Colin Powell: Former US secretary of state dies of Covid complications

Stephen · 18-10-2021, 14:08

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-58957273

Quote:

Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell has died aged 84 of Covid-19 complications, his family has announced.

**Hugh** · 18-10-2021, 15:45

Before the tinfoil milliners start…

Quote:

A source familiar with the matter said Powell had multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells that suppresses the body's immune response. Even if fully vaccinated against Covid-19, those who are immunocompromised are at greater risk from the virus.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/18/p...ies/index.html

TheDaddy · 18-10-2021, 17:00

Wasn't a fan of him due to his role in the 2nd Iraq war

OLD BOY · 18-10-2021, 19:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Wasn't a fan of him due to his role in the 2nd Iraq war

Still, the initiative got rid of Saddam Hussein. That must be worth something.

He, like many others, was fooled by the false claims relating to weapons of mass disruption. Tony Blair was convinced by a university student’s thesis on the subject. I’m not sure how George Bush persuaded Colin Powell, but I’m sure it looked good.

spiderplant · 18-10-2021, 22:33

I was once on the same flight as him, just after his tenure as SoS had ended. It was impressive to see the Secret Service in action. At the end of the flight he just vanished. It was like magic!

R.I.P.

Pierre · 19-10-2021, 12:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

Still, the initiative got rid of Saddam Hussein. That must be worth something.

Getting of Saddam was not a great idea.

**Chris** · 19-10-2021, 12:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

Still, the initiative got rid of Saddam Hussein. That must be worth something.

He, like many others, was fooled by the false claims relating to weapons of mass disruption. Tony Blair was convinced by a university student’s thesis on the subject. I’m not sure how George Bush persuaded Colin Powell, but I’m sure it looked good.

Saddam was a nasty piece of work, but his adventures in Kuwait had already given us all the justification required to contain him. Invading Iraq and removing him has seriously undermined our moral authority and made it easier for far nastier people to build power bases in the country.

Carth · 19-10-2021, 12:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

Saddam was a nasty piece of work, but his adventures in Kuwait had already given us all the justification required to contain him. Invading Iraq and removing him has seriously undermined our moral authority and made it easier for far nastier people to build power bases in the country.

I've always had the (maybe wrong) opinion that taking the big nasty man out opened the door for lots of other nasty men . . and still unsure which is the better of the two

**Hugh** · 19-10-2021, 19:43

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/pr...ce-11634659945

**Chris** · 19-10-2021, 19:45

Classy.

1andrew1 · 19-10-2021, 20:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hugh

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/pr...ce-11634659945

Desperate stuff.

If he's going to be mean, he should consider employing a writer to write something vaguely polished and amusing.

jfman · 19-10-2021, 21:16

What the f…

TheDaddy · 19-10-2021, 21:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

Still, the initiative got rid of Saddam Hussein. That must be worth something.

Worth a whole load of death and suffering to millions of people, it might have been worth something when he was massacring civilians but when we chose to remove him according to amnesty international he wasn't a threat to his people or neighbours, probably because he'd done away with all resistance

Quote:

He, like many others, was fooled by the false claims relating to weapons of mass disruption. Tony Blair was convinced by a university student’s thesis on the subject. I’m not sure how George Bush persuaded Colin Powell, but I’m sure it looked good.

He was one of the architects of the lie, don't you remember his crappy power points with the al-qaeda trucks driving through Iraq

OLD BOY · 21-10-2021, 20:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

Saddam was a nasty piece of work, but his adventures in Kuwait had already given us all the justification required to contain him. Invading Iraq and removing him has seriously undermined our moral authority and made it easier for far nastier people to build power bases in the country.

That is true, because there was no peace plan. Kicking the Ba'athists out of work wasn’t the best of ideas either.

The war was successful. The resulting occupation was a disaster.

**Chris** · 21-10-2021, 21:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

That is true, because there was no peace plan. Kicking the Ba'athists out of work wasn’t the best of ideas either.

The war was successful. The resulting occupation was a disaster.

Given that the point of the war was to occupy Iraq and change its system of government, your statement contradicts itself.

The war could only be said to be successful on the artificially narrow criterion of removing Saddam. My geography A level was successful on the very narrow criterion of turning up and getting a grade. However neither adventure was successful as soon as the very reasonable demand for more than short term benefits is considered. My geography A level didn’t get me my chosen degree course. The war in Iraq didn’t achieve the reasonable expectation of any war, which is that the situation afterwards should be better than the situation before.