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Ear to the Ground

Bush Fired Colin Powell

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Posted on Sep 30, 2006

Despite having some distaste for the administration and an inkling that he might step down as secretary of state, Colin Powell, it turns out, got the boot from Bush’s then-chief of staff, Andrew Card, who said simply: “The president would like to make a change.”

(h/t: Think Progress)


Washington Post:

“The president would like to make a change,” Card said, using a time-honored formulation that avoided the words “resign” or “fire.” He noted briskly that there had been some discussion of having Powell remain until after Iraqi elections scheduled for the end of January, but that the president had decided to take care of all Cabinet changes sooner rather than later. Bush wanted Powell’s resignation letter dated two days hence, on Friday, November 12, Card said, although the White House expected him to stay at the State Department until his successor was confirmed by the Senate.

After four long years, Powell had anticipated the end of his service and sometimes even longed for it. He had never directly told the president but thought he had made clear to him during the summer of 2004 that he did not intend to stay into a second term.

There had been public speculation as the election drew near that the president might ask the secretary of state to reenlist, at least temporarily. Powell was still the most popular member of Bush’s team, far more popular with the public than the president himself. Senior Powell aides were convinced that the secretary anticipated an invitation to stay, and they were equally certain that he intended to accept. The approaching elections in Iraq, hints of progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the rumored departure of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, a principal Powell nemesis, made the next six months look like a rare period of promise for diplomacy.

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By R. A. Earl, October 1, 2006 at 11:50 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

It was obvious, if only to me, that Colin Powell, as far as I know an honorable man, was used and abused by GWB & Co. If I had been lied to and undermined by my own boss as he had been, I would have walked out in the most public way possible, timed for maximum impact, I would never have signed any “resignation” or other such document, and I would have told all to every media outlet not yet controlled by Bush’s capitalists.

Sure, I likely would have been found “strangely stranged” the next day, but at least I would have let the cat out of the bag and have died with a clear conscience.

Many would have dismissed me as a disgruntled and disloyal traitor for doing so. BUT DAMMIT… someone needs to stand up and shout THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES! I am stunned by the lack of courage and ethics displayed by our legislators. It makes me sick in my heart and angry to the bone.

I will not forgive, nor forget, what George W. Bush has done TO my country. I hope to witness his fall from power in disgrace. He is the highest ranking hypocrite the USA has ever had. He disgusts me.

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By Gary M, October 1, 2006 at 3:03 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Quick everybody, blame Clinton!

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By GW=MCHammered, October 1, 2006 at 12:16 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Bush & Co. stole a page from their corporate buddies: fire even experienced voices of reason if they so much a slide a toe in your path… especially when those voices are popular.

In hindsight, the world likely would be a better place had Colin Powell staged a coup d’état and established some junta of sanity.

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By Manny, October 1, 2006 at 10:28 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

It was with great reqret when Mr Colin Powell
join the Bush mafia. He was surround by draft dodgers and a former pilot that was at the helm that was unable to verify his time in the service. This two factors should have given him a clue of what kind of breed of men represented the Bush mafia. For some reason I never felt that Mr. C. Powell belonged in the company of these Iraq conspirators. I think that is why the Bush mafia used him at the U.N.. American’s trust in him crossed all political lines.
I think the American people are cogizant that as we were lied to by the Bush mafia so was Mr. C. Powell. The anger that Mr. G. Bush expressed about the letter Mr. C. Powell he had written
concerning Artilce 3 is not suprising. Yes, there was one man in the inter cirlce of the Bush mafia that reflected civility and a rare breed of integrity.

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By Broiler, October 1, 2006 at 9:50 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

What does it matter how he left. It would
appear he was at loggerheads with the administration
and that in a short time he would have resigned
from a bad case of conscience.

That he is not still in the process creating at
least unseen opposition to the runaway administration
is a shame. The administration was wary of him
and needed to show a united front. Our loss.

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