Colin Powell has climbed the political ladder not because he is a
"warrior-statesman," as the media portrays him, but because he pleases those
in power. He presents the façade of a bipartisan pragmatist, but he is in
fact a Reagan-Bush ideologue who serves his masters in deadly and
undemocratic ways. Powell not only committed war crimes against the people
of Panama and Iraq, where he oversaw and covered up civilian massacres, but
he also misled Congress on the Iran-Contra affair.
Let's look at Powell's record. He came to prominence during the
Iran-Contra corruption scandal that brought the Reagan-Bush presidency
to a halt. Although he admitted to helping the CIA move missiles to the
Nicaraguan Contras--known widely for rape, torture, murder, and drug
running--Powell was chosen to head the National Security Council, where
he restricted a Senate committee from investigating the Contra drug
connection.
His mentors are Caspar Weinberger, who oversaw the largest peace-time
military build-up in American history, and Frank Carlucci, who replaced
Weinberger as Reagan's Secretary of Defense. Powell calls Carlucci his
"godfather of godfathers."
Powell's close relationship to Frank Carlucci is deeply troubling.
Carlucci is a careerist State Department "legend" with deep ties to the
Central Intelligence Agency. Carlucci, like Reagan and Bush a dogmatic
anti-communist, has been involved in covert operations in Latin America
and Africa since the 1960s; where-ever Carlucci has been stationed, coups
and counter-revolutionary bloodbaths, wars and violations of democracy, have
occurred. Carlucci hand-picked Powell to replace him as National
Security Advisor when he moved to Defense. "Godfather" indeed.
When George Bush was elected president in 1988, he offered Powell
the directorship of the CIA. Turning down a post he was qualified for
(the most hidden and undemocratic of institutions), Powell instead became
chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and played a key role in the December 1989
invasion of Panama. Just as he deceived the American people during
Iran-Contra, Powell lied to the public about the bombing and brutal
massacre of civilians in the El Chorrillo residential neighborhood, which he
defended as necessary to "protect" U.S. lives and restore "democracy" in Panama.
Powell's war crimes reached horrific proportions against the people
of Iraq. In 1990 the U.S. dropped 177 million pounds of bombs on Iraq,
killing hundreds of thousands, including tens of thousands of children.
Newsweek reported on Sept.3, 1990: "More than anyone, Powell is responsible
for shaping the U.S. military response in the Gulf." Powell also supports
the sanctions against Iraq, which are responsible for killing tens of
thousands of more innocent people, most of them children. Estimates
from the United Nations range up to 5,000 children dying per month.
Colin Powell is neither a warrior nor a statesman. He doesn't fight
in wars: he orders mass killing from afar. He is a deadly front man for
the corporate, military, and political masters he serves so compliantly.
Powell's position as a major player in the new Bush administration can
only mean more misery and death for the world's people.
The Middle East Crisis Committee is a group of activists in the New Haven,
CT area. We've been working since 1982. We've published a journal
called "The Struggle" since 1984 and the website "Demand Justice" for a year.
Check us out at: www.TheStruggle.org