Powell: We Are Losing In Iraq

Exclusive: Former Secretary Of State Says More Troops Are Not The Answer

(CBS)  The United States is losing the war in Iraq but sending more troops to Baghdad is not the best way to change course, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Face The Nation.

Powell said he agreed with the assessment of the Iraq Study Group co-chairmen, Lee Hamilton and James Baker, that the situation in Iraq is "grave and deteriorating," and he also agreed with recently-confirmed Secretary of Defense Robert Gates that the U.S. is not winning the war.

"So if it's grave and deteriorating and we're not winning, we are losing," Powell told Bob Schieffer in an exclusive interview. "We haven't lost. And this is the time, now, to start to put in place the kinds of strategies that will turn this situation around."

President George W. Bush is considering several options for a new strategy in Iraq. The most likely choice would be to send tens of thousands of additional troops for an indefinite period to quickly secure Baghdad.

A 3,500-man brigade from the 82nd Airborne Division will be sent to Kuwait soon after the holidays, CBS News correspondent David Martin reported on Friday. The troops would be available immediately should the president order a surge into Iraq.

There are about 134,000 U.S. troops in Iraq now.

Powell, also a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he did not see the military benefit of flooding Baghdad with American troops.

"I am not persuaded that another surge of troops into Baghdad for the purposes of suppressing this communitarian violence, this civil war, will work," he said, adding that the Iraqi government and security forces must take over.

"It is the D.C. police force that guards Washington, D.C., not the troops that are stationed at Fort Myer," Powell said. "And in Baghdad, you need a police force to do that, and in the other cities, you need a police force to do that, and not the American troops."

Powell also doubted that the U.S. Army and Marine Corps are large enough to support such an operation.

"The current active Army is not large enough and the Marine Corps is not large enough for the kinds of missions they're being asked to perform," Powell said. "We need to let both the Army and the Marine Corps grow in size, in my military judgment."

Asked directly what the U.S. should do in Iraq, Powell said:

"I think that what we should do is to work with the Iraqi government, press them on the political peace, do everything we can to provide equipment, advisers, and whatever the Iraqi armed forces need to become more competent, and to train their leaders so that those leaders realize their responsibility to the government."

Powell, who as a member of the Bush Administration pushed the international community to sanction the invasion of Iraq, said that we are not safer now after nearly four years of fighting.

"I think we are a little less safe, in the sense that we don't have the same force structure available for other problems," Powell said. "I think we have been somewhat constrained in our ability to influence events elsewhere."

[powersmaker]

too bad powell isn't president ...

shows you how much the president likes to surround himself with people who possess dissenting opinions.

[sjc_1]

They shut Powell out from the beginning. He told them the truth and they said he was not a loyal team player. Look where that got us.

[macusweil]

Bush + Leader = Bleeder

1) Bleed the treasury & taxpayer
2) Bleed the millitary
3) Bleed states rights
4) Bleed public saftey
5) Bleed government oversight

He's a world bleeder!!

[powersmaker]

i wonder if the president coughed on his cornflakes this morning when he saw the interview ....

he turned to the missus and said "that ain't no "stay the course" tune" ...

To think that this man was sent away and they KEPT Rumsfeld...absolutely amazing, and terrifying...this is who should be running for President in 2008...on either party's ticket.

[rbond8-2009]

Among the last of the 79 recommendations of ISG report(I've read it all) are thoughts for economic assistance. Should have been major thrust of report, with emphasis on Peace Corp type aid and local programs under local direction and not the master-planning top-down approach. Best use of our troops and treasure would be to convert them to humanitarian aid to Iraqis and Afghans. Best diplomacy woueld be humanitarian action...not talk-tralk-talk at sdmmit meetings.

[m_kotyk]

I don't believe that Powell was for the war in the first place and garnered support for the war only because, like any soldier, he was going to do his job and follow orders. Now that he is no longer under the reign of the Bush Administration, he can now say what he wants to. Too bad he didn't say this BEFORE the war began. Politicians ... what a waste.

[vancouverboo]

escalation by any other name is "surge." lol. anything to avoid the vietnam words. and "surge" sounds like a party, like a rave, sort of, so why not hoist it up the flagpole and see if it waves? lol. Spin doctors, PR reps. our country is no better than a TV sitcom.

[arthurcl1]

Powell said he agreed with the assessment of the Iraq Study Group co-chairmen, Lee Hamilton and James Baker, that the situation in Iraq is "grave and deteriorating," and he also agreed with recently-confirmed Secretary of Defense Robert Gates that the U.S. is not winning the war.
Sure, now he agrees to disagree, but he was instrumental in getting us into the war as he was in Bushes Right Pocket! Now we are in "grave and deteriorating" condition. Sounds like shades of words about the Vietnam Conflict! Thanks to Bush!

[nothappyatall]

Oh no chit sherlock!! he admits now what many of us have been saying for months or from the get-go, this is not a war that is "winable" and we have been losing it since the beginning. At a time when the American people want us OUT, these clowns want to send MORE troops IN!!

What the he11 is sending more bodies in going to do???
The Bush regime is going to find more ways to keep this thing going and keep our guys over there for more years- keeps Bush's buddies at Haliburton et al in money.

I met Colin Powell during the Gulf War, and had high hopes for him, he has a brilliant military mind, however he is also the one responsible for stating the Iran was adapting missiles for a nuclear delivery system in Nov 2004, along with a few other blunders, he at first said that Iraq had no WMDs, which we in the military knew, then reversed his story, then later recanted once again after the damage had been done. Sometimes I think great military minds should stay military. then retire and leave politics alone.

Norman Schwarzkopf retired in 1991 if I recall and never entered politics which was a great move I thought, he would have only been bullied by Bush and the Chain-y gang

[lizzypoo35]

Perhaps President Bush should spend some time himself reading blogs such as these. The American people have spoken by way of the media and the overwhelming consensus is that we are not happy with the War in Iraq! WE WANT OUT!!! HOW MANY TIMES AND DIFFERENT WAYS DO WE HAVE TO SAY IT?!?!?!
The President, as elected representative of the American people should not only listen to us, but perhaps the educated intellectuals that were put together to study this closely. We're all saying the same thing. GET OUT!!!
Why does he continue to defy this???

Colin Powell is a brilliant and loyal man, and I appreciate him speaking out now, but perhaps he should have resisted harder against the war in the first place. There's no one I pity more than this man who was forced before the international community to endorse this war that he knew wouldn't work.

[arikindalg]

Is there ANYBODY left (outside of a small cadre of neocons and assorted political hacks) who supports the war, or who thinks that sending in a "surge" of additional troops (aka Vietnam-style escalation) is a good idea?

Just curious..

[CocoOregon]

Colin Powell has the support of voters from all political parties, Run for Pres. or we'll write you in!!!!!!!! It's about time we had someone in the Oval Office with a brain.

AriKindalg....sure I do!!! Here is my plan, we first pull every soldier and airman out of the area, give the public about 24 hours notification then send in a crew of just 6 men, IN A B1 BOMBER AND DROP A "B61" NUCLEAR WARHEAD in the center of Baghdad, if they like big booms they will like this one, however it will be the last one they hear

[rsoxfan1123]

Powell knew what a disaster Bush and his cronies were leading us into in Iraq and rather than speak out, he left the bush administration like a rat from a sinking ship. Had he spoken out about the corruption and stupidity he knew was taking place rather than running for political cover, maybe some of the people who were unable to realize what a stupid idea Iraq was would have listened to him. Now he comes forward and is honest even as Bush digs us deeper into the hole he dug for our nation. Thanks a lot.

rsoxfan1123, he was asked to resign, just like Rummy was

[dougmitchel2]

I find it extremely odd that a few days ago King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia "read the riot act" to Vice President Cheney concerning our pulling troops out of Iraq, and now, only a few days later, the president is considering sending an additional 20,000 American troops there. Just who is running this country, anyhow? It's about time Powell is speaking up. He seems to have gotten his courage back. Two thousand, nine hundred fourty nine American lives too late, however.

James T. Mitchell
Tucson, AZ

[randalds]

Colin Powell spent his first few years as Secretary of State as the Bush White House token house slave. He was there for window dressing while foreign policy was (and still is) being controlled by Cheney. He was asked to resign and did so, much to his relief. It gave him a chance to try to regain some of his dignity.

That said, when it comes to his opinion if we are or are not losing the war, I'll take his advice over the Chimp and Darth Vader anytime. Unlike them he actually knows what a war looks like other then as toys moved around on a map in the situation room.

[randalds]

Is there ANYBODY left (outside of a small cadre of neocons and assorted political hacks) who supports the war, or who thinks that sending in a "surge" of additional troops (aka Vietnam-style escalation) is a good idea?

Just curious..
Posted by AriKindalg at 01:06 PM : Dec 17, 2006

Not a single one. Bush is finally down to his base, the very rich who are making money off from the war and the very stupid who are too ignorant to believe they've been had.

RandalDS, its funny you mention the situation room as I have the same large maps used (from my military days) I got them out the other day and laid them out, and put post-it notes on each country where there are problems (hot spots) It's pretty scary when you see the big picture of things in the world today, there a lot of fighting going on right now, not to mention problems with Iran, and N. Korea etc etc

[castanea-2009]

Once upon a time I had a lot of respect for Colin Powell(a man who could've been President)however, after he lied for the Bush and Cheney gang, that respect has evaporated. Now he looks just like another talking head.Blah,blah,blah.Too late for the truth, too many have died. Just ANOTHER skip in the record !!

[gladys_over]

Bush needs to do what Julius Caesar did when the Gauls were beating the Romans in the Gallic Wars.

He needs to go take personal command of the fighting. He needs to rally the troops in person. He needs to take those scary drives and risk those IED's in person.

Julius Caesar knew that that was the gesture he needed to make in Gaul. In battle Caesar wore a purple robe to distinguish himself from his men -- as if to say to the Gauls, "Here I am ! Bring it on !!"

That's the one thing Bush could do to turn this from a defeat to victory.

Gladys_Over, perhaps his daddy might have the balls to do that, not him

[timothyone-2009]

When we toppled Saddam we had no choice but to replace him ourselves. That's what Powell meant when he said before the war, %u201CIf we break it, we own it.%u201D We had to replace him and his government, his police and his military. If we were to leave prior to rebuilding a stable pro-western government anti-American forces from all sides of Iraq would rush in to fill the void, leaving us with a mess many times worse than we had with Saddam. We cannot leave. We simply cannot. Bush has created the perfect quagmire. We are destroying ourselves by staying in Iraq, but leaving would be even worse. This is the kind of situation one could only wish upon his worst enemy. George Bush is not only the worst President in our history, he has handed us the worst mistake ever made by our country. This huge mistake will continue to hurt America (not to mention the Iraqi people) for decades to come. The only good thing to come out of this just may be the destruction of the Republican Party. We can only hope.

[patriotic9]

United States,the greatest super power in the world having best equipments,weapons and military losing war against those people who don't have ARMY,NAVY,AIF FORCE and MARINE?How did Bush make it happen?The enemies of United States fighting against our troops in Iraq are not backed by any super power like those Afghan and Arab fighters who were backed by United Staes in their war against Soviet troops.United States could never ever loose a war in such an embarassed way if CHRISTIANITY and an UNSEEN GOD were not involved in US politics.For the sake of USA and her people,RADICAL CHRISTIANS should denoucne the involvement of THOUSANDS of YEARS OLD,NON-SENSE and BACKWARD CHRISTIANITY in our politics which has been proven flat wrong by defeat in IRAQ in such a shameful way.Bush had invaded Iraq to kill all the IRAQIs and displace them from home land and to bring the so called GOD CHOSEN ENEMIES of the GOD'S ONLY SONS to occupy the land of Iraqi people by force to fulfil the demands of 2nd coming of CHRIST just like EUROPEANS were brought into PALESTINE after WWII to occupy the land of those PALESTINIANs by force who had nothing to do with HITLER'S CRIMES but ended up making ISLAMIC RADICALISM powerful like never before.

[Rambo1302]

He left the bush administration like a rat from a sinking ship.

[randalds]

Posted by ncolsens at 01:47 PM : Dec 17, 2006

Man I'd love to have a copy of them! ***! Lucky sob!

[randalds]

The sinking ship is a good analogy, but the Bush ship is sinking because they continuously have been shooting straight down at their feet with every stupid mistake they make. The shots that miss their feet are punching holes in their own hull. Sink away SS Bush, sink away.

[gladys_over]

RE: "In battle Caesar wore a purple robe to distinguish himself from his men -- as if to say to the Gauls, "Here I am ! Bring it on !!"

When he was President, Bill Clinton was the target of a failed assassination attempt.

The next day he went jogging with only one or two Secret Service agents. He was wearing a sweatshirt with a big bulls-eye on it, and the words "In the Line of Fire," a reference to the Clint Eastwood movie about a deranged presidential assassin.

Clinton had his faults, but he did have guts and bravado, which are sadly lacking in the smirking coward in the Oval Office now.

[educates]

There is a five minute scene from "Cabaret," set in a beer garden, where a young, handsome, blue eyed Nazi is singing the Nazi National Anthem, "Tomorrow belongs to me," and in the background are a cabaret dancer, a rich man and an intellectual. The Intellectual asks the rich man if he still thinks they can be stopped. The Rich man replies, "I don't know, I am going to Australia next week." In the front row among all the adoring faces is an old man (with a blank stare) who has been through this political fervor before.
I am the old man who predicted this *** when Bush was elected. No matter how much I raved, I had no power to stop it, and last week one of my rich friends who supported Bush (went to Europe.
Our only hope to redeem ourselves to the World is to quickly and uncerimoniously impeach Bush, Cheney and Condi.
There will be no hope for America in the eyes of the world until we (the holder's of Democracy) Impeach. It is the only way to save face.
Ed Cates

[cincigal74]

This man saw what was coming and did nothing to stop it.He took an oath to uphold and protect the constitution,not George W.Bush.All you ever heard out of the whole bunch of them was,"I serve at the PLEASURE of the President".We can now see where that led to.The President is an employee of the American people and a temporary one at that.The constitution is our abiding promise of a government by and for the people.Powell is in violation of the oath he took when appointed to the office of secretary of State.He is complicit in this whole disaster we now face.He has no honor,and is therefore a disgrace to the uniform he once wore.

[sagetrout]

Iraq from the beginning has been one gigantic costly misadventure born of ignorance and arrogance. Powell's comments only confirm the size of the mistake. As a former military commander with Vietnam, he understands the limits of military power in an insurgency. More troops are not the answer. A strategy the puts the responsibility squarely where it belongs, with the Iraqis themselves, is the only workable solution to extracate ourselves from Bush's military folly. In Vietnam, we used Vietnamization as our exit strategy. That is the same strategy we will have to use extract ourselves from Iraq. Spend what resources we have to train and equip the Iraqi Army and police forces, withdraw our troops from population centers, and plan on removing the majority of our combat forces within a year. That is the plan of the current military commander in Iraq, and more people should be listening to him. The surge strategy will never work because the insurgents will simply disappear into the landscape the same way the Viet Cong did and wait for us to leave.

[feelfree1]

cincigal74,

Re: "This man saw what was coming and did nothing to stop it.He took an oath to uphold and protect the constitution,not George W.Bush.All you ever heard out of the whole bunch of them was,"I serve at the PLEASURE of the President".We can now see where that led to.The President is an employee of the American people and a temporary one at that.The constitution is our abiding promise of a government by and for the people.Powell is in violation of the oath he took when appointed to the office of secretary of State.He is complicit in this whole disaster we now face.He has no honor,and is therefore a disgrace to the uniform he once wore."

Dead on! Please post often!

[ceekuei]

These comments from a man, and like so many, was complicit in the whole disastrous misadventure. Everyone who was involved in creating this daily bloody mess is trying to distance themselves from Junior. Powell could have done the noble thing and resigned then, but did not! He went along and is now tainted with the blood he helped spilled. Bush and all are guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. There must be a concerted effort to hold each and everyone of them accountable. Impeachment is a good start.

RandalDS, in all I have 24 maps, 12 will cover my entire living room floor that is 36 foot long and 24 feet wide, and that does not include our side of the world U.S. South American, Canada etc. You can buy these type maps at
http://www.omnimap.com I'm not sure if they have the map number GNC-12 which covers Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordon, Kuwait, and Turkey, these maps show maps every detail, elevation heights, roads, railways, airports as well as military installations.

[randalds]

This war was lost from the minute the first shot was fired. Iraq was destined to fall into a civil war and quagmire if Saddam was removed from power by an outside force. Only an internal revolution could have worked because the basic infrastructure would remain intact. Brent Scowcroft saw this and told the first Bush that it was an unwinnable war. George H.W. (how I am not a fan of) was wise enough to see the truth of that and stayed out. Junior however was determined to show up his dad and to try to prove that he could do it. He wanted to show that his dad was wrong for touting Jeb as the golden child and relegating him to the spot of family fu*ck up. Sadly W. proved that he was right where he belonged. He IS the family fu*ck up and always will be.

[randalds]

Thanks for the map link. I'll check it out. I love good maps, esp DoD types.

GNC maps (Global Navigational Chart) are better than TPC (topographic)

oops got my terminology wrong TPC is Tactical Pilotage Chart, but in any case GNCs are better maps

You can find the GNC chart listing here
http://www.omnimap.com/cgi/graphic.pl?images/ind-for/gnc-n.jpg

[bobgee_1999]

I too am disappointed with Powell. At first he admirably stood his ground, opposing Bush on Iraq, but then he caved. I will always wonder how they got to him. I would hesitate to say he has no honor---that is really something only the individual can know---but he certainly compromised his integrity in my eyes.

[creeper00]

newster1 said:
"What the he11 is sending more bodies in going to do???
The Bush regime is going to find more ways to keep this thing going and keep our guys over there for more years- keeps Bush's buddies at Haliburton et al in money."

Sending more bodies does something else. It keeps us in a state of war, allowing the president to continue to trash the Constitution in the name of national security. The only status he has is as a "war president" and that's been his excuse for every bullheaded, half-cocked, immoral and/or illegal decision he's ever made. Take away his war and he has nothing.

[creeper00]

Ed Cates...

How sad that your wisdom and experience were overwhelmed by people who thought George W. Bush would be a great guy to have a beer with.

[carolschneid]

If Colin Powell was in charge now instead of Bush, we wouldn't be in the mess we are in Iraq.

[missamerica4]

educates

There will be no hope for America in the eyes of the world until we (the holder's of Democracy) Impeach. It is the only way to save face.

Who cares what "the eye's of the world" say?
Do they pay your bills ? Hellno. You pay theirs.
"It is the only way to save face." Oh dear. Somebody does not like us. Boooo hoooo.
We can "save face" when we get rid of the lilly livered pansy pants who fret more over not being liked than they do over people fed into shredders. Get a grip blurb.

The Bush Administration%u2019s presentation of its purpose and continuing role in Iraq is one of elaborate and shifting deception just as were its original explanations of why it waged its war of aggression against Iraq. First one thing, then another: weapons of mass destruction, ties to Al Qaeda, to rid the country of a tyrant, to establish democracy and freedom in the Middle East, to destroy international terrorism at center stage. All were fabricated and known to be false by the President and the principal %u201Ccivil officers of the United States%u201D whose purpose led us down this garden path to genocide and the enmity of friend and foe alike.

If fear is the ultimate enemy of freedom, Iraq is the least free society on earth.

[randalds]

Thanks for the map links, ncolsens. Had to step away for a bit to make the wife lunch. Still not done. Bah humbug.

[nynative1340]

Back in the early days of Bush's first term, Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill had the courage to speak out against the Bush policy and was fired. He wrote about the experience in "The Politics of Truth" in which, among other events, he talked about Bush's Iraq war plans FROM DAY ONE. The problem is, O'Neill was not a well-known personality like Powell and his book didn't make very big waves. In fact, the only other place I've seen it referenced is in Frank Rich's "The Greatest Story Ever Sold."

Powell was part of this war plan FROM DAY ONE, he had to know that Bush's reasons were bogus, but he didn't have the courage to speak out. In fact, he still lacked the courage to speak out after he was fired. A 'telling' book by Powell would have caused people to sit up and take notice and might have changed the course of the war by at least two years or more.

In my mind, Powell is a coward. Cowards don't make good leaders. This is proven by the other coward who has been leading us (by proxy) for the last six years.