Day-oh Daaaay-oh. Daylight come, and me wanna go home. Harry, stick to singing and leave the politics to people who are more educated. Tell your fellow calypso singer, Lewis Farrakhan, that he should do the same.
it may not be a popular thing to say, but harry's right. powell has basically been told to shut his mouth every time hes voiced an opinion that differs from the white house line. and so he shuts it. youre fooling yourself if you think colin is anything but a PR vehicle for the republicans.
This is pretty much correct. Powell has more political capital than anyone in the administration, and the Republicans have slapped a rope around his neck. How's that for lynchin' imagery?
I may not agree with Mr, Powell, but damn, didn't they call him nig*er. I'm sorry to offend, but how dare the rip on the most level headed man.
He's spoken more sense than anyone else in the administration has...and he always comes back with a different opinion a few days later. It's obvious what's happening. "You're either with us or against us", right??
Thank you. Lastort, when people within the Black community want you to decide who among us gets to air an opinion about Powell or anything else, we'll let you know. Grab yourself a bowl of Grape Nuts (they take much longer to go soggy) and stay by the phone. Or crawl back to the toga party, 'cause realistically, we ain't calling you for permission. Ever. On topic- Powell's not a slave. He's a cold-blooded opportunist. Period. He(and Rice) took the job knowing full well who his boss would be. After expressing some difference to keep his popularity high among those who disagree with Cheney, he's followed the company line, every time. If he had any 'nads, he'd have resigned in the middle (not the end) of Cheney's term to make a point, and been near a mic to smile and say, "I told you so" if the sh!t ever hit the fan. Admittedly, Belafonte's wasting his time using this statement to appeal to Powell's conscience, because conscience doesn't hold Powell's leash- Cheney does.
Has he? First, much of what you refer to is much more a by-product of the traditional infighting that takes place with the State Dept & Pentagon. Secondly, if you look at the debate with some distance, Powell has scored more victories on how the larger policy has developed. The fact that people see him as being "shut up," flies in the face of a) the way the policy has developed, b) the way you operate in DC-he is a pro who understands how to get things done. Which brings me to my last point. The envy of people on the left re: Powell is quite funny; the Sharpton, Jackson, Belafonte brigade seem always quick on the trigger to point out Powell's lack of bona fides as a, "true Black Man," but oh how they would love him to be one of them. And really, that's always been the rub with Powell: he's too down-the-middle for conservatives or liberals to truly co-op him: he is neither fish nor fowl in terms of his politics.
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/robertnovak/rn20020916.shtml This is one of the more disgusting threads to emerge on bs.com in some time.
One thing to keep in mind is that in the last few weeks Dubya's Iraq policy has come more in line w/ Powell's view. I.E. get a UN mandate. But the big fight is between the Hawks, never served in combat vs. the Doves, served in combat.
I would point out two things. 1. Belafonte was talking about Colin Powell as a black man. So to me, the criticism is weak unless the issue is something at least tangentially a special issue for black Americans. If the issue is Haiti or sub-Saharan debt restructuring, for example. 2. Ummm, Powell is in Bush's cabinet. It's not the other way around. Powell serves Bush, just like all of Bush's advisers. Powell is no more a victim of the plantation mentality than John Ashcroft. It's true that Powell probably sold out his principles on such things as abortion and affirmative action. But guess what...Powell ain't Secretary of HUD or HHS, where such disagreements would matter. He's Secretary of State. And while I don't like Bush, he hasn't done any quasi-racist stuff like his dad did when running for president. Well, not since the slanders against McCain in South Carolina, anyway. I don't believe that the election-changing disenfranchisement of Florida blacks was anything sinister, it's just that pols don't really care about it. So don't go there.
I didn't realize only blacks could criticize blacks, and only whites could criticize whites. Thanks for clarifying that for me.
You know, I was speaking to a friend the other day who summed up the Bush Jr. administration as a big disfunctional family. Here's a few I remember: You have the bumbling, self-righteous and overly evangelical dad. Rumsfeld is the drunk, gesticulating uncle. Powell, married to Bushie's sister, is the black dude no one talks to.
I Understand you mean Congressmen.But as a Vet who served in both Panama and The Gulf i take some offense at this.I served with the 1-502 101st Airborne.We penetrated deeper into iraqi territory then any of the Allied forces.Much of it within a 48 hour Time frame.We were FULLY EXPECTING to continue our mission all the way to baghdad.We understood the risks of possible Urban combat if we did take baghdad.But we looked forward to utilizing the experience we gained from the Panamanian Conflict.Not only were we ready but were EXPERIENCED (The US press Ignored the fact many GW soldiers had fought in panama).I would be lieing if I said we were not Pissed when we learned we would not be taking Baghdad. To this day many 101st Vets who served are still pissed about this.We witnessed how happy both Iraqi civillians and SOLDIERS were when we temporarily liberated parts of their nation.I am sure most would not hesitate to volunteer to go back and fight.
Oh, so since I'm not a black man, I can't have an opinion about what a black man said about another black man? Hmm, I think I'm going to go see Barbershop this weekend so I can learn what Cedric the Entertainer had to say about Rosa Parks and Jesse Jackson.
Obviously, nothing has been clear to you for some time now. Put the crack pipe down and read the post again, genius... There's a diference between White criticism and Whites telling Black people to keep their mouth shut because they're "not educated enough" (read into that what your brain cells will allow) to have an opinion on the issue. The poster "told" Belafonte (and Farrakhan) to stick to singing, a la Sammy Davis, I guess. My response was that the poster is in no position to choose which Black people get to voice their opinions- NOT that he has no business criticizing Black people who do.
Colin Powell is one of the few people in this administration who is keeping his head and working hard to keep Bush from stepping on his own Johnson (at least not too often) in foreign affairs. Were it not for Powell, we would be on day 60 of the Iraq air campaign. Sure, he needs to keep a loyal and professional air in public but behind the scenes, it is much different. He is likely one of the few in the administration who can look W in the eye and tell him he is screwing up and to change his tune. Powell's mere presence in the administration as Sec State gives credence to American credibility worldwide, even these days. He is seen as the good cop in an administration which has chosen to alienate so many. Were Powell to walk, this administration would be in real trouble getting anything done in foreign affairs. For this reason, Powell is in the driver's seat. If Harry Belafonte can't see this, he is an idiot. It is unfortunate that any prominent African-American who does not toe the left wing line is labeled an Uncle Tom.
My response had nothing to do with whether or not Belafonte was black, white, green or purple. IMHO, calling Colin Powell a "house slave" was stupid. If it had been Wayne Newton (sort of the white equivalent of Belafonte from a musical style perspective) who said the same things about Powell, I would've said the same thing about Wayne Newton. As far as I'm concerned, Belafonte called Powell an Uncle Tom, something that Powell does not deserve. I'm no fan of the Bush administration, but I do think Powell is doing a fantastic job as Secretary of State. As far as Farrakhan, he too was at one time a calypso singer, from Jamaica, before he decided to become whatever the hell it is that he is today.
Please. This is Dubya we're talking about, not Clarence (L. D. Silver)Thomas. But I get the idea just the same. Hey, I did say he should do just that- get out, grab a cold one and watch the damn trainwreck from his living room couch. Powell's never, ever going to be President or even Vice President, and he shouldn't need the cash or the addition to his resume. He's hit his ceiling, and continues to toil for naught alongside people who'd rather not take his advice. There's absolutely no good reason why he would do this unless he believes that it's a ticket to the White House. I don't think America's ready for that. You may, but I do not. Well, Dick is trying to hijack the car at every turn, and Dubya's in the child seat waiting for his turn at the wheel.
All right...Color aside, what level of education would qualify someone to make even a (IYHO) stupid statement about a Cabinet member without being told to stick to his profession? BTW- How did Minister Farrakhan get into this thread? You put him there.