For a while it seemed as if Colin Powell might be our first African-American President.
His credentials, except for the not inconsequential fact he hasn't served in an elected office, were and are first-rate.
A former Secretary of State and a former U.
S.
Army General, he is steeped in foreign affairs, diplomatic and pugilistic.
He has seen war up-close, including a high-profile, successful stint in the first Gulf War.
And as anyone that has listened to him can attest, he seems very much like a sensible, articulate leader.
But what would he do, given the circumstances we face in Afghanistan? Would he echo the President's call for a surge of troops, 30,000 or 40,000 from America, and 10,000 more from NATO? Or, would he do something else? One thing is certain: Colin Powell has nothing to prove, militarily.
Unlike the current White House occupant, he has served in uniform with distinction.
So, he would probably be among the last to see a need to burnish his brass, in public.
In fact, there is a hint that he would be much more reluctant to commit added troops based on his reported resistance to the second Gulf War, a conflict that continues to this day.
Among President George W.
Bush's closest advisors, General Powell was one of the few to doubt the wisdom of invading and then occupying Iraq.
Is Afghanistan any different? I think it would be very helpful if General Powell would address this question, directly.
The right answer, despite his advancing age, might help to make him a serious and attractive candidate in 2012.
His credentials, except for the not inconsequential fact he hasn't served in an elected office, were and are first-rate.
A former Secretary of State and a former U.
S.
Army General, he is steeped in foreign affairs, diplomatic and pugilistic.
He has seen war up-close, including a high-profile, successful stint in the first Gulf War.
And as anyone that has listened to him can attest, he seems very much like a sensible, articulate leader.
But what would he do, given the circumstances we face in Afghanistan? Would he echo the President's call for a surge of troops, 30,000 or 40,000 from America, and 10,000 more from NATO? Or, would he do something else? One thing is certain: Colin Powell has nothing to prove, militarily.
Unlike the current White House occupant, he has served in uniform with distinction.
So, he would probably be among the last to see a need to burnish his brass, in public.
In fact, there is a hint that he would be much more reluctant to commit added troops based on his reported resistance to the second Gulf War, a conflict that continues to this day.
Among President George W.
Bush's closest advisors, General Powell was one of the few to doubt the wisdom of invading and then occupying Iraq.
Is Afghanistan any different? I think it would be very helpful if General Powell would address this question, directly.
The right answer, despite his advancing age, might help to make him a serious and attractive candidate in 2012.
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