Colin Powell verbally smacks-down 48hours Lesley Stahl

[Queasy]

Got to hand it to Powell....he knows how to 'gently but firmly' handle the media.

Stahl: "The Secretary of Defense said that there are intelligence reports that the chain of command in Iraq has been told to use chemical weapons against our soldiers once that battle of Baghdad starts."
Powell: "We listen to such reports and we make sure that we have in our contingency planning how to handle such an attack. Our troops went into this battle knowing that they might be exposed to chemical weapons and, God forbid, biological weapons."

Stahl: "But, so these reports are not so specific, they're pretty vague or they don't even exist?"
Powell: "They're pretty vague. I mean, they're reports, people say that such instructions have been given. It's a war, there is a living, breathing enemy out there who is doing everything he can to keep us from knowing what his instructions are. We are quite good with our intelligence but not perfect."

Stahl: "The Powell Doctrine in military terms is that you throw a massive force, if you're going to go to war, make it huge. There are now criticisms, we?re beginning to hear, that this force isn't massive enough."
Powell: "It's nonsense. It's the usual chatter, I mean we have commentators everywhere. Every General who ever worked for me is now on some network commenting on the daily battle and, frankly, battles come and wars come and they have ups and downs, they have a rhythm to it. The Powell Doctrine was you use decisive force, and the plan that General Franks and his commanders have put together is a decisive force that will get the job done. So don't let one day's ups and downs suggest that the battle isn't going well. The United States armed forces with our coalition partners, the British principally and the Australians, have gone 300 miles deep into Iraq in a period of five days. That is a heck of an achievement."

Stahl: "Yeah, but our, the rear is exposed."
Powell: "It's not. Exposed to what? Exposed to small-"

Stahl: "Exposed to fedayeen, exposed-"
Powell: "Fine. So? We'll get them in due course. They are not exposed to a massive Iraqi army that is operating in a coordinated way that can assault our flanks and stop our assault."

Stahl: "Are you saying you're not worried or concerned about guerilla warfare?"
Powell: "Of course we are and that, and we're trained to handle this, but this chatter for the last 24 hours that everything is coming apart because on Sunday we took a few casualties. The casualties for this operation have been low. You don't want to slow your advance to go into a particular city and spend all your time rooting out people that you will get in due course. They're not threatening the advance."

Stahl: "But you can't get your supplies, well you can't-"
Powell: "Who says?"

Stahl: "-can't get the humanitarian-"
Powell: "Who says?"

Stahl: "-well you can't get the humanitarian aid in there."
Powell: "Only because the minefields haven't been cleared at the port of Umm Qasr, but our troops are being supplied and water is slowly being restored to places like Basra. It's up to 40 percent of the water capacity now and that was a question of fixing the pumping stations in Basra. And as soon as the mines have been cleared, the ships are waiting to deliver the humanitarian supplies to Umm Qasr and the situation will change rapidly."

Stahl: ?How did we get to a place where much of the world thinks that George Bush is more evil than Saddam Hussein? How did this happen??
Powell: ?I don?t know that that is the case. I think people are unhappy with our policy with respect to Iraq. Now, is there anti-American opinion around the world with respect to this issue? Yes, there?s no question about it. But when this war is over, and we have liberated Iraq, and the people of Iraq are facing a better life where their treasure, their oil treasure, is not being used to develop weapons of mass destruction or to threaten their neighbors, I think those opinions, those attitudes will change rapidly.?

Stahl: ?What I?m looking at is a poll, really not about the war, it?s just about the United States, and our friends, it?s kind of, makes you feel terrible, India, Mexico, they have negative opinions about the United States.?
Powell: ?You tell me why then I have consular officers all over the world with visa lines going out in all direction, people trying to come to America. They want to be Americans, they want to go to our hospitals, to our schools and other places.?

 

[conjur]

the phrase "chirping bird" comes to mind

 

[datalink7]

Originally posted by: conjur
the phrase "chirping bird" comes to mind

He should have told her to "QUIT PLAYING DE PING PONG!"

 

[Zipp]

Good for Powell. The media is really starting to irritate me along with along several of these retired miltary men/analyst. Christ it sounded like we were losing the war Sunday according to many of them. I think the coalition (sadly)lost 50 soldiers which is very low for being in a war for over a week now and some of them by accidents. There's been thousands of Iraqi miltary casualties according to what I've heard.

I think the people running the show now know what there doing and are doing a fine job in my opinion.

 

[CPA]

Leslie Stahl = "Little girl"

 

[Chadder007]

Originally posted by: Zipp
Good for Powell. The media is really starting to irritate me along with along several of these retired miltary men/analyst. Christ it sounded like we were losing the war Sunday according to many of them. I think the coalition (sadly)lost 50 soldiers which is very low for being in a war for over a week now and some of them by accidents. There's been thousands of Iraqi miltary casualties according to what I've heard.

I think the people running the show now know what there doing and are doing a fine job in my opinion.

I think the military is doing an outstanding job and I am proud of all of them and to be an American.

 

[rufruf44]

I don't really care for Powell, but his last statement shows an unmistakable truth:

Stahl: ?What I?m looking at is a poll, really not about the war, it?s just about the United States, and our friends, it?s kind of, makes you feel terrible, India, Mexico, they have negative opinions about the United States.?

Powell: ?You tell me why then I have consular officers all over the world with visa lines going out in all direction, people trying to come to America. They want to be Americans, they want to go to our hospitals, to our schools and other places.?

Countries and people all over the world curse the US, but they more than welcome the US loan/aid/money, as well as their job working for US companies or subsidiary of US company.

 

[Moonbeam]

Yup there are tons and tons more people now that want to come to America to be 747 pilots.

 

[Alistar7]

Originally posted by: Chadder007

Originally posted by: Zipp
Good for Powell. The media is really starting to irritate me along with along several of these retired miltary men/analyst. Christ it sounded like we were losing the war Sunday according to many of them. I think the coalition (sadly)lost 50 soldiers which is very low for being in a war for over a week now and some of them by accidents. There's been thousands of Iraqi miltary casualties according to what I've heard.

I think the people running the show now know what there doing and are doing a fine job in my opinion.

I think the military is doing an outstanding job and I am proud of all of them and to be an American.

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
Yup there are tons and tons more people now that want to come to America to be 747 pilots.

At least part-time

 

[Tom]

It seems to be a frequent misconception that when a reporter asks a pointed question they are advocating a position, when what they are actually doing is getting a response to the question.

 

[NightTrain]

Stahl: "Yeah, but our, the rear is exposed."
Stahl: "But you can't get your supplies, well you can't-"
Stahl: "-well you can't get the humanitarian aid in there."

These aren't questions. They are statements of supposed facts by an air-headed chirping bird to a 4-star general.

 

[Random Variable]

The majority of Americans (myself included) have a hard time accepting casualties. Bin Laden was right. We are a bunch of pussies.

 

[Tom]

Nightrain-
Those specific items you mentioned are not stated as facts by Leslie Stahl. They are all part of her statement that begins..

"The Powell Doctrine in military terms is that you throw a massive force, if you're going to go to war, make it huge. There are now criticisms, we?re beginning to hear, that this force isn't massive enough."

She asks for Powell's comments on all of them. It is a common technique to bring up topics that the person that is being interviewed has something to make a comment about.

By raising the particular topics you listed, she gave Powell the chance to give his take on those particular issues.

 

[NightTrain]

Originally posted by: Dead Parrot Sketch
Those specific items you mentioned are not stated as facts by Leslie Stahl.

Yes they are.

 

[Tom]

No they aren't.

 

[Moonbeam]

The majority of Americans (myself included) have a hard time accepting casualties. Bin Laden was right. We are a bunch of pussies.
-------------------------------
No, that's the difference between human beings and animals. You did't see Bin Laden in a suicide run, by the way. His is not a casualty that's acceptable to him.

 

[Moonbeam]

How dare a woman question a general.

 

[Karsten]

How dare a woman question a general

LOL

 

[Corn]

How dare a woman question a general.

A more accurately phrased complaint would have been:

How dare an ignorant reporter question the Secretary of State, who happens to be a retired general, about the war strategy all the while using such fallacious statements as "Yeah, but our, the rear is exposed."

Slightly more complicated that Moonie's original complaint, but a heck of a lot more honest.

 

[Rogue]

What most of these retired generals and officers you see on TV don't realize is that thanks to the Clinton administration, our military has learned to do more with less. I don't mean that as an insult either. With the drawdown of manpower that Clinton conducted, I think that military planners had a better arguement for better weapons with more lethality. What we're seeing on the battlefield right now are soldiers that can kill the same target with one or two munitions rather than 10. With that comes smaller supply lines and less logistical requirements. Our water purification systems have improved, our weaponry has improved, our soldier skills have improved and they have been out long enough not to fully realize that. These reporters fail to realize the very same things when they ask these questions. I don't know how many reporters I've seen on TV quote misinformation about our capabilities, equipment, tactics and everything else related to our military campaign.

BTW, Bin Laden is wrong on this one. The more casualties we see on TV this time, the stronger the resolve of the American populace will become. Yes, the way the information is so "real" right now, I can see how the average American viewer can be appalled by the images, but have no doubt that our soldiers have thought out virtually every possibility in their minds before they headed into the fight and they are ready to do what it takes to complete this mission.

 

[Corn]

Yup there are tons and tons more people now that want to come to America to be 747 pilots.

And you can support this contention how? Projecting again Moonie?

Perhaps it just feels that way because of all the violent peace demonstrations.

 

[jadinolf]

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
Yup there are tons and tons more people now that want to come to America to be 747 pilots.

At least part-time

 

[GTaudiophile]

Fvch the media!

Let our generals conduct a war, not press conferences!

 

[da loser]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Fvch the media!

Let our generals conduct a war, not press conferences!

heh, that's what tommy franks is trying, and they're getting pissed at him. I think the media complaining about little new information in centcom need to stop. I saw the conference this morning, and they were extremely disrespectful to Brig. Gen Brooks, who was trying to answer all their questions without giving operational details.