July 05, 2009
Categories: Iraq
Powell: History will judge Iraq war
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said “history would judge” whether the Bush administration’s decision to invade Iraq was the correct one.
“That’s a judgment history will have to make… A dictator is gone, a despicable regime is gone, the Iraqi people have been given a chance to have a representative form of government living in peace with its neighbors. We’ll have to see what history’s judgment will be,” said Powell on CNN’s State of the Union.
More Powell: “As General Odierno has said and as the president said recently, it's now up to the Iraqis to solidify their representative government system and to make sure they have their security forces that can handle all of this.
“I'm glad that the deadline that was set by President Bush, some time ago, with Mr. Maliki has been met. And our troops were able to step back from those kinds of active operations on the 30th of June. And the Iraqi people are happy. They're now responsible for their own destiny.”
Powell credited the Bush administration's surge policy for stemming the violence in Iraq, but argued that strategy won't necessarily translate to the military's efforts in Afghanistan.
"It can't just be in a military solution, because if the people don't see their lives getting better through economic development, if they don't see a government that seems to be responsible for their well being and acting on that responsibility, if they don't see a government that is functioning properly, that is not corrupt and is not working hard to better their lives, then all the troops in the world are not going to make this better," Powell said.
Asked whether he agreed with President Obama that the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy of prohibiting gays from openly serving in the military should be repealed, Powell said the policy should be reviewed but declined to call for its repeal.
“The policy and the law that came about in 1993 I think was correct for the time. Sixteen years have now gone by, and I think a lot has changed with respect to attitudes within our country. And therefore, I think this is a policy and a law that should be reviewed,” said Powell.
“I was withholding judgment because the commanders of the armed forces of the United States and the Joint Chiefs of Staff need to study it and make recommendations to the president, and have hearings before the Congress before a decision is made…There are lots of complicated issues with respect to this, and I think all of those issues should be illuminated.” |
