said. "I never said anything like that to Jack, nor him to me. Anyone who says I did is wrong."

(snip)

The politically embarrassing quote comes at an especially bad time for Powell, who has publicly tried to show loyalty to President Bush in the heat of the reelection campaign.

more…
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/230663p-198121c.html

[acmavm]

1. Although he's denying the statement, if he did make that remark it's one

of the very few truthful statements that he's made in the past four years.

[indepat]

12. Why would anyone need to make up a story that someone said something that

is so painfully obvious for all to see: If it weren't said, perhaps it should have been.

[Demeter]

15. And It's Too Little, Too Late

They are ALL crazy, and the biggest madman is Powell, for thinking he had any reason for staying on, and for letting his son pork out over at the FCC.

[UpInArms]

2. they have been denying the existence of the "Waldorf Transcripts"

for quite some time now.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12956,968605,00.html

Transcripts raise alarm across Nato

Dan Plesch and Richard Norton-Taylor
Monday June 2, 2003
The Guardian

Transcripts of a private conversation between Jack Straw and Colin Powell expressing serious doubts about the reliability of intelligence on Iraq's banned weapons programme are being circulated in western government circles where there is a growing feeling that officials were deceived into supporting the Iraq war.

A document known as the "Waldorf transcripts" - after the New York hotel where the US secretary of state was staying before making a crucial speech to the UN security council earlier this year - is described by an official of one Nato country as "extremely useful".

The description is used in a paper seen by the Guardian as part of an effort among Nato allies to "rein in some of the less acceptable policies of the Bush administration".

...more...

[xchrom]

3. Respected Brit journalist James Naughtie

james naughtie?!?! my---hmmm

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. pronounced 'nochtie'

first syllable rhyming with "loch". Yes, he is respected - a long time anchor for BBC radio news, and presenter of classical music programmes.

[Catfight]

4. Bush and his habitual liars. n/t

[Occulus]

5. BWAAAAAAA

Didn't Bush the First use those exact words to describe those in Washington who wanted to go remove Saddam the first time around?

[RhodaGrits]

9. Yes, that is what I have read too. nt

[allemand]

7. He tried to prevent the Iraq war and lost. Then he stayed on for reasons

yet to be known (Vantity? Containment of the f..g crazies?).

If he ever writes a book about his time in office, it will be quite interesting.

[Kipper58]

8. Check out my sig line!!!

Do you think Dubya ever speaks to his dear old dad?

[yellowcanine]

10. Oh for crying out loud. What he said was "picking daisies". It was a

reference to the infamous Bill Moyers/LBJ "Daisy" commercial targeted against Goldwater. Powell meant to say that Rummy et al didn't have a clue to what was happening just like the little girl didn't. Still not much of a compliment but not as bad as saying they were "f--g" crazies. Everyone knows that an old military hand like Powell would never use the "F" word. I am shocked that Jack Straw would allege such a thing. Maybe he needs a hearing aid?

[PurityOfEssence]

11. Then stop being the janitor of the asylum, idiot

You can't have it both ways, Colin: you knew they were lying, and you lied to facilitate their greed. In many ways you're worse than Wolfowitz; at least he believes in something.

[daleo]

13. I will take Powell at his word

He's an f___ing crazy neo-con too.

[JoFerret]

14. Embarassing for some but good cover for Powell.

.

[Romulus]

16. after hearing that Leith(?) guy this morning threaten Iran

I tend to agree with what Powell reportedly said. . .