Colin Powell Resigns

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Just announced on BBC. He's staying around until they find a replacement.

― suzy (suzy), Monday, 15 November 2004 14:58 (nineteen years ago) link

THere is no replacement! The intelligence was flawed!

― Huk-L, Monday, 15 November 2004 15:00 (nineteen years ago) link

I have no idea if I'm happy or frightened. So, it's JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER DAY IN BUSH AMERICA FOR ME.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:00 (nineteen years ago) link

Unfortunately von Ribbentrop is dead

― Ol' Dirty Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:00 (nineteen years ago) link

Oh, just put Wolfowitz in there and then he can make an even greater fool of himself.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:00 (nineteen years ago) link

Does that mean Michael Powell will also resign? No? Fuck.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:01 (nineteen years ago) link

(Perhaps Powell will now have more time to hang out on ILX and make fun of Chucky movies!)

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:01 (nineteen years ago) link

Fingers crossed!

― Ol' Dirty Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:02 (nineteen years ago) link

he probably prefers Orbital

― Freelance Hiveminder (blueski), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:02 (nineteen years ago) link

(if he does, he could be the new J. D@rn!e11e!)

― Huk-L, Monday, 15 November 2004 15:02 (nineteen years ago) link

I want to see him and Momus lock horns

― Ol' Dirty Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:03 (nineteen years ago) link

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham has told President Bush that he plans to resign but will stay on until a successor is in place, an administration official said on Monday.

― beanz (beanz), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:04 (nineteen years ago) link

President Bush has told himself he will resign in favor of a suitable replacement. He then sniffed uncomfortably.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:05 (nineteen years ago) link

What's with Bush and the sniffing?

― suzy (suzy), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:07 (nineteen years ago) link

Flashbacks.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:07 (nineteen years ago) link

Nasal flashbacks? Only in Merka.

― Ol' Dirty Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:19 (nineteen years ago) link

Bush is picking up the scent of his own bullshit

― Freelance Hiveminder (blueski), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:27 (nineteen years ago) link

there goes the last paleocon foreign policy 'influence', right? (not that he did much good first time around).

― m. (mitchlnw), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:31 (nineteen years ago) link

You have to remember that Bush is an idiot; he probably thinks you can get flashbacks from caffeine.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:31 (nineteen years ago) link

Maybe they can dig up Leo Strauss.

― Leon the Fratboy (Ex Leon), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:34 (nineteen years ago) link

Come on Dan, you only get coffee flashbacks if you turn MORMON...

― suzy (suzy), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:37 (nineteen years ago) link

I think you misunderestimate the President, suzy.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:38 (nineteen years ago) link

For a second I thought you dropped the second 'm' (xpost)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:38 (nineteen years ago) link

(As an aside, how many people of color will Bush have on his Cabinet now? Powell and Paige are gone but Rice is still there and he added that other guy whose name escapes me... How shameful is it that I have no idea who's on Bush's Cabinet?)

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:39 (nineteen years ago) link

To be fair, I think most people couldn't name the cabinet no matter who was president.

"Your Secretary of Transportation, Norman Mineta!"

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:41 (nineteen years ago) link

Mineta and Labor Sec. Elaine Chao are both still there.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:43 (nineteen years ago) link

The dude he added = Alberto Gonzales

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:43 (nineteen years ago) link

So is Spence Abraham (blech).

― Leon the Fratboy (Ex Leon), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:44 (nineteen years ago) link

Er, unless that one post up there about Abraham resigning was also a joke?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:48 (nineteen years ago) link

Yeah, Spence is out, along with Paige, Powell and Ann "Who?" Veneman.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:49 (nineteen years ago) link

Is Abraham a minority? I thought he was just ... Greek or something.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:50 (nineteen years ago) link

Man, I wish the Onion still had that article up about Spencer Abraham's pre-political career in porn.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:53 (nineteen years ago) link

satchel paige retired? that's news to me!-crusty old sportsfan.

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Monday, 15 November 2004 15:55 (nineteen years ago) link

He retired... into DEATH.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 15 November 2004 16:00 (nineteen years ago) link

Oops, didn't see that about Abraham. I can't stand him, with him being a michigan gop toadie. Good riddance.

― Leon the Fratboy (Ex Leon), Monday, 15 November 2004 16:05 (nineteen years ago) link

Yeah, everyone I know who grew up in Michigan hates him!

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 November 2004 16:06 (nineteen years ago) link

There was a great ad he had when he was running for the senate where he kissed his son, who was maybe one or two at the time. The kid recoiled in disgust.

― Leon the Fratboy (Ex Leon), Monday, 15 November 2004 16:10 (nineteen years ago) link

Goodbye, Colin. I have not yet bothered to find out why. Who are the other three who are going?

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Monday, 15 November 2004 17:21 (nineteen years ago) link

I wish it were potentially a good thing that Veneman and Abraham, especially, but also Paige, are going, but this would be a naive hope.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 15 November 2004 18:17 (nineteen years ago) link

Any chance that Powell will write a juicy tell-all memoir in the next four years?

― o. nate (onate), Monday, 15 November 2004 18:27 (nineteen years ago) link

i wonder if it's even possible, the way they work. i got the impression O'Neill went with the "blind man in a room full of deaf people"-type stuff, because opacity was the most damning evidence he had.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 15 November 2004 18:35 (nineteen years ago) link

That's true. Most likely that would be a theme of a Powell memoir as well. But even if he didn't have the most inside details, I'd still think he could tell some interesting stories.

― o. nate (onate), Monday, 15 November 2004 18:45 (nineteen years ago) link

Powell has always been the picture of diplomacy on these matters, I'd be very surprised if he ever came out aggressively negative toward any of these people; I'm not sure why, though, since by his own admission he will probably never seek elected office for fear of assassination (this according to Tim Russert this morning). Maybe that's the clue though: he's chickenshit.

― kyle (akmonday), Monday, 15 November 2004 19:07 (nineteen years ago) link

Man, I wish the Onion still had that article up about Spencer Abraham's pre-political career in porn.

I CANNOT BELIEVE I MISSED THIS.

― Joules Antenna (Andy K), Monday, 15 November 2004 19:10 (nineteen years ago) link

I'd be very surprised if he ever came out aggressively negative toward any of these people

I'd settle for cattily negative.

― o. nate (onate), Monday, 15 November 2004 19:10 (nineteen years ago) link

Resigned in disgust or eased aside? He's clearly been the administration's fifth wheel for some time -- once whatever leverage was applied to force him into that speech to the UN on WMD in Iraq, his usefulness was expended.

― briania (briania), Monday, 15 November 2004 19:14 (nineteen years ago) link

some of the onion's writer/editors are from michigan, where Abraham was a senator until he got booted out in 2000 and got a Cabinet position

― kingfish (Kingfish), Monday, 15 November 2004 19:19 (nineteen years ago) link

Andy K, it was very funny -- the premise was that Abraham just sort of assumed that everyone in the cabinet knew about his porn career and thought it was no big deal, heh.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:53 (nineteen years ago) link

"Resigned in disgust or eased aside?"
A bit of both I'd wager. As somebody said already, Powell's too diplomatic to admit it but he probably hates Bush w/ a passion.

― lovebug starski (lovebug starski), Monday, 15 November 2004 22:00 (nineteen years ago) link

Possibly hates who he proved himself to be, given events. His motives for joining the Cabinet in the first place would be interesting to know.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 15 November 2004 22:08 (nineteen years ago) link

Skipping 15 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Okay, I am now going to go on as many public spots as I can and post variations of "Condeleeza Rice MUST be fucking the President as she's given no indication that she's actually good at her job" until the FBI takes me away.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 14:05 (nineteen years ago) link

Tenet supposedly savages Condi in his forthcoming book

Tenet in career rehab non-shocker. Slamdunk, baby!

― don weiner, Tuesday, 16 November 2004 14:31 (nineteen years ago) link

Condi wasn't a very good manager, but I'm not exactly confident that anyone else would have performed better in that situation. And her taking over Sec of State isn't any more astonishing than Albright doing it.

― don weiner, Tuesday, 16 November 2004 14:37 (nineteen years ago) link

I get the impression that Albright was much more of an "accumulate data and form a conclusion"-type personality whereas Rice seems to be a "form a conclusion and insist it is correct until everyone sighs with frustration and agrees to get you to shut up"-type (like the majority of Bush's cabinet and Bush himself).

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 14:47 (nineteen years ago) link

(But you are correct in saying that there's no evidence that someone else could have done a better job.)

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 14:48 (nineteen years ago) link

(which isn't to say that I thought she did a good job or that she is necessarily the best candidate for SecOfState either.)

― don weiner, Tuesday, 16 November 2004 14:49 (nineteen years ago) link

form a conclusion and insist it is correct ...
OTM.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 14:51 (nineteen years ago) link

(also, I'm not sure where you get the impression that Rice doesn't intellectually aggregate given her background; perhaps it's the proximity factor of her boss. After all, how else do you "form a conclusion"? And I'd also assert that if your assertion of Albright is true, then it helps explain her actions vis a vis Kosovo.)

(I love posts in parantheticals.)

(They make it seem like there is a lot of background thinking on my part.)

(They make it seem like I "form conclusions" rather than just shit out reactionary posts.)

― don weiner, Tuesday, 16 November 2004 14:53 (nineteen years ago) link

I am now going to go on as many public spots as I can and post variations of "Condeleeza Rice MUST be fucking the President as she's given no indication that she's actually good at her job"

No better time to start than now!!!

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/16/rice.powell/top.bush.rice2.ap.jpg

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 18:23 (nineteen years ago) link

i'll wager that gap b/w her front teeth is just wide enough for W to get his pencil dick through

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 18:24 (nineteen years ago) link

hott.

― Allyzay Science Explosion (allyzay), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 18:25 (nineteen years ago) link

My sperm just died. Thanks, Kyle.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 18:33 (nineteen years ago) link

even as i type this, i am sure of the inevitable onslaught. but what the hell. i find it a bit insulting/sexist that some upthread have linked rice's crappy job performance (and the administration's continued support of her) to sex between her and bush. joking, i know. but still, there remains a grain of sexism there. i havent noticed anyone saying the same about rumsfeld and bush, and i think we can all stand in wonder at the administration's continued praise for him.

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 18:34 (nineteen years ago) link

Maybe the Bush admin is all about career advancement via hott menage a twats.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 18:37 (nineteen years ago) link

Grain of sexism, perhaps, but she has said some rather creepy things about her relationship with the President.

― Michael White (Hereward), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 18:38 (nineteen years ago) link

emily i think those posts come from occassions (one? two?) where condi ACTUALLY REFERRED TO BUSH AS HER HUSBAND IN A BIT OF A SLIP!

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 18:41 (nineteen years ago) link

I have absolutely no faith in condi's skills as a manager. the whole time during her testimony I was DYING because she kept saying 'well nobody was looking into this, nobody told me about this, there was nobody working on this' ISNT IT YOUR FUCKING JOB TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE DOING THINGS, COMMUNICATING, BEING ON THE SAME PAGE???

― still bevens (bscrubbins), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 18:41 (nineteen years ago) link

..and last month, when asked about the missing weapons cache in Iraq, "My office just found out about this a month ago." I can't tell if she's totally incompetent asa NSD, or if she's totally incompetent at bullshitting the press, or both.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 18:45 (nineteen years ago) link

yancy-i know that they were in reference to that, but i don't remember her ever commenting on fitting his dick in between her front teeth.

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 18:48 (nineteen years ago) link

ah. i gotcha.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 18:49 (nineteen years ago) link

she is a very, very bad liar. it's completely transparent when she's trying to blow smoke up your ass. maybe she actually has some kind of conscience, she gets very stiff and stammers a lot.

(xpost: sorry emily that was unwarranted and I kind of regretted it as soon as I wrote it.)

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 18:49 (nineteen years ago) link

yes, i think her stiff performance at the 9/11 commission hearings is a good example of that, kyle.

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 18:50 (nineteen years ago) link

Rice on TV now, saying that America has built democracies at the heart of the muslim world.

― stevie (stevie), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 19:38 (nineteen years ago) link

Rice is successor, announces BBC

MSNBC headline: "Bush Picks Rice"

― jody b. kerosene (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 19:40 (nineteen years ago) link

Interesting point buried a bit in this Washington Post piece -- as noticed by Mr. Sullivan, should Momus wish to complain. ;-)

"The decision was made to keep Rumsfeld and drop Powell because if they would have kept Powell and let [the Rumsfeld team] go, that would have been tantamount to an acknowledgment of failure in Iraq and our policies there," one government official said, requesting anonymity to speak more candidly. "Powell is the expendable one."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 19:52 (nineteen years ago) link

Better than "Bush Picks Colin", I suppose.

This would be an x-post.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 19:58 (nineteen years ago) link

There is a grain of sexism there which (I think) is mitigated by the fact that Yanc3y points out, namely that Rice has referred to Bush as her husband. To my knowledge, Rumsfeld has not.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 22:33 (nineteen years ago) link

(Also, I would like to think that people realize that when I do actualy make statements like that, they based on more than "WELL HE IS A BOY AND SHE IS A GURL, DUH DUH DUH" but apparently that's hoping for too much.)

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 22:36 (nineteen years ago) link

Yeah but there's kind of a weird commonplace of going from don't-like-a-woman to "she must be whoring herself into place."

I'm kinda dismayed by the appointment, mostly because Rice has pretty much said in the past that she's not particularly interested in the position, and its diplomatic side in particular. She'd clearly rather be in Rumsfeld's seat, no?

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 22:53 (nineteen years ago) link

She'd clearly rather be in Rumsfeld's seat, no?

Was there a grain of sexism in that?

― martin m. (mushrush), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 23:30 (nineteen years ago) link

Well, if Cheney's parts stop working she'll be VP. Eek. Eyes on the ball, people.

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 00:09 (nineteen years ago) link

Well, if Cheney's parts stop working she'll be VP

Er, is this is in the Constitution?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 00:55 (nineteen years ago) link

Is SoS the one who assumes office if the VP resigns/steps down? Or is there one more body in her way?

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 00:57 (nineteen years ago) link

Here's what I found with this document via the usinfo.state.gov site:

When the office of Vice President becomes vacant for any reason, the President nominates a successor, who must be confirmed by a majority vote of both houses of Congress.

This presumably is what happened after Spiro Agnew stepped down.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 01:05 (nineteen years ago) link

In terms of direct line of succession, Bush, Cheney, Frist and the president pro temp of the Senate would have to die/be incapicatated all at once for Rice to step up. Haig thought otherwise back in 1981 when Reagan was shot and Bush was out of town, thus the "I'm in charge here" gaffe. (It would have actually been Tip O'Neill if something had gone down.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 01:12 (nineteen years ago) link

Oh just watch them whack in something called the Haig Amendment to change that. Sound about right for BushCo?

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 01:15 (nineteen years ago) link

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0101032.html

Hastert's next. Then, um, Ted Stevens? Is that even a real person?

― Krissy Duncan (kdruinscsayn), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:48 (nineteen years ago) link

Ah, yes, Hastert, confused the GOP flacks in Congress there.

Hooray Ted Stevens! The man who could yet be President!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:51 (nineteen years ago) link

There is a grain of sexism there which (I think) is mitigated by the fact that Yanc3y points out, namely that Rice has referred to Bush as her husband. To my knowledge, Rumsfeld has not.

-- The Ghost of Dan Perry (djperr...), November 16th, 2004 5:33 PM. (Dan Perry) (later) (link)

-- The Ghost of Dan Perry (djperr...), November 16th, 2004 5:36 PM. (Dan Perry) (later) (link)

OTM 10000000000x over and that's all I'm going to contribute here.

― Allyzay Science Explosion (allyzay), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 03:56 (nineteen years ago) link

When tough issues arise in the Senate, Ted's motto has always been, "Do what's best for Alaska." And he has. Virtually every Senator is aware that Alaska is one-fifth the size of the entire United States, thanks to Stevens' constant reminders on the Senate floor and elsewhere.

http://stevens.senate.gov/bio.htm

― Krissy Duncan (kdruinscsayn), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 04:11 (nineteen years ago) link

Oh wait, it's THAT guy! As referenced in an MST3K episode.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 05:04 (nineteen years ago) link

she is a very, very bad liar.

Yes. I was talking to a friend about this yesterday, and I said I used to want to have a little respect for Condi, but I have just gotten so tired of listening to her lie. And lie and lie and lie. She'll say the most ridiculous things, and be mildly condescending while she's saying them, like you're a little bit of an idiot for not understanding the very simple things she's telling you -- except that what she's telling you isn't simple at all, it's convoluted and self-contradictory and riddled with obscene lapses in logic and moral coherence. And she lacks either the will or the skill -- mostly likely both -- to make any of it remotely convincing. Sometimes after listening to her I have to go look out my window to make sure I'm still somewhere on Earth. (just one sun, no floating buildings, no giant robot overlords...ok) But a lot of people in this administration have that effect on me.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 06:52 (nineteen years ago) link

and let us all look forward to four more years of seeing her on the sunday shows, which none of us will watch, but from which jon stewart will play clips from.

― kingfish (Kingfish), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 07:56 (nineteen years ago) link

First question for the Rice confirmation hearings: "So, why should we believe you this time?"

― Krissy Duncan (kdruinscsayn), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 13:46 (nineteen years ago) link

I thought this thread wz called Colin Powell Rangers

― fcussen (Burger), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 15:01 (nineteen years ago) link

what the hell

http://www.usea.org/secABRAHAM12.jpg

― Sanjay McDougal (jaymc), Monday, 29 November 2004 21:57 (nineteen years ago) link

(that's spencer abraham. apparently. jesus.)

― Sanjay McDougal (jaymc), Monday, 29 November 2004 21:58 (nineteen years ago) link

thirteen years pass...

he lied

https://theintercept.com/2018/02/06/lie-after-lie-what-colin-powell-knew-about-iraq-fifteen-years-ago-and-what-he-told-the-un/

― ice cream social justice (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 18:00 (six years ago) link

https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/130/590x/secondary/Macaulay-Culkin-Home-Alone-1157124.jpg

― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 18:28 (six years ago) link

WILKERSON: Powell had walked into my office musing and he said words to the effect of, ‘I wonder how we’ll all feel if we put half a million troops in Iraq and march from one end of the country to the other and find nothing.’

just fine iirc

― i gotta be a gazpacho man (bizarro gazzara), Tuesday, 6 February 2018 18:41 (six years ago) link

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