Difference between revisions of "Colin Powell"

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General Colin Luther Powell, United States Army (Ret.) (born April 5, 1937) was the 65th United States Secretary of State (2001-05) under President George W. Bush and a liberal member of the Republican Party. As a General in the United States Army, Powell also served as National Security Advisor (1987–1989), and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–1993) he became the highest ranking African American government official in the history of the United States.

Military career

While at City College Powell joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and later described it as one of the happiest experiences of his life: finding something he loved and could do well, he had "found himself." After graduating from City College in June 1958, he was granted a commission as an Army Second Lieutenant. Powell was a professional soldier for 35 years, during which time he held a variety of command and staff positions and later served as a General. During his military career Powell received the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and the Soldiers Medal.

Presidential appointments

At the age of 49, Powell became President Ronald Reagan's National Security Advisor, serving from 1987 to 1989. He retained his Army commission (he was a Lieutenant General at the time of his nomination) while serving as National Security Advisor. After his tenure, Powell was promoted to 4-star General under President George H.W. Bush.

From 1989 to 1993, General Powell served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military position in the Department of Defense. During this time, he oversaw 28 crises, including the invasion of Panama in 1989 to remove General Manuel Noriega from power in and Operation Desert Storm in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. During these events, Powell earned his nickname, "the reluctant warrior". After the end of Persian Gulf War, Colin Powell outlined his vision for efficient and decisive military action. His plan is now referred to as the Powell Doctrine. the Doctrine expresses that military action should be used only as a last resort and only if there is a clear risk to national security by the intended target; the force, when used, should be overwhelming and disproportionate to the force used by the enemy; there must be strong support for the campaign by the general public; and there must be a clear exit strategy from the conflict in which the military is engaged.

Secretary of State Colin Powell, Vice President Dick Cheney and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Hugh Shelton, President George W. Bush talks with the press about the previous day's terrorist attacks during a cabinet meeting Sept. 12, 2001. White House photo by Tina Hager.

Political views

Colin Powell is a liberal or moderate Republican who is pro-choice regarding abortion, supports affirmative action and "reasonable" gun control. Although Powell is against gay marriage, he supports and helped craft the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy in the United States military. He has also been critical of the current policy in Iraq. In 2005, Powell telephoned two Senator's, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska (also liberal Republicans) asking them to oppose the nomination of John R. Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations. In September 2005, Powell criticized the government's response to Hurricane Katrina. Powell was mentioned as a potential running mate for John McCain^[1], but said he was no longer interested in elective office.

Obama endorsement

On 19 October 2008, Powell endorsed Barack Obama for President. Powell said that Obama was a "transformational figure coming into the world stage" ^[2] and expressed disappointment in what he called the "negative tone" of McCain's campaign, as well as in McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential nominee ^[3] saying that she lacked experience even as he was supporting a candidate with one year of experience in the Senate before running for President. Powell went on to criticize other Republicans for what he claims is insistence on their part that Obama is a Muslim stating, "I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the Republican Party say... such things as 'Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim'. Well the correct answer is, 'He's not a Muslim, he's a Christian, he's always been a Christian'. But the really right answer is, 'What if he is?' Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is 'No', that's not America."^[4] Powell did not give examples of anyone within the Republican Party who had called Obama Muslim, instead choosing to make a general claim. A month ago Powell had said that the thought of an African American President was 'electrifying'. In his speech backing Obama, he also said he did not want to see the appointment of Conservative Supreme Court Justices.^[5]

According to both Rush Limbaugh and Juan Williams, Powell's endorsement of Obama was mainly influenced by the fact that Obama is black^[6], however Powell argues that if it had been about race, he would have endorsed Obama earlier and never given money to the McCain campaign. ^[7]

After endorsing Obama, he was offered a position in a hypothetical future Obama administration, in a possible case of quid pro quo.^[8] In a Meet The Press interview with Tom Brokaw, however, Powell denied any interest in a potential position in an Obama administration saying "I served 40 years in government, and I--I'm not looking forward to a position or an assignment...I am in no way interested in returning to government."^[9] Although he did state that he would "... sit and talk to any president who wishes to talk to me..." he was not, however, "...anxious to rule it[a position] in."^[10]

Family and personal information

Powell has been married to Alma Vivian Johnson since 1962. They have one child, a son, Michael (1963). The Powells are Episcopalians. One of Colin Powell's hobbies is restoring classic automobiles^[11].

External links

WhiteHouse.gov biography

References

1. ↑ http://www.aarpmagazine.org/people/colin_powell.html
2. ↑ http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/19/colin-powell-endorses-obama/
3. ↑ http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/19/colin-powell-endorses-barack-obama-for-presiden-1/
4. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7678788.stm
5. ↑ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27265369/
6. ↑ [1]
7. ↑ [2]
8. ↑ http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081020/ts_alt_afp/usvoteobamapowell_081020141241
9. ↑ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27266223/page/3/
10. ↑ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27266223/page/3/
11. ↑ http://www.4driversonly.com/50226711/colin_powell_drives_a_66_volvo.php