About That Colin Powell Endorsement

Personally, I have little use for former Secretary of State Colin Powell. He didn't put his country first five years ago and prevent our calamity in Iraq. Powell was the only person in the world who could have prevented it, knew Bush's course was wrong and remained silent. Powell's endorsement yesterday is the act of an old Washington elitist seizing an opportunity to salvage his tainted legacy and ensure access to the next administration.

And yet Powell retains considerable prestige as a symbolic representative of America's "vital center." Powell does not deserve this prestige. After his despicable presenation to the United Nations five years ago Powell secured his dishonorable place in history as a man with the blood of both Americans and Iraqis on his hands. Nevertheless, most Americans regard Powell as statesman.

Ironically, the "vital center" that Powell supposedly represents also endorsed George W. Bush's horrofic post 9/11 foreign policy. And like Powell, they're eager to turn the page. Hence, if Powell's endorsement is the reassurring pat on the head that remaining undecided voters need to pull the lever for Barack Obama, I'll take it.

President Ford Revealed Opposition To Iraq War In July 2004

Bob Woodward reported in today’s Washington Post (CLICK HERE) that President Ford revealed his opposition to the Iraq War during a July 2004 interview. According to the article, Woodward’s interview with Ford was “embargoed” until after his death. Yesterday I was charitable to President Ford in describing his legacy as mixed and I stand by that. Nevertheless, Woodward’s article makes me feel less kindly to President Ford’s memory. An ex Republican President critical of key former members of this administration such as Cheney and Rumsfeld was too important to be kept a secret. Ford had an obligation to make his opposition public just as former Secretary of State Collin Powell should have in 2003. Perhaps it might have impacted the 2004 presidential election and saved some lives. Ford is supposedly a symbolic figure of a bygone era when love of country mattered more than allegiance to one’s political party. I can’t help but wonder if Ford’s opposition would have remained “embargoed” if a Democrat were in the White House.

Bush Finally Tells the Truth!

Since election night in 2004 lying has not served President Bush well. In a desperate quest to salvage his toxic legacy the President finally admitted we're not winning in Iraq as a pretext to deploy more troops and "strengthen" our military. Mr. President you are three years too late. Dispatching more troops will only result in more soldiers dying for a lost and immoral cause. Sadly the only realistic option is dishonorable: redeployment and containment of Iraq's sectarian violence within its' borders. This is disgraceful because our unjustified invasion unleashed the civil war engulfing Iraq today. Sadly, we no longer have any other viable options. Dishonorable leaders such as Bush, Cheney, Powell and Rumsfeld have produced a calamity resulting in only despicable choices. I don't believe in an afterlife. But if hell does exist then Bush and his team deserve to be frogmarched there for the needless deaths they've caused. Deploying more troops in Iraq will only result in more needless bloodshed