The Amazing Colin Powell Has Died! Despite getting played by GW Bush, he was still a great American!

He should have stayed out of politics.

R1 They probably woulda played someone else even worse.

Also, he was an early endorser of Barack Obama for POTUS! So he made at least one good move inserting himself in politics.

R1, you’re probably the person who mentioned that in the other thread. He never ran for office, and why the hell wouldn’t he endorse a candidate he believed in? It’s his right. Especially when he realized the Republican Party was a morass of liars and frauds who gave him false information on Iraq. You just wanted the black guy to shut up and step and fetch.

Have comma and quotation mark commented?

he lied to the UN, he worked as a venture capitalist - he worked hard, but only for himself. no tears shed

I wonder is he was vaccinated.

He was the one person in the GWB administration who seemed upstanding and out of place among the schemers. I’ll never understand why he went along.

R6 His family said yes, he was fully vaccinated.

He made a damn fool outta hisself at the UN. That's what I remember most about him.

Another "breakthrough infection" death ?

He was fully vaccinated and the anti vaxxers will chime in any minute to say, see vaccines don't work, even though vaccines aren't 100% you are still much safer with than without them.

[quote]He was the one person in the GWB administration who seemed upstanding and out of place among the schemers

he seemed like that, but he wasn't.

Fuck him. War criminal.

Sadly his name will forever be muddied by his UN presentation and the fact that he publicly didn’t want gays in the military

[quote]even though vaccines aren't 100% you are still much safer with than without them.

Was his symptom of death lessened for having been vaccinated?

He came across as a decent person above politics, but he was as guilty as anyone in that administration (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Bush himself, etc.) of deliberately lying the country into a devastating, completely unnecessary war. He may not have been a neocon, but he collaborated in their game at the highest level for four terrible years. Did he ever atone for the deaths and theft? Could he?

r15, nope it wasn't, but even thought chances of getting struck by lightening are very small, it can happen. he was just the unlucky one

I loved Colin Powell. I was a soldier for him when he commanded the Joint Chief of Staff. I was also in the Foreign Service while he was Secretary of State. For all that time, everyone I knew who worked for him gave him their total support. It is because Colin pulled himself from not much to be who he was today. He will always be an American hero.

R18 What was he like on a personal level?

R15. Yes, don’t kick your doors at night. Burglars sometimes circumvent them.

He had multiple myeloma, so he was at high risk for serious covid complications.

Don’t lock your doors…

He was tricked and used by Dubya, Cheney and Rumsfeld.

[quote] [R18] What was he like on a personal level?

I didn't see him as a soldier, but I did as Secretary of State. When he came in as Secretary of State, he instigated a massive structure change in communications, which is why I was hired. The government changed all its computer systems from Windows 3.1 to Windows NT. That cost millions in infrastructure, personnel and training. But, that updated the whole communications into the 21st century. Also, whenever he travelled, he alway made a point to meet with people in the Embassies. Most big wigs don't. They just come in, make a fuss and leave. Secretary Powell never tried to impose, but rather to help people. That is what people who know him will remember. He never asked someone to so something he wouldn't do himself. Just ask anyone who knows him. That is why people have so much honor and respect for that man, on both sides of government.

how was he hoodwinked or strong-armed into telling the lies that he did to the UN?

Big black dick?

Fully vaccinated or not, just being 84 years old has to be considered a co-morbidity. I hope he did not suffer the kind of agonizing end that comes to so many of the anti-vaxxers

Not trolling but does anybody know why he pronounced his name Colin as Colon? I always found that odd.

Interesting r24.

Powell wasn’t played by Bush. He knew what he was getting into. He, Bush, Rice and Cheney should have been put up for war crimes for that sham war. He got to live a full life. What about those who lost their lives unnecessarily in that fake war. At least some good news for today.

[quote] Not trolling but does anybody know why he pronounced his name Colin as Colon?

He'd answer to anything except 'Hey, Boy'!

[quote]Another "breakthrough infection" death ?

Breakthrough deaths are rare, but they would be most likely to occur in the elderly and in those with pre-existing conditions, and in minorities… of which he was all three.

I thought he caught covid a while ago? I wonder if he had long haul symptoms?

The news was also saying he had Parkinson’s.

He was a lying sack of shit. Rot in hell.

Breakthrough deaths amongst the elderly with underlining conditions is not that rare.

Australia (along with NZ, Sth Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, etc) who largely avoided the waves of 2020 are going to be interesting to look at in terms of deaths amongst the vaccinated elderly.

Last year Melbourne had an outbreak that led to hundreds of deaths. The number of aged care residents who died after contracting COVID was 32%. Or course there was no vaccine.

Now as Australia is starting to open up bit by bit. Sydney has been worse hit this time around and the virus has of course found its way into aged care homes. However, the death rate of vaccinated residents is 14%. It is worth keeping in mind that missing the worst the 2020 COVID ha to offer has still left the elderly more vulnerable to the disease. Not as vulnerable as the unvaccinated but 14% is still a high death rate figure.

It should be noted that vaccination rates in Sydney are due to hit 90% fully vaccinated in the next couple of weeks after just hitting 80%. It is expected the state will hit up to around 95% of all people aged 12 and over. This will also help to save the lives of the most vulnerable.

Amazing indeed. Amazing that he became a Republican and allowed himself to be used.

He's so articulate! = House Ni**a.

What a coincidence, I just started my colon cleanse yesterday!

He knew poor little Scooter Libby was innocent, but let him rot in the hoosegow anyway.

R30 Powell was totally played by the Bush - Cheney Klan. If you were around at that time then you probably saw it play out in real time on live television.

Powell has spoken about it several times since then. Bush - Cheney - Rumsfeld woulda backed that bus up several times and drove over him if there was proof he knew about this just so they could sully his good name and deflect attention from themselves.

There has never been credible proof that Powell knew they were lying about WMDs to stage a phony war. He would have never stood for that.

Powell was still asking questions about the intelligence failure leading to that war as recent as last year.

You don't get to the place he was as a Black man in America without vigorously fighting stereotypes and carefully protecting your image and your brand.

He would not have deliberately destroyed his legacy like that.

The GOP had no problem sacrificing him for their craven interests. This didn't start under Trump. It's what they've always done.

R37 While we know the Republican Party has been a complete shit show since the 1960s when Dixiecrats (White Southern Democrats) infiltrated the GOP opposing civil rights, some people gave them a 2d chance.

The GOP tried rebranding several times since the 60s and some people fell for the lipstick they put on that pig.

I'm sure being GOP had to do with his Jamaican roots. Similar to the way a lot of 2d generation Latinos are Republican, during his time a lot of Black people with foreign born parents were also GOP.

Black people in America are not a monolith and as with everyone, their politics are impacted by their experiences.

And let's not pretend either party has historically made Black people a priority.

Also, historically most US military officers tended to be Republican - although that seems to be changing somewhat in recent years.

And keep in mind that the Republican Party didn't mean during that time, the in your face total anti-Democracy BULLSHIT it means today.

I'm sure his reasons for being GOP were complicated so I wouldn't condemn him for having been a Republican during that time period.

But after they fucked him over, I applaud him for speaking out and for telling them "Fuck you" with his public endorsement of Barack Obama in 2008, which I'm sure, as a former General officer, he was discouraged from doing.

I don't think getting used by the lying GOP takes away from this human being's lifetime of duty, honor and country. He's still pretty amazing to me!

And yet, Henry Kissinger still lives.

Great man! I heard him speak at a conference and got to meet him . It was a tremendous honor . He was very imposing, yet engaging .

I'll never forget Colon Bowel.

How could I?

[quote]He was fully vaccinated and the anti vaxxers will chime in any minute to say, see vaccines don't work, even though vaccines aren't 100% you are still much safer with than without them.

Aside from his being 84, his immune system was compromised by cancer treatments.

Exactly, R25. I never worked in the admin. I was never been privy to intelligence info, but even I knew it was bullshit from the beginning. All you had to do was look at the players involved in pushing the war and have been pushing the war for YEARS. I mean it was so obvious they used the raw emotions of 9/11 to get that fucking war. And every neocon had been jonesing for Iraq. They never hid it.

It sickens me to no end that MSNBC still allows someone like Bill Kristol on the air like he's some elder statesman. I only wish he were put before a firing squad for what he did along with every other one of these scumbags and the media for their role in pushing the lies.

Preach, R48!

I remember liderally screaming at the car radio when Powell was heard selling his bullshit lies to the UN, "Bullshit! There's no fucking intel!"

Good Riddance!

I hope GW Bush and Condoleezza Rice will follow him to hell soon.

He was also played by Jeffrey Wright.

Colin had a rare blood cancer and was being treated with chemo. The immune system may not respond to the vaccine as well or at all with these underlying conditions. He was scheduled to get a booster, but cancelled when he felt ill.

R51 Apparently 6 Actors "played" Colin Powell: Tyler Perry, Jeffrey Wright, Keenan Thompson, Tim Meadows, Finesse Mitchell, and Dean Edwards.

If you're someone in the admin. claiming Saddam and OBL were connected or you heard that bullshit and said nothing but continued to push the war, then you're admitting you're a fucking liar because you know how ridiculous that claim was and is.

I agree. It's impossible to believe that a person of his experience and intelligence, in close contact with the neocons and knowing their game, could have pushed the claims about Iraqi weapons in good faith. He put "being a team player" above his country's welfare and the lives of Americans and Iraqis.

We could have been heroes, if just for one day

T-Rump's statement shows him a class act as always:

[quote]"Wonderful to see Colin Powell, who made big mistakes on Iraq and famously, so-called weapons of mass destruction, be treated in death so beautifully by the Fake News Media. Hope that happens to me someday," Trump said. "He was a classic RINO, if even that, always being the first to attack other Republicans. He made plenty of mistakes, but anyway, may he rest in peace!"

Some people sure are gullible. I mean here, not Colin Powell. He was an M-I C Company Man, and he didn't start in the 21st Century.

Google his cover-up/down-playing role in the My Lai investigation. Then you'll have the measure of the man.

In Dubya's Administration, Powell knew he was lying to the UN Security Council, because there was zero evidence for his claims, particularly those he made up.

They're both filth.

In one gesture, Michelle Obama rehabilitated the legacy of GWB.

All it took was an offer and acceptance of candy at a funeral.

[quote] It's impossible to believe that a person of his experience and intelligence, in close contact with the neocons and knowing their game, could have pushed the claims about Iraqi weapons in good faith.

Saddam signed his death warrant when he invaded Kuwait. The Sauds, al Sabahs, etc. wanted Saddam gone, to be able to sleep at night without wondering what Saddam was going to do next. At the behest of Bush, Powell simply pursued that objective.

R55 Let's not forget GW Bush was the POTUS and the shit was going down whether Powell endorsed it or not. Place the blame where it belongs on Bush.

Let the fucker rest in peace. He was a good decent man who served his country well.

I'll undoubtedly continue to think of Powell every time I bake a yellow cake. RIP.

R61, Americans love to reduce complex history to sound-bites. Iraq had several reasons to invade Kuwait. A simple Google will provide them.

R62, No "good, decent man" would unwittingly lie to the entire world to justify an impending ILLEGAL ATTACK on a non-combatant sovereign nation, with of course its resultant death and maiming of humans; the destruction of infrastructure, ancient and modern; the irreplaceable theft of Sumerian artifacts from our ILLEGALLY REFUSING TO PROTECT THE MUSEUMS; and the bloated budgets and graft that enriched privateers at the literal expense of our social programs.

If that all still makes Powell a"good, decent man" to you, then clearly you are obstinately refusing to read of his cowardly and disgusting part in the investigation of the My Lai Massacre.

NOT ALL DEAD PEOPLE DESERVE RESPECT.

Even the fucking media stole Al Jazeera's feed during the Iraq war and said nothing when AJ was vilified to the point of bombed by the Bush admin.

Don't attempt to justify that fucking war by telling us Saddam was bad. Saddam was a CIA asset until he was no longer needed. US foreign policy has created every fucking enemy we have in the Middle East over 70 years. I was in several ME countries in the late 70s/early 80s, the place had so much potential. They weren't countries full of fanatics.

It took losing a god damned DEMOCRATIC election by an orange, fascist, shit clown for thousands of white people to go berserk, but you expect Middle Eastern people watching decades of countries destroyed, resources stolen, dictators propped up by the west, to just take it in stride? Powell was and is part of what you see now in the ME. I think he somewhat redeemed himself with Obama, but the damage was already done.

R64 here. Auto-correct turned "wittingly" to "UNwittingly."

Colin Powell knew what he was saying and doing. Having experienced first-hand---unlike his boss Bush---the horrors of warfare, Powell had no honorable excuse.

No, he wasn't OP. He was a shameless war criminal. Hiding the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, the contras in Nicaragua, the death squads in El Salvador, the drug hecatombe in Colombia that financed the Monroe Doctrine, Afghanistan and Iraq are among the things that he was directly responsible for. Then, he was Obama's advisor in the Arab Spring and in particular, Libya and Syria.

The fact that he didn't like Trump is irrelevant. He sure liked the even more stupid and immoral George W Bush, the depraved Hillary Clinton and the dishonest Obama.

"the depraved Hillary Clinton and the dishonest Obama."

Oh, brother, R67. Take your Midol.

[quote] Americans love to reduce complex history to sound-bites. Iraq had several reasons to invade Kuwait.

R64 Now go back and READ post R61 slowly. Saddam's "reasons" were irrelevant to the fears/desires of the Sauds, al Sabahs, etc., the primary focus of the Bush/Powell objective.

[Quote]The fact that he didn't like Trump is irrelevant. He sure liked the even more stupid and immoral George W Bush, the depraved Hillary Clinton and the dishonest Obama.

R67 There is so much wrong with just this statement so I will focus here.

1. George W. Bush was stupid and immoral compared to who? There has been no POTUS more stupid and immoral than Donald J. Trump.

Have you forgotten that the fool was impeached twice and responsible for a sustained crashing economy and the deaths of over 600K due to his idiotic, incompetent and immoral handling of the Covid 19 Pandemic for starters?

2. Depraved Hillary Clinton? Compared to who? Donald Trump would beg to differ.

Why do you say this about her, because she's a woman? What's she ever done that has made her depraved? The GOP has had 40 years to "lock her up" yet she has never even been charged with ANYTHING - EVER! If she was a man you would call her a badass!

3. Dishonest Obama? Compared to who? By what standard is he "dishonest?" You may think it easy to paint the Black man as dishonest since America is deeply racist, but for you to reach for that trope so quickly shows that not only are you intellectually lazy, but that you know it's not true. Nixon lied in Watergate. Bill Clinton was impeached for lying. And Trump lied a record breaking 30K times in office. But Obama is the one who is dishonest? WTF are you even talking about?

4. Finally, "disliking" Trump is the most important part of Colin Powell's legacy. The first Black Chairman of the JCS and The first Black Secretary of State pale in comparison to disliking Trump.

Even General Powell's using his power and influence to throw a big FUCK YOU to the GOP by endorsing Barack Obama in 2008 and thus helping deliver the first Black president to America is not as important as his open disdain for Trump and do you know why?

We all know that there are hundreds of reasons Donald Trump was a shitty POTUS but all of Donald Trump's legacy can be summed up with his inciting the violent and deadly Jan 6 Insurrection against the United States of America.

Of all the shitty POTUSes we've had and all the shitty things they've done, we've never before had a sitting POTUS take actions to cut so deeply at the core of our democracy.

He not only divided the country by lying about a "rigged" election, but he also tried to bully public officials to change the results, and finally, he deliberately sent an angry mob of thousands to Capitol Hill to by force prevent legislators from doing their CONSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATION of certifying the election!

Trump shamelessly did all this illegal, immoral and unpatriotic bullshit out in the open!

Colin Powell spoke out against Trump until the day he died. Regardless of anything Colin Powell may have done or didn't do, that alone made him a Great American!

r70, are you going for the prize for most extensive use of whataboutism?

OP is nuttier than squirrel poop 💩

Nah R71 just pointing out the hypocrisy of some of you crazy myopic bitches!

What's wrong R72 was that too many big words for you? You didn't understand? Too much for your dumbass? 😂😂😂😂