Cheney and Powell Go To War
Dick Cheney and Colin Powell have been enemies for years. Although both served in the (first) administration of George W. Bush, they did not get along. They disagreed with each other about virtually everything. Powell wanted the U.S. to adhere to a traditional interpretation of the Constitution and international treaties – no enhanced interrogation techniques, in other words, nor torture. Cheney held a completely different view: he believed waterboarding and other EITs were allowed, and if they were not, well, they should. Powell wanted the US to send many hundreds of thousands of forces into Iraq, and that these forces would have to occupy the country for a considerable time. Cheney and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld believed ten thousands of forces, who withdraw ASAP so Iraqis had to rebuild their own country would do the trick.
After Powell left the Bush administration he tried to say as little as possible about politics: he did not want to cause problems for his party or the president he served for years.
In 2009, however, everything changed. This is the year in which Democrat Barack Obama became president, and moderate conservative, fiscal conservative and moderate Republicans on the one hand, declared war on social conservatives and neoconservatives on the other. And vice versa.
Dick Cheney quickly became a spokesman for the party’s neoconservatives / extreme hawks. He did his party a tremendous service by attacking leading Democrats, and defending the Bush administration’s record on EITs / national security.
But he also made a mistake: he did not merely defend his and Bush’s record, he also attacked moderate (conservative) and fiscal conservative Republicans. Like Colin Powell. Cheney wondered out loud whether the hero of the first Gulf War was a Republican in the first place. Wouldn’t he be better off in the Democratic Party?
Yesterday, Powell hit back. ““I believe we should build on the base because the nation needs two parties, two parties debating each other. But what we have to do is debate and define who we are and what we are and not just listen to dictates that come down from the right wing of the party,” the former Secretary of State and General told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Typically Powell: very politely telling someone to take a hike.
Although I believe that Cheney did a tremendous job defending his and Bush’s national security record, he made a mistake by going after Powell. The party needs people like him. Without them, it will be a very small tent party indeed; a party that can never, and I do mean never, win national elections.
Furthermore, Powell is greatly respected by voters. And rightly so. His endorsement of Obama was a slap in the face of many moderate conservatives – like myself – but we all have to learn to forgive and forget. He made a mistake by endorsing Obama, he should not have done so. But – it is now time to look forward. And Powell is and will always be a Republican powerhouse. You do not have to agree with everything he says, but you should at least take him serious and treat him with respect.
Cheney does a tremendous job defending EIT, but he should never say anything even remotely negative about fellow Republicans; especially if those fellow Republicans are war heros, the only generals who decisively won a modern-day war.
Unpopular wars tend to tear apart parties. Look at the democrats in Vietnam.
Ronald Reagan the, consumate Neocon, who was accused over and over of wanting to wage war on everyone did nothing of the kind. And the GOP remained popular for 12 years till Clinton came along and even after Clinton had barely been in office 2 years they came back into national prominence despite Clinton’s personal popularity.
The problem for the Democrats is that they have inherited their own Vietnam. Afghanistan. Just as Nixon Inherited Vietnam and somehow over the years the war has become his war instead of Kennedy or Johnsons war.
Just as Americans are going to realize that the war on terror in the coming years will be the Democrats war. Obama’s war. It is his time to shine…..or be destroyed.
The cure for the GOP funk is 4-6 or 8 years of Democratic rule. Given their predisposition to exorbitant spending Im not sure we will survive their rule but thats the way it is.
In the meantime Colin Powell will say what he says and Cheney will do what he always does…..LOYALLY DEFEND HIS PRESIDENT…..Thats what he is famous for. Thats what Bush demanded since his father was so faithfully loyal to Reagan and Cheney will go to his grave defending Bush and his policies, taking all the heat on himself. Im surprise more people are not picking up on that.
Colin Powell has lost all credibility with me because he is out there trash talking the party that took him aboard to save his POLITICAL legacy. Pulease dont dislike me for hard decisions. Puhlease.
Colin Powell was and is a great man in our American history. He is making sure now that hes written that way in the history books by appealing to the liberals who write them.
So transparent.
Cheney is to some extent quite understandably defending his own time in office against attacks from Powell. That they are choosing to use the party as their arena rather than grappling the issues head-on is sad.
Powell’s return strike (“what we have to do is debate and define who we are and what we are and not just listen to dictates that come down from the right wing of the party”) is the right idea in somewhat the wrong application. The GOP needs to clearly define itself as something other than what the left wing defines it as.
Reagan managed that apparent contradiction — he built a Big Tent despite the conflict over issues, by proactively buidling up the common ground among disparate factions. Someone needs to pay attention to history.
There was a time when I would gladly have voted for General Powell. I was even more impressed with him when he stated that he would not run for President, citing his promise to his family to put them first, and his wife did not want to have the public life of a candidate’s spouse. A man who keeps his word is rare, especially in politics, and I was greatly impressed.
However, Secretary Powell’s treatment of his old friend Senator McCain soured me on Powell. If he couldn’t vote for his old friend and fellow Republican, the least he could do was keep his opinion and his vote to himself. He did neither. Powell endorsed Obama, and then went to work for him. I don’t think I would be favorably impressed by having Colin Powell come to speak for anyone I was thinking of voting for. While I share his views about Jack Kemp, I would not vote for Powell at this point, and I would be reluctant to vote for someone Powell endorsed. The Secretary’s word isn’t worth much any more. It is too much like the word of most politicians – based on short term political gain more than deeply held values.
Colin Powell says the American people want big government and higher taxes. Know any ordinary Republican that thinks this is true?
So he thinks Republicans want higher taxes.
He thinks Republicans want more government.
He not only voted for, but endorsed Obama.
He walks like a donkey, he talks like a donkey but he thinks he’s an elephant. And the reality based community agree with him and pushes this meme. Just perfect.
If the Republicans fall for his line of BS, we’re done as a country that my parents knew.
I agree with Orson, although if Powell had named some principled reason for not supporting McCain I’d have given him a pass (if, for instance, he felt that McCain was following the Bush foreign policy too closely or something along those lines.) Instead though he basically gave the ‘hope and change’ and insiration spiel as a reason for campaigning for a man who is about as opposite to Republican governing principles as you can get. There’s just no reason to ignore that and pretend then that this supporter of Obama still represents Republicanism or conservatism.
However, if he now wants to lead the party’s moderate wing, he should use his considerable influence to form a leadership coalition (in the manner of, say, Christie Todd Whitman who founded a moderate GOP leadership group.) Dennis Sanders has a good post up at TMV, quoting a piece by Bruce Bartlett who argues the same: that Powell has every right to head up a moderate GOP group but that means something different than going on Sunday talk shows and complaining about the status quo.
I think that’s why he’s getting so much pushback- because he’s seen as doing something destructive toward the party rather than something constructive. It’s one thing to quote Reagan’s 11th commandment, but he’s actually the one who is violating it first. That rule isn’t meant to be a suicide pact for the party- if someone goes out in front of the cameras constantly criticizing the party, then that person can’t be above criticism from the people within the party.
Echo Christine. If Powell were actively building up a moderate faction, he’d have my respect and maybe even my support. But he seems intent on simply tearing up the party for no real discernable reason, which along with his history in the ‘08 campaigns sure makes him look more like an intentional saboteur working for the opposition than anything else.
Reagan built up the Big Tent. Powell quotes Reagan while pulling out stakes and cutting guy lines. Not buying it.
Ditto. I’d actually have felt better with Gen. Powell’s vote last fall if he’d said “I have great sympathy with John McCain’s approach to politics but I can’t as a black man miss this historic opportunity to vote for Sen. Obama”.
It seems to me that Colin Powell has never been much of a “party guy” but more the guy each party wants as a friend. I wonder why he cares what direction the Republican Party heads.
I wonder why he cares what direction the Republican Party heads.
There are many people who would love for the GOP to become a Democratic lite version of the Far left. The Democrats get to essentially control both parties and their main opposition to all forms of legislation are left in the cold.. … The Religious Right.
This is nothing more then an attempt to isolate the RR and consolidate power into the moderate and left wings of government thus isolating the Far Right and ensuring the agendas of the far left is made law with no contest.
As much as I am turned off by the far right agenda the far left equally leaves me in the cold. The lessor of the two evils is to side with the weaker party for the good of the many.