By Colin Powell is in Seoul for a lecture he is giving and gave some comments on how he thinks new President Barack Obama will approach US-ROK relations:
Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Friday that the new U.S. government would “listen” to Seoul in its dealings with North Korea and other pending issues.
“President-elect Barack Obama is going to listen to what you think. He wants to hear what your goals are,” Powell said at a lecture here during his one-day stay. “I am confident that he will send messages to nations around the world, especially to South Korea, that the United States wants to work with you, wants to have open, honest, and realistic dialogue with you.”
Powell said the free trade agreement between the allies will be one of the thorny issues the new leader will have to deal with in his early days in office. [Yonhap]
Colin Powell’s comments really don’t tell me anything I don’t already know. What President is going to at least listen to the Korean President? The US-ROK FTA? Considering the way Obama kept criticizing it during his campaign I would be highly surprised if he suddenly agrees to it.
11:58 am on November 7th, 2008 1
I never did falll for Powell's B/S line…he was/is only looking after himself, as he will in the future.
9:59 pm on November 7th, 2008 2
Powell has accomplished nothing in his many years of government service. He is just looking to line his pockets anyway he can.
1:54 pm on November 8th, 2008 3
I remember way back to when Powell was first nominated for the joint chiefs of staff job — I remember one of the Sunday talk shows saying he was a tinkerer – not an idea man.
I criticized the Bush Sr. administration heavily for coming up with the No Fly Zones and not finishing the first Iraq War. Then when I read Powell's autobiography and kept hearing him defend that decision – he lost a lot of credibility with me.
Now, after watching him endorse Obama over the liberal-Republican McCain – after he endorsed Bush over Gore and Dole over Clinton — I have no respect for him left. I don't disrespect him, but I have respect left.
On Obama and South Korea — since other Democrat leadership and Obama talk about cutting defense spending in a major way – maybe they'll end up taking a hard look at USFK and plans to downsize it already —- and push through some of them…
It will be easier for a liberal to close bases in South Korea than south Alabama. I can remember watching C-Span in the 1990s when they tried to reshape the military by closing domestic bases and in Germany and elsewhere….
Plus, Obama wants to beef up in Afghanistan in a major way – and will find it harder to pull out of Iraq than he had imagined….
Maybe he'll give a good long eye to South Korea —-
— and maybe The Priest and his minions will help him in his thinking….
8:12 pm on November 8th, 2008 4
usinkorea,
"Democrat leadership and Obama talk about cutting defense spending in a major way – maybe they’ll end up taking a hard look at USFK and plans to downsize it already"
You said it!
EVERYONE in Korea I spoke with favored Obama. When asked, the reason was, because he was "young", "handsome" and "popular".
This reinforced my belief that Obama was a media creation, and just like the dumbed-down American public, average Koreans bought into the whole marketing scam.
Because it was emotion rather than issues that motivated them, they were quite shocked to learn that Obama wanted to restrict imports of Korean products/further open the Korean market to American imports and that a Republican president would be less likely to change the current defense situation; meaning if Obama is president, Korean taxpayers may have to pay more.
As for Powell, his only great accomplishment is that he is able to hide any convictions or principles (if he has any) and appear to support the side of whomever is holding the bone while doing what the master commands.
I suppose this is a good trait in a soldier but these people don't go down in history as great leaders and Powell should not be thought of as such. He is just a non-offensive mouthpiece for whomever is pulling the strings or whatever string-puller he wants to kiss up to.
(How was all that for an extended mixed metaphor?)
He is a study in mediocrity. Bluntly speaking, his skin color, black but not too black, allowed him to achieve a position that a non-minority of equal ability would find it much more difficult to achieve.
1:30 am on November 9th, 2008 5
I am conflicted about Powell for many reasons. I have struggled to separate my personal and ideological identities with him.
I personally identify myself with Powell on many levels. If I haven’t mentioned it before, let me start by pointing out that I am racially black. But for me, that is a small part of my identity. When Powell first came to prominence, I was obviously drawn to him for that reason. I read his book and found out we had much more in common. His parents were from the Caribbean. So were mine. He grew up in New York City. So did I. He spent much of his adult life in the military. So did I. When I read his life story, I could identify with almost all of it. I experienced many of the same things.
I wish I still had his book so I could quote exact phrases. But I don't. While reading it, I saw that we were going down very different ideological paths. I think the simplest way to say it is, he was much more of a soldier that I was.
I was never a follower. I was always confrontational, challenging, questioning. My mother told me that as a child, I always fought her about dressing myself. I started in a Catholic elementary school in the pre Vatican II era and the nuns could barely tolerate me because I always kept asking, 'why?' I didn't spend 20 years in the military for any of the syrupy patriotic reasons. It was for the travel and adventure. I was very good at my jobs. I think many of my bosses and subordinates liked me, but I think most also knew that I was not conventional military material. I was in the Air Force, and if you wanted to advance above a certain level you should compete in quarterly review boards, which were kind of dog and pony interview sessions. Many times, my bosses would offer me the opportunity to compete, but I would say to them, 'do you really want me to tell them what I think?' No. That wouldn't a good idea.
Powell was much a conformatist. He did things soldiers were expected to do. I guess that's where we parted. When he took off the uniform and became a statesman, I expected him to be much more independent, but he didn't appear so. He still seemed too willing to salute and march. In the run up to the Iraq war, I saw many troubling signs. There were dissenting stories being published. A senior State Department intelligence official quit over his reported feeling that we were being misled. I wrote a letter to Military Times weeks before the war saying that it was wrong. At the time, I worked in an office full of military officers and told some that Powell is the key. He is working on the inside. He has access to the real intel. I trusted his judgment. If we were being fed a load, he should know and he could stop it. He didn't.
When Harry Belafonte, another New York raised Caribbean American, made comments in 2002 suggesting that Powell was a 'house slave,' I said whoa! That's too harsh. But I understood the underlying meaning. It was the disappointment that Powell was not independent enough. He was too willing to go along and get along.
I still respect Powell as a great and accomplished man, but he has disappointed me.
Now we have Barack Obama. I haven't read any of his books, but early in the campaign I learned of his October 2002 speech against the Iraq war. When I read it I said, this guy had a depth of judgment and insight that I hadn't seen before. He was a non-conformist who was willing to stand against the crowd. This guy thought more like me. This guy I liked.
But Obama won't be getting a free ride from me. I don't march in anybody's parade. I expect to be his strongest critic. He says he is willing listen and talk to anyone, even those who disagree with him. I'll take him up on that. He prides himself on his ball game. Well I plan to be on the court. He better bring his jock strap. Let the games begin.
5:10 am on November 9th, 2008 6
JoeC:
Excellent post from a personal perspective…and I believe it will give everyone here some deep insight into the actual personality/character of Colin Powell.
HE is exactly what the Rah Rah supporters of BHO want to get rid of in Washington (and we conservatives NEED to get rid of in the Republican party), but I'm seeing a lot of the same tired arse faces being resurrected.
"Time for Change???"
The more things chnge, the more they remain the same…
10:37 pm on November 9th, 2008 7
@4
Interesting thoughts.