Progressive blogger Digby: Colin Powell is "not a war hero"

[Old Hank]

Digby, winner in 2007 of the "Paul Wellstone Citizen Leadership Award on behalf of the progressive blogosphere", as reported by our fellow DU'er babylonsister at the time, recently gave us her take about the praise General Colin Powell is receiving from some in our side, especially he whom she calls "Jonathan 'time to think about torture' Alter":

Colin Powell is not only not a war hero, he's actually implicated in war crimes from two different wars --- as one of the "White House Principals" who watched the CIA act out torture techniques for their approval and as one of the men who tried to cover up My Lai. (He was involved in Iran-Contra too.) And that's not even taking into account his pivotal role in energetically selling the Iraq war with bogus intelligence. Certainly, the man cannot be separated from Dick Cheney on that issue.

He was one of the most powerful people in the Bush administration and he failed time after time to step up and use his vast personal popularity to stop themor slow them down. He is, in fact, the worst chickenshit of the bunch since he had a separate power center and a special authority as an ex-general. Cheney may have been the chief architect, but Powell was the chief salesman and cover artist.

The Bush administration people are all running for cover now that they've been publicly exposed and repudiated. And it's fun to watch their circular firing squad. But the fact is that they were all culpable, as were their enablers in the press. It's clever to play them against each other, but it's short sighted. These are issues of state violence and fundamental human values and it's a mistake to not be consistent about such things.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/zelig-of-war-crimes-by-digby-bob.html

[Captain Hilts]

1. He was LOUDLY cheered at the inauguration when his image came on the jumbotron. nt

[Bankhead_ATL]

2. hmmmm.....