DURING HER BRIEFING TODAY.
>> Dana: THANK YOU FOR GETTING
US STARTED.
>> Bill: WE’LL SCAN THE U.S.
AND THE WORLD.
CHRIS WALLACE, THANKS FOR
JOINING US TODAY AND YOUR
REFLECTIONS ON THE LIFE OF
COLIN POWELL AND HIS
CONTRIBUTION TO AMERICA.
>> LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE, WHEN I
SAW IT COME ACROSS EMAIL TODAY
THAT COLIN POWELL WAS DEAD, I
HAD A GASP.
I HAD HE WAS ONE OF THOSE
TIMELESS FIGURES I HEARD DANA
EARLIER SAY A GIANT.
YOU JUST DIDN’T THINK OF AS
PASSING FROM THE SCENE.
I FIRST GOT TO KNOW HIM WHEN HE
WAS A DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY
ADVISOR IN THE REAGAN WHITE
HOUSE.
I HAVE BEEN THINKING BACK OVER
THE MANY MEMORIES I HAVE OF HIM
REALLY FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS NOW
AND I THINK THE HIGHLIGHT AS
WERE TOUCHED ON.
THE HIGHLIGHT OF HIS CAREER
WHEN HE WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE
JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF IN EARLY
1990s, 1991, AND HEADED THE
MILITARY OPERATION ALONG WITH
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE CHENEY TO
PUSH SADDAM HUSSEIN OUT OF
KUWAIT AND BACK INTO IRAQ.
HE ALONG WITH CHENEY AND GEORGE
H.W. BUSH BUILT UP THIS HUGE
INTERNATIONAL COALITION AND
BEGAN IT WITH A MONTH’S LONG
AIR WAR THAT JUST POUNDED IRAQI
FORCES AND EVENTUALLY THEN
LAUNCHED THAT LEFT HOOK A
GROUND INVASION AGAINST INTO
KUWAIT AGAINST THE IRAQIS.
AND FORCED THEM BACK.
IT WAS CLEARLY THE HIGHLIGHT OF
HIS CAREER AS DAVID MENTIONED.
I THINK THE LOW LIGHT OF HIS
CAREER WAS IN 2003 WHEN HE
ADDRESSED THE UNITED NATIONS
AND MADE THE CASE THAT SADDAM
HUSSEIN HAD WEAPONS OF MASS
DESTRUCTION.
HE DIDN’T WANT TO MAKE THAT
SPEECH.
HE TOOK PRESSURE FROM THE BUSH
43 WHITE HOUSE INCLUDING VICE
PRESIDENT CHENEY REPORTED TO
HAVE SAID YOU GOT HIGH APPROVAL
RATINGS.
USE THOSE TO SELL THE WAR.
HE WAS SKEPTICAL OF THE CASE
AND ACTUALLY WENT OUT TO THE
C.I.A. AND WAS BRIEFED ON IT
AND ASKED QUESTIONS AND WAS NOT
THRILLED ABOUT IT BUT WAS GIVEN
BY HIS BOSS AND SPOKE BEFORE
THE U.N.
MOST OF WHAT HE SAID ABOUT
SADDAM HUSSEIN HAVING CHEMICAL
AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS TURNED
OUT NOT TO BE TRUE.
HE TOOK THAT VERY PERSONALLY.
HE WAS VERY PROTECTIVE OF HIS
REPUTATION, INTEGRITY AND HE
SAID FOR YEARS LATER THIS WAS A
STAIN ON HIS CAREER AND HE VERY
MUCH REGRETTED MAKING THAT.
>> Bill: WHAT I REMEMBER FROM
THAT 18 YEARS AGO HE VIRTUALLY
SPENT THE WEEKEND THREE OR FOUR
DAYS LOCKED IN A ROOM LISTENING
TO THE EVIDENCE AND IT WAS
AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF THAT
SEVERAL-DAY MEETING BEHIND
CLOSED DOORS HE AGREED TO GO
BEFORE THE U.N.
HE CALLED IT A BLOT THAT WILL
ALWAYS BE PART OF MY RECORD
BUST IT WAS THE CREDIBILITY OF
COLIN POWELL AT THE U.N. THAT
REALLY SOLD AMERICA ON THE
OFFENSIVE NATURE THAT WAS TO
COME IN THIS MILITARY ACTION,
CHRIS.
>> YEAH.
THERE WAS A SOURCE, SUPPOSEDLY
A SECRET IRAQI SOURCE, THAT THE
C.I.A. HAD DEVELOPED WITH THE
CODE NAME CURVEBALL.
A LOT OF THE INTELLIGENCE WAS
BASED ON WHAT CURVEBALL WAS
TELLING C.I.A. OPERATIVES AND
IT TURNED OUT NOT TO BE TRUE.
BUT THIS CERTAINLY WAS, AS YOU
SAY, A BLOT ON HIS CAREER AND
SOMETHING HE FELT BADLY ABOUT
BUT THAT SHOULDN’T DEFINE COLIN
POWELL.
THERE ARE TWO STORIES I VERY
MUCH WANT TO TELL AND
IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT WHEN I
HEARD ABOUT HIS PASSING.
ONE WAS HERE IS THIS BLACK
JAMAICAN KID, HE AND HIS FAMILY
MOVED TO THE UNITED STATES.
HE LIVES IN THE SOUTH BRONX AND
ENDS UP WORKING AS A KID FOR
SOME EASTERN EUROPEY AN JEWS
WHO RAN A FURNITURE STORE UP
THERE.
AND HE LEARNED YIDDISH FROM
THEM.
WHEN THEY WOULD NEGOTIATE WITH
PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT THE PRICE TO
BE FOR SOMETHING THE OWNERS
WOULD GO INTO THE BACK ROOM AND
THE PEOPLE, THE CUSTOMERS,
WOULD BE THERE WITH THIS LITTLE
BLACK KID AND THEY WOULD START
TALKING TO EACH OTHER IN JEWISH
NOT REALIZING THAT COLIN POWELL
UNDERSTOOD EVERYTHING THAT THEY
WERE SAYING.
HE WOULD GO BACK AND TELL THE
OWNERS, HIS BOSSES, EXACTLY
WHAT THEY WERE SAYING IN TERMS
OF NEGOTIATING FOR THE PRICE.
HE USED TO TELL THAT STORY WITH
TREMENDOUS DELIGHT.
IN HIS ADULT YEARS WAS QUITE
FLUENT IN JEWISH.
THIS WAS COLORED BY THE FACT HE
SERVED IN VIETNAM AND LIKE A
LOT OF AMERICAN MILITARY PEOPLE
SAW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE
MILITARY AND THE LEADERS IN
WASHINGTON GET AHEAD OF THE
PUBLIC.
AS CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS
IN THE EARLY 90s HE HAD THE
POWELL DOCTRINE.
IT WAS TWO THINGS.
ONE, IF YOU WERE GOING TO FIGHT
A WAR YOU FOUGHT WITH
OVERWHELMING FORCE.
YOU DIDN’T GO INCREMENTALLY AS
WE DID IN VIETNAM.
YOU BROUGHT EVERYTHING BROUGHT
TO WARE WHAT WE DID IN IRAQ IN
1991 WITH DESERT STORM.
THE SECOND THING IS YOU HAD TO
HAVE AMERICAN PUBLIC OPINION.
YOU COULDN’T FIGHT A WAR
SUCCESSFULLY IN A DEMOCRACY IF
YOU DIDN’T HAVE THE PUBLIC
BEHIND YOU.
THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT GUIDED
HIM IN THAT WAR AND HIS
FEELINGS ABOUT U.S. MILITARY
CAMPAIGNS AFTER THAT.
>> Dana: CHRIS, IT’S DANA.
I WANTED TO ASK MORE ON THE
POLITICAL SIDE OF THINGS.
HE HAD THOUGHT ABOUT RUNNING
FOR PRESIDENT UNDER THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
HE WAS ROUNDLY -- WARMLY
WELCOMED AT THE REPUBLICAN
CONVENTION.
HE DECIDED NOT TO RUN FOR
VARIOUS REASONS.
WE COULD TALK ABOUT THOSE.
BUT ALSO THEN HIS POLITICS
CHANGED OVER TIME AS I GUESS
MANY PEOPLE’S HAVE.
HE ENDORSED PRESIDENT OBAMA AND
THEN PRESIDENT BIDEN.
>> YEAH.
IT IS INTERESTING.
IN 1996, THERE WAS A REAL
MOVEMENT TO GET HIM -- NOT 1992
BECAUSE GEORGE H.W. BUSH WOULD
RUN FOR REELECTION.
IN 1996 HE WOULD BE THE
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE OPPOSING
BILL CLINTON AND IT WAS A VERY
POWERFUL DRAFT CAMPAIGN.
COINCIDENTALLY, I WAS AT ABC AT
THE TIME AND THE BOSSES SAID TO
ME IF HE RUNS YOU WILL COVER
COLIN POWELL’S CAMPAIGN.
EVERYBODY THOUGHT HE WOULD BE
IN.
IT WAS A REAL BIG PUSH.
AND FINALLY IN THE END HE
DECIDED NOT TO.
ONE OF THE REASONS AND I
SUSPECT YOU WERE ALLUDING TO
THIS.
HIS WIFE, ALMA.
THEY LOVED EACH OTHER SO DEEPLY.
WAS QUITE CONCERNED ABOUT AN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN RUNNING AND
THE POSSIBILITY THAT HE WOULD
BE ATTACKED PHYSICALLY AS AN
ASSASSINATION.
AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS.
SHE WAS VERY, VERY NERVOUS AND
CONCERNED ABOUT THAT.
ONE OF THE REASONS HE DECIDED
AT THE LAST MINUTE TO BACK OUT.
AS YOU SAY HE WAS A LOYAL
REPUBLICAN.
HE SERVED AS SECRETARY OF STATE
TO GEORGE W. BUSH FROM 2001 TO
2005, THE ENTIRE FIRST TERM.
BUT AS TIME WENT ON -- THIS WAS
A TOUGH ONE.
IN 2008 JOHN MCCAIN WAS THE
REPUBLICAN NOMINEE AND THEY
OBVIOUSLY HAD CLOSE TIES AND HE
CONTRIBUTED MONEY TO MCCAIN’S
CAMPAIGN BUT LATE IN THE 2008
CAMPAIGN.
HE DECIDED TO BACK BARACK OBAMA
WHICH WAS A BIG DEAL AT THAT
TIME.
A REPUBLICAN LIKE COLIN POWELL
BACKING THE DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATE AND TALKED ABOUT HIM
AS THE FIRST SERIOUS
AFRICAN-AMERICAN CANDIDATE HE
WOULD BE A TRANSFORMATIONAL
FIGURE.
>> Bill: CHRIS, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR REFLECTING AND
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE LIFE OF
COLIN POWELL.
>> Dana: AND YOUR KNOWLEDGE IS