Colin Powell died today

[Imnotafemistbut]

AIBU to ask how we all feel about the Iraq war ? I supported it - still do

I see I''ve stirred up a real hornets nest of debate here.

No doubt there's a thread about cat names occupying you all....

I did not support the Iraq War in any way, shape or form.

However, I think Colin Powell had integrity and (in a phrase that has become more common more recently) was frequently the ‘adult in the room’.

His service to his country was notable and I am sure his death will be mourned by more than just his family.

@Imnotafemistbut
I did not ans still do not support the war on Iraq but your second post just made me laugh out loud

@Imnotafemistbut

I see I''ve stirred up a real hornets nest of debate here.

No doubt there's a thread about cat names occupying you all....

Maybe because he died yesterday and not today...

What a bizarre thread. There are valid discussions to be had about Colin Powell and his legacy vis a vis the Iraq war but I sense that's not what you're really after.

@Sparklfairy

Look at the date/time of the OP.

I stopped for a moment when the breaking news came through. I was only a child during the Iraq invasion and I'm sure that's where I heard about weapons of mass destruction. Sad day for his family and country.

@VeniVidiWeeWee my mistakes, missed it as it was so inundated with replies (!)

'The Iraq war'?
I think many people may be confused by this term. The reasons and legitimacy or otherwise were very different between the first and second.

@VladmirsPoutine

What a bizarre thread. There are valid discussions to be had about Colin Powell and his legacy vis a vis the Iraq war but I sense that's not what you're really after.

Why do you sense that? I was just making a joke.

[quote VeniVidiWeeWee]@Sparklfairy

Look at the date/time of the OP.[/quote]
What's that got to do with anything? Do you have an opinion on this subject?

What happened to the thread you started in Property/DIY about Powell?
Was that a mistake or did Colin know his way around a bit of Makita?

Ha ha yes. Silly me and so forth.......

In seriousness though, I think Powell believed the evidence that was presented at the time. As I remember things he was lied to but he wasn't part of the cover up unlike our own Gov who allegedly knew the evidence was dodgy yet made the decision anyway. I believed in Blair back then.

I get the feeling that he was hung to dry somewhat there by Bush and the neo cons. They/he were right about the WMD though, although possibly they / he didn't know it at the time .

I literally hated Tony Blair's government, but the Iraq war was one of the three things I agreed with him on. The other two things abolishing betting tax and introducing round-the-clock drinking. Literally everything else they did was appalling but fair play for the war, Saddam Hussein was a massive cunt and the world is a better place without him.

I got the impression Powell was just about the only person with integrity. I was impressed with his conduct through 9/11 though so I could be biased towards him.
He seemed very much a steady hand.
It'll be interesting to see some of his obits, he was an important figure for a turbulent time, I hope he was what he seemed.

Powell helped cover up the My Lai massacre and mutilation of 347 Vietnamese civilians. A war crime.

He led the arming, training and deployment of death squads and torturers in El Salvador, and planned the illegal invasion of Panama. War crimes.

He's one of the Generals responsible for America's advance of Iraq in Operation Desert Storm, famously featuring the massacre of retreating troops on the Highway of Death (another war crime).

He then went on to lie to Congress to deliver the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq, leading to deaths of millions in Iraq, Syria and beyond. Guess the next part.

How could anyone have supported the Iraq war. The whole thing was based on lies. Just a group of warmongering, bloodthirsty leaders wanting to find someone to blame for 9/11. It has caused so many terrible repercussions since.

I was just making a joke.

About someone's death and the Iraq war?

@TheQueef

In seriousness though, I think Powell believed the evidence that was presented at the time. As I remember things he was lied to but he wasn't part of the cover up unlike our own Gov who allegedly knew the evidence was dodgy yet made the decision anyway. I believed in Blair back then.

So the thinking is the US Secretary of State had less access to the relevant intelligence (almost certainly mostly of US origin) than the UK Prime Minister?

I think Colin Powell was an inspiring figure but you don’t get to spend as long in the armed forces (any forces) as he did without developing a BS detector…I suspect he knew what he was being asked to pitch to the likes UN was somewhat “iffy” but being a loyal servant he went ahead and presented it anyway.

@Imnotafemistbut

I see I''ve stirred up a real hornets nest of debate here.

No doubt there's a thread about cat names occupying you all....

You're probably right Notim, I believed Blair so I'm clearly no judge, Powell didn't come across (to me) as that much of a hawk before Iraq1.
As Washington demonstrates with the post above I've likely only seen the UK edit.

@TheQueef, if he didn't come across as much of a hawk, then you weren't paying attention during his bloody years in Vietnam, South and Central America.