Colin Powell's Shame...No visits to America's wounded soldiers in Iraq

[LittleApple81]

A great article about Powell's true colors.

Colin Powell's Shame
Lights Candles at Kurdish Graves, Avoids Visiting America's Wounded Soldiers
By BRIAN CLOUGHLEY
Lots of us had highest hopes about Colin Powell. I was one of many who thought he should be president because I considered he would be a splendid leader for America. This was the man, after all, who wrote in his autobiography that he was "angry that so many of the sons of the powerful and well-placed . . . managed to wangle slots in reserve and National Guard units" to avoid the draft during the Vietnam war. Yay! Let's hear it for Colin, the man who speaks his mind and despises the cowardly sons of the rich who dishonourably wriggled out of serving their country.
Snip…
What is kept quiet by Washington is that the previous year the assistant defence secretary, Richard Armitage (now Powell's deputy in the State Department), publicly stated "We can't stand to see Iraq defeated", which was a flat statement of support that Saddam Hussein took at face value, as well he might. After all, Ronald Reagan, President during the period of the Iraq-Iran war (1981-1989), ordered removal of Iraq from the US 'list of nations that support international terrorism' in 1983, just before Donald Rumsfeld, as his special envoy, went to call on Saddam Hussein carrying a message of support from Washington for his war against Iran. Concurrently a letter was conveyed to the leaders of the Gulf States indicating that the US would regard an Iraqi defeat as "contrary to US interests" (Washington Post, 4 Jan 84). No sane person condones the hellish poisoning of 4000 people, but if you are a dictator and the strongest power in the world tells you formally that it wants you to win the war you're fighting, you might just be convinced that you can get away with anything you want.
Snip…
In Halabja on September 14 he said "there was no effort on the part of the Reagan administration to either ignore or not take note of it" (Washington Post), which is despicable doublespeak. Then he told the press "It was roundly condemned" (Chicago Tribune), which is an out-and-out downright damned lie. ….
After his disgraceful and evasive performance in Halabja, Powell flew back to Baghdad just after "three soldiers were wounded in an ambush . . . One soldier had his leg amputated . . . two others were less seriously wounded in the legs . . ." (AP). So where did the emotional, candle-lighting General Powell go? Directly to the bedsides of the wounded soldiers? Well, no. He went to the former palace of Saddam Hussein, into which enormous complex and grounds Iraqis are forbidden entry unless they are servants or members of the non-elected Council. (Just like old Saddam times, really, before Iraq was, well, liberated.) He did have one meeting outside the heavily fortified compound (in which there is round-the-clock electrical power and air-conditioning, unlike the rest of the city and entire country) but he didn't go to see any wounded American soldiers. Why?
More…

http://www.counterpunch.org/cloughley09202003.html

[FDRrocks]

1. My Lai coverup is his greatest shame, imo

n/t

[izzie]

2. This men are not going to the hospitals at all, big wigs

In Num every bed was filled but you never heard about it. I did not know until my daughter worked at the hospital. Is it the same now? I heard today about a 'boy' in the army that had lost 3 limbs. Tears came to my eyes and I just can not stop thinking about it.