Colin Powell said a couple of interesting things on the Sunday morning talk shows yesterday, some of which generated media attention. The part I found most surprising, however, seemed to go by unnoticed.
Much was made, for example, of Powell completely contradicting Bush and Cheney on connections between Iraq and al Queda. Though it wasn’t the first time, it was entertaining nevertheless. Likewise, many noted that Powell continues to harbor some resentment for the military draft policies in place during Vietnam, including policies that allowed Bush to avoid serving in the war.
But I was surprised most by an exchange on Meet the Press about Powell’s reaction to criticisms of the administration’s policies in Iraq.
Tim Russert noted that Rep. Doug Bereuter (R-Neb.) has concluded that it was “a mistake to launch that military action [in Iraq]” and that “our country’s reputation around the world has never been lower and our alliances are weakened.”
Powell’s responded:
“The people who should be getting criticized right now are the insurgents and the terrorists and the old remnants of the Taliban and the old remnants of Saddam Hussein’s regime who are trying to keep the Iraqi and Afghan people from getting to a better, brighter future. Those are the ones that should be getting the criticism, but we’re getting the criticism right now.”
This very well may be the most startling thing Colin Powell has said in a long while.
The clear implication is that we — and by we, I mean Americans who are concerned about our nation’s security and standing in the world — shouldn’t be criticizing the administration at all. No matter how badly the president “miscalculates” conditions in Iraq, no matter how misguided the administration’s plans, no matter how incompetent the occupation is handled, Powell insists criticism should be limited exclusively to the insurgents in Iraq.
“Yeah, we’re screwing this up royally,” Powell seems to be saying, “but we’re the good guys so let’s not talk about it.”
The context for Powell’s response makes it even worse. Russert noted that Rep. Bereuter, a senior member of the House International Relations Committee and vice chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, now believes Bush was wrong and is saying so publicly. Powell responded by saying we should only be criticizing the insurgents, suggesting that Bereuter is wrong, not on the substance, but because he disparaged the president’s mistakes in the first place.
Stifling debate and bullying critics has been a staple of Bush administration strategy from the beginning, but Powell has traditionally known better. Apparently, his administration colleagues have been a bad influence on him.