Powell lashes out at Manila for withdrawing troops from Iraq to save hosta

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) lashed out at the Philippines for pulling its 51 troops out of Iraq (news - web sites) to save the life of a hostage, saying it was "a very high price" to pay and "rewarded" the kidnappers for kidnapping.


"In effect, kidnappers were rewarded for kidnapping," Powell said after meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart, Solomon Passy.


"They were paid off. They made a demand, a political demand against the Philippine government, which the Philippine government, a sovereign government, decided that it had to meet.


"When you start meeting the demands of kidnappers, I think you're going down a very bad and slippery slope, which incentivizes kidnappings," said Powell.

~snip~
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040722/pl_afp/us_iraq_hostages&cid=1521&ncid=1480

YIKES!!!!

[jay-3d]

1. He right

but it's more complex than that

[Submariner]

18. He's wrong on this count though

If this was a justified war, like WWII, Powell would be right. Since this is an illegitmate war with Iraq that the so-called coalition got conned into by a clearly incompetant president, the rule of not negotiating with the resistance falls flat on it's face.

[2Design]

2. well powell you created these monsters years ago.......now fix it

[SCDem]

3. incentivizes - Is that a word?

[joeybee12]

10. Nope--he's apparently learned Dubya-speak

The article should have (sic) after the word to indicate this buffoon just made up a word!

[Gman]

16. Incent is the verb

Incentive is the noun.

Incentivize is making the noun a verb again which makes no sense because you can use the basic verb.

Right, he's been hangin' out with that idiot too much.

[Fixated]

21. er....no

It's a word. Incentivize wouldn't be a noun, either.

[Gman]

30. well...

The verb:
We must incent our sales force to increase sales.

The noun:
The incentive worked to successfully increase sales.

Its rather awkward to say:
We must incentivize our sales force to increase sales.

"Incentivize" sounds like another one of those words that are generated by bureaucratic-type group think.

[Jazzgirl]

27. LOL! I was just about to post the same thing, LOL!!!

n/t

[Fovea]

4. This would be a cogent argument if they were kidnapped off the street

in Manila. But it is a little less cut and dried when you are an occupier, allied with a nation that is torturing the occupied, led there in the first place by Powell's lies to the UN.

See Colin, if you piss in your own well, it is considered poor form to complain about how the water tastes.

[gratuitous]

5. Gee, doesn't the house boy think . . .

Pretty harsh words for a sovereign nation acting in what it perceives to be its best interests. I'm sure The Phillippines would have been happy to stick it out if the U.S. could have offered a slightly more substantive guarantee of its safety and that of its citizens in Iraq.

It's not the Filipinos' job to make life easier for the U.S.

[Cha]

23. That's right and I say Bravo to the Phillipines!

And colon can go suck on a test tube.

[tom_paine]

6. Totalitarian Bootlickers like Colon Foul are laughably hypocritical

when they talk of knuckling under to criminals.

Oh, Colon, you did more than knucled under! You let the criminals shove a red-hot cattleprod up your (REDACTED) and sent you out to tell the most disgraceful lies an American (lucky for you, you're an Amerikan, and Amerikans have just BEGUN to disgrace themselves (ourselves) like you) every told the International Communtiy.

Actually, Colon, your lies to the UN quite resembled Hitler's lies when he invaded Poland...

[David__77]

7. One life is too high a price for this unjust occupation.

That's the lesson to be learned. This aggression and occupation of a sovereign nation is not worth the life of a single person. The blood that has been shed is not for a just cause.

[Cocoa]

8. we did the same thing with Tom Hamill

"escaped" my ass!

[0007]

11. I think your right on target.

[maddezmom]

9. Powell Praises Bulgaria on Iraq - AP

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) praised Bulgaria on Thursday for keeping its troops in Iraq (news - web sites), saying the show of resolve contrasts sharply with the Philippines' recent surrender to kidnapper demands.



He said the Philippines went down "a very bad and slippery slope" by agreeing to the early departure of its 51 peacekeepers from Iraq in exchange for the release of a Filipino truck driver who had been taken hostage.


Powell spoke to reporters after a meeting with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy.


He expressed sadness over the recent kidnapping of two Bulgarians by militants in Iraq. One has been murdered and the fate of the second is not clear.

~snip~
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040722/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/powell_bulgaria&cid=542&ncid=1480
looks like the USA is back to the ole "you're either with us or against us" meme.

[Kahuna]

12. Awwww. Poor Widdle Colwin...

Where's that finger smilie when you need it? :grr:

[jayfish]

13. I Wonder What Ol' Colin Would Say If It...

was his son, Michael, who was kidnapped rather than the "Filipino gentleman"? This leads me to an interesting thought. Wouldn't you all love to see a question posed to Bush, during the debate(s), along the same lines as the infamous rape/capitol punishment question given to Dukakis in his debate with Georgie Sr.? Just juxtapose the twins with Kittie and the kidnappers with the rapists and bam, a no-win question for for Jr.

Jay


Edited To Correct Context.

[gtar100]

14. Big Talker With Other People's Lives

Powell, and anyone else who shares his sentiments, ought to put their own ass in Iraq on the front line. It's so despicable to make other people pay with their lives for one's own gain.

If they really want to stop the kidnapping and murders, they ought to stop making other people's lives miserable. And who are the "Americans" to tell another country to sacrifice their people - especially to support an action that was based on false accusations (lies!) and has led to the murder and torture of people in Iraq. We have no more moral authority. And Colin Powell lost his long ago at the UN. What an asshole he is.

[cliss]

15. Well, Colon Bowel is certainly

putting his money where his mouth is. I read yesterday in a foreign paper that the Philippines will be punished by their "outrageous act" of pulling ALL OF 51 aid workers from Iraq.

The article said that as a consequence of this, US foreign aid will be cut back substantially. I don't recall reading any of this in any US papers.

Bastards.

[The_Casual_Observer]

17. Powell practices good ol' Hollywood script western justice and

ethics. Never really works outside the movies or the heads of freepers, but it sounds good to say it. Clearly they made the right move for them, why lose a man for somebody else's "principle".

[brooklynite]

19. Maybe if the Republicans hadn't been so cozy with Marcos...

the Philippine's new democratic leaders would have been more committed to working with us.

(Bush Sr. at a State Dinner with Marcos in Manila: "We love your adherance to democratic principles...")

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

20. The 51 Philippino troops were on a humanitarian mission

They were there to protect the supplying of food, medicine, and crews of engineers. They were neutral in this conflict. They were not sent in to oppose the insurgency, or to occupy the country, or to wage war alongside the US. Pulling out does not send a message to the insurgents that they have won because going in was not a message of opposition to the insurgents in the first place. Apparently, the pressure on the Philippino government to withdraw was pretty intense and they were just following the desires of their own people. Having a Philippino citizen get beheaded to preserve a humantarian mission just because Bush wants to save face doesn't make a lot of sense. Besides, the Philippinos have their hands full fighting the Abu Sayaff, the real terrorists, not the insurgents in an occupied country.

[rocktivity]

22. They were going to pull out next month, anyway

Besides, they were there because you lied, remember?

:headbang:
rocknation

[Coventina]

24. Colin can go fuck himself

My SO was nearly sent to Iraq.
I thank Goddess everyday that it fell through at the last minute.

If he had been kidnapped I would have done ANYTHING appeased ANYONE to get him back home safe and alive.

When it comes to my loved ones nothing else matters. King, country, honor be darned.

I consider myself a patriot, but not enough to see my SO beheaded.

If that makes me an appeaser, I wear the label with pride.

[Fovea]

28. Love is the fiercest warrior...

and conquers all, or as Big Geoff said...

Of smal coral aboute hire arm she bar
A peire of bedes, gauded al with grene,theron heng a brooch of gold ful sheene,
On which ther was first write a crowned a,
And after amor vincit omnia.


B. B. RealP

[Zech Marquis]

25. so now we'll have to bring "freedom" to the Philippines?

didn't we do that before? some good THAT did !

[daleo]

26. Powell and the BFEE bullied and intimidated countries into sending troops

Who is he to talk about blackmail?

[flordehinojos]

29. It seems to me Manila did not want to be manipulated any more, either by

kidnappers or hostage takers ... or by the band of criminal in the white house. Manila happens to have taken an "I" stand as in "this is your war and I don't want to play in it anymore" ... and Powell is squealing like the rat that he is. Hey White House Morans! It is time you all stand up to what you did. Own it. Fix It. and Stop Making the entire world and the rest of us Responsible for what You did, or Unamerican and Unpatriotic for not standing with you in your latest war for oil game. Cheney yourself to you Mr. Powell!
:mad: