Telegraph News Powell 'pushed out' by Bush for seeking to rein in Israel
NOTE: It really piqued my curiosity that this story was published today, 2/27/05, and "filed" 11/21/04. I have written the editors of the Telegraph for an explanation. If I actually get an explanation, I'll update this post.
When Colin Powell resigned last November, we ruminated on the meaning of his departure. For all his military experience, for all his "good soldiering," for all his team playing, he was never a part of this team. A career soldier who helped whitewash the atrocities of My Lai, he was never extreme enough to please extremist ideologs of the PNAC.
Now comes this article (strangely enough, filed on November 21, 2004 but published today--what did the editors hold it for?) that says the straw that broke the PNACamel's back was Powell's wish to put pressure on Ariel Sharon to moderate his stand in the Palestinian conflict. It stilll sounds to me, though, like Powell's greatest sin was a penchant to try to use his head before pulling out his guns.
"Vice-president Dick Cheney and his fellow hardliner, John Bolton, an under-secretary of state to Mr Powell, are both understood to have lobbied Mr Bush to replace him.
"They wanted to make Iran's alleged nuclear bomb aspirations and support for Islamic terror groups the foreign policy priority for the new administration and believed that Mr Powell would back away from a confrontational approach."
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