In 1968, Maj. Colin Powell was charged with investigating a soldier's report of a massacre at My Lai. The soldier, who'd been there, was tormented by his memories. Powell's report concluded that 128 Viet Cong had been killed, 13 suspects were detained, and there had been only isolated incidents of abuse. He added, "In direct refutation of this portrayal is the fact that relations between American soldiers and the Vietnamese people are excellent."
The truth? As revealed by
New Yorker journalist Seymour Hersh, "Between 172 and 347 people were systematically executed by American soldiers. All of the victims were unarmed elderly, women and children (some little babies)." -
American Politics JournalSo you see, Colin Powell's
attempts to mislead the United Nations and the world about Iraq are not a new pattern of behavior. He's been a liar and a shill for bad military and government policy for a long time. It's really a disappointment to realize this, because I wanted to believe in Powell as a moderate who got forced into being a spokesliar for the Bush administration. Turns out he's just another dishonest political hack.
"The trucks and train cars are easily moved and are designed to evade detection by inspectors. In a matter of months, they can produce a quantity of biological poison equal to the entire amount that Iraq claimed to have produced in the years prior to the Gulf War."
edited to add hyperlink to UN presentation