Too little ... too late

Washington (April 30th) Just back from her photo op in Baghdad, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (Pictured below showing how much integrity she has) found herself up against an unexpected adversary - Colin Powell, her predecessor at the State Department.



Powell threw her off message by revisiting the question of whether the U.S. had a large enough force to oust Saddam Hussein and then secure the long term peace of Iraq.

He said he advised Bush before the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003 to send more troops to Iraq, but that the administration did not follow his recommendation.

Rice responded, "I don't remember specifically what Secretary Powell may be referring to, but I'm quite certain that there were lots of discussions about how best to fulfill the mission that we went into Iraq."

Most of us know that Condoleezza would jump off a cliff, if George Bush told her to do it. However, a lot of us had faith that Colin Powell would end up being the lone voice of reason within the Bush administration. That was obviously not to be, and it's too late now. What the hell happened to you Colin?

Colin Powell sealed his fate when he gave his now infamous address at the UN, in the days leading up to the war in Iraq. He sat there will his little vials of powder and satellite pictures, and he sold the war to the American people and to the world.



Donald Rumsfeld and George Tenet offered you up Colin, based on information they knew was most likely bogus. Tenet may have physically sat behind you that day, but you were left in the spotlight alone. Who better to deliver false information than their most trusted lackey.

It has been reported that Powell knew the gravity of your speech that day, and he was not happy about it. When Barbara Walters asked him if he felt it has tarnished his reputation, he said, "Of course it will. It's a blot. I'm the one who presented it on behalf of the United States to the world, and [it] will always be a part of my record. It was painful. It's painful now."

That speech was your chance to make an impact on history. Criticizing troop levels today will do little to nothing now that the war machine has started. Colin ... Colin ... Colin. You are trying to close the barn doors long after the horses have run away ... and died.