Powell: Iraq is "Getting Worse"

[warrens]

Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) acknowledged Sunday that the situation in Iraq (news - web sites) is "getting worse," but he insisted hostile areas could be quelled to allow elections in January throughout the country.


Powell and Gen. John Abizaid, who is in charge of the U.S. Central Command, said tough military action would be needed in some regions, particularly the Sunni Triangle, to ensure stability for the election.


But in appearances on Sunday news shows, Powell and Abizaid disagreed over whether elections could be held in all areas of the strife-torn country. Allies of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry (news - web sites) on Sunday questioned whether the balloting could be considered legitimate if it bypassed some regions.


Powell, in an interview on ABC's "This Week," acknowledged that violence by insurgents is worsening and traced it to the upcoming elections.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2027&ncid=2027&e=1&u=/chitribts/20040927/ts_chicagotrib/powelliraqisgettingworse

This baby showed up on Yahoo news at about 9 a.m. CDT and disappeared 10 minutes later. Wonder why?

[eaprez]

1. That's the new spin..........

......that the violence is because "freedom is on the march" in Iraq. That's about as lame as "they hate us for our freedoms".

[underpants]

2. Hey Colin it appears the CIA doesn't want them voting either

Of course the White House had NOTHING to do with that right?

[DFWJock]

3. Colin Powell

must hate America. Last I heard things were going great over there.

[Eurobabe]

4. Bush/Cheney Slight of Hand tactics

Last week: "Steady progress in Iraq, handful of terrorists..."

MBA preznit tells 'Murica what he thinks it needs to hear.

[central scrutinizer]

7. they've turned the corner

They've turned the situation around 360 degrees

[zbdent]

5. Jan 2005 - Baghdad -

Voter turnout was remarkably light in the bombed-out regions of Iraq this election. Given the fact that voters had to give three forms of ID and no "election supervisor" spoke anything but "English" with a Texan accent, the unsurprising winner was (US-backed) _ _ _ _ _.

[Bok_Tukalo]

6. Good thing we aren't sending mixed messages

Good to see the Secretary of State and the commander of our military forces in the theatre are in lock step.

<<But in appearances on Sunday news shows, Powell and Abizaid disagreed over whether elections could be held in all areas of the strife-torn country.>>

[wtmusic]

8. It's all cuz the elections. Everything will be better after the reelection

then they'll know we're *serious* about terrorism. They will give up their hearts and minds to working for min. wage jobs pumping oil for Halliburton, and be damn glad of it. No electricity, no water, but freedom, dammit.

[Alpharetta]

9. Powell is providing aid and comfort to the enemy

by saying Iraq is not getting better, that only emboldens and strengthens the enemy.

He is providing them aid and comfort. I will blame him always for losing this war for us.

[SKKY]

10. Either way...

...I think as of November 7th, Colin Powell will officially be unemployed.

[bagnana]

11. How ridiculous.

Violence is getting worse because of elections? Bull. I thought violence was getting worse because of the turn-over (which already happened). Passing the buck again. Maybe violence is getting worse because they didn't have sufficient manpower and plans to enforce the peace, or because they have killed and tortured so many Iraqis that nobody wants them there anymore, or because they have so enraged the Middle East that thousands are pouring over the borders to join the growing insurgency? Nah. It's because of the elections.

[warrens]

15. Well, NOW Smirking Sociopath can claim, accurately...

That Iraq is swarming with terraists. Nice job, Least Competent Criminal.

[Supersedeas]

17. Where incompetence gets you everywhere with your BASE

Rove smiles.

[Carolab]

23. I'm sick of everyone calling Rove a "brain"

He's not that damned smart. He's just an evil little prick.

An UGLY, dysmorphic miscreant whose daddy left him and his ugly ass mother and he's out to destroy the world because of it.

They are all SICK. A bunch of disgusting, fat, ugly f***ers who are venting their anger at being disgusting, fat ugly f***ers, with small dicks.

[Sabriel]

12. Ummm..."quelled"?

What does that mean to them, exactly? Gee, I sure hope they don't have to do any "quelling" around here in November.... Nice word choice, Mr. Powell!

[nosmokes]

13. somebody really needs to be in charge of mking sure

suck-up, er, secretary powell is on that damn talking points ditribution list...

[xxqqqzme]

14. exactly! If they're not going 2

send him the memo, they shouldn't schedule him 4 the shows.

Every few months powell lets slip some independent thought. Guess he doesn't get regular doses of kool-aid either.

[Skittles]

16. Ya THINK, Colin?????

f***ing asshole

[Disturbed]

18. "tough military action"?

Lemee guess: Bomb them without mercy!

[warrens]

19. Gotta whip the monkeys into a patriotic frenzy just before the election

Or selection or whatever.

[kayell]

20. There goes Colin, trying to think on his own again. Cheney will send him

back to the fields for sure if he doesn't start toeing the BFEE line. Time for them to whip out the photos or whatever made him fall in line for his presentation to the UN. Can't have him gettin' uppity.

[Zorra]

21. Today, US troops are killing Iraqi civilians almost indiscriminately, and

are probably killing 10 civilians to every 1 member of the Iraqi Resistance.

[Minstrel Boy]

22. Why the fuck can't we live in a world where

Harry Belafonte is Secretary of State?!?


HARRY BELAFONTE: There's an old saying in the days of slavery. There are those slaves who lived on the plantation, and there were those slaves who lived in the house. You got the privilege of living in the house if you served the master. Colin Powell was permitted to come into the house of the master.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

LARRY KING: All right, Harry, what did you mean?

BELAFONTE: First of all, let me hasten to say, Larry, that this was never meant to be a personal attack on Colin Powell's character.

What it was meant, however, to be was an attack on policy, and the reference and the metaphor used about slavery -- it is my personal feeling that plantations exist all over America. If you walk into South Central Los Angeles, into Watts, or you walk into Over-the-Rhine in Cincinnati, you'll find people who live lives that are as degrading as anything that slavery had ever produced. They live in economic oppression, they live in a disenfranchised way. In the hearts and minds of those people, and millions of others, you're always looking for hope, and whenever somebody within our tribe, within our group, emerges that has the position of authority and power to make a difference in the way business is done, our expectations run high. Many times, those expectations are not fulfilled. But when such an individual is in the service of those who not only perpetuate the oppression, but sometimes design the way in which it is applied, it then becomes very, very, very, very critical that we raise our voices and be heard.

...

BELAFONTE: Colin Powell is not a victim here. Let's get that straight. Colin Powell is a individual, he's a man of enormous resources, he has an enormous intelligence, he has that agenda. What is that agenda, Colin? I mean, you know, you speak about the disenfranchised, you speak about the fairness of race. You speak about democracy. Everything that is in your administration's policy runs contrary to that fact.

http://www.blackcommentator.com/14_belafonte.html