Re: Showoff? Powell of all people is now publicly saying "regime change." Cheney is going on a whirlwind tour of four of Iraq's neighbors. The Vice President of the United States is going on a tour of Iraq's neighbors. Pretty high level for mere show biz.
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You're a typical European when it comes to reading this Administration....
LOL! I read this administration better than you.... So, you tell me Veep Cheney's whistle-stopping in the Middle East?? But how come the Vice President encroaches upon Powell's turf, that is, foreign policy, coalition building and the like?? Do we have to construe that, somehow, the Judeofascist lobby is displeased with Secr of State Powell's record so far?? You tell us! In the meantime, here's a clue:
Powell Urges Condom Use View Differs From Bush's and Irks Conservatives
By Peter Slevin and Ceci Connolly Washington Post Staff Writers Friday, February 15, 2002
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell strongly advocated condom use to prevent the spread of AIDS yesterday, setting himself apart from President Bush's views on sex education and angering some of the president's closest supporters on the political right.
"It is important that the whole international community come together, speak candidly about it, forget about taboos, forget about conservative ideas with respect to what you should tell young people about," Powell told an MTV music channel audience. "It's the lives of young people that are put at risk by unsafe sex. And, therefore, protect yourself."
Powell's remarks, aired last night on MTV and scheduled for rebroadcast around the globe, are consistent with U.S. support of international AIDS prevention programs. But they appeared to diverge from the message delivered by the president and other administration officials that abstinence from unmarried sex is the principal weapon against the spread of the deadly human immunodeficiency virus.
The secretary of state's comments prompted a round of hisses and cheers. Ken Connor, president of the conservative Family Research Council, said Powell's remarks were "reckless and irresponsible" and a "slap in the face" to the president's core constituency.
Powell is "skilled in areas of diplomacy," said Gary Bauer, former Republican presidential candidate and president of American Values, but on "public health issues, he should follow the lead of the Bush administration, which he serves." Bauer said condoms give teenagers a false sense of security, a view shared by Tom Coburn, new chairman of Bush's advisory commission on AIDS.
But Marsha Martin, director of the liberal advocacy group AIDS Action, said of Powell, "We want to salute him and say, 'Bravo!' He is a member of the Bush administration, so I would say we are getting perhaps a new message and a welcome message about HIV prevention."
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As conservatives cranked up their fax machines to criticize Powell, administration spokesmen said Powell's message was consistent with existing White House policy.
Fleischer yesterday drew a distinction between young people who have not had sex and others who have. Powell, he said, "limited his answer to people who are sexually active."
State Department spokesman Richard A. Boucher drew the same distinction and said: "Any attempt to find difference between him and administration policy is obviously misplaced. He does support the entire policy of the administration, including abstinence education."
The MTV broadcast featured Powell with a Washington studio audience and connected by satellite with young people in six television studios around the world. Powell, who had no advance warning of the questions, stood on a symbol of the globe and answered at length, discussing administration choices on subjects from Kashmir to al Qaeda and pitching a view of U.S. foreign policy as principled and humane. [snip]
washingtonpost.com
God, what a storm in a teacup... whipped up by the Judeofascist lobby, that is, the Christian Coalition and their Zionist sidekicks... and a devious piece of partisanship at that. Indeed, the Judeofascist lobby anticipates the possible demise of its point man in the Bush administration, namely, VP Dick Cheney --as a fallout of the ongoing Enrongate. Hence their attack on Powell... However, since criticizing the administration's foreign policy is rather unpatriotic, especially in wartime, they went for a side show instead: Powell's well-known liberal views on family issues.
Anyway, that rift with the Judeofascist lobby might turn out to be advantageous to Powell: his foes have stuck their necks out and, once he'll have sorted them out, he'll be able to nail Cheney on his faux pas in the ME... Cheney got the diplomatics bug, eh? Fine, wait and see.... Gamesmanship's rule #1: Hit the Queen and the whole swarm will just straggle amuck! LOL
Gus |