>>> AND NOW BRAND BRENES TO GO
BACK TO YOU.
>> PARIS, AMERICANS AROUND THE
NATION AND OF COURSE HERE IN
CHICAGO ARE REMEMBERING COLIN
POWELL.
THE FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE
FAMILY SAID HE DIED TODAY FROM
COMPLICATIONS OF COVID-19.
THE 84-YEAR-OLD FORMER ARMY
GENERAL WENT ON TO BECOME A
DIPLOMAT, NATIONAL SECURITY
LEADER AND OF COURSE TOP WHITE
HOUSE ADVISOR.
CHICAGO TONIGHT AMANDA VINICKY
SPENT THE DAY SPEAKING THE
SECURITY SPECIALISTS AND PEOPLE
WHO WORKED WITH THE FORMER
SECRETARY OF STATE.
AMANDA VINICKY JOINED US NOW
WITH THE STORY.
AMANDA?
>> COLIN POWELL DIED AFTER A
LIFETIME OF PUBLIC SERVICE.
THE CHILD OF JAMAICAN IMMIGRANTS
, POWELL WAS BORN IN
THE BRONX AND HE DIDN'T GO TO
WEST POINT OR ONE OF THOSE
PRESTIGIOUS MILITARY ACADEMIES.
RATHER, HE JOINED THE MILITARY
THROUGH THE ROTC AND EVENTUALLY
RISING TO THE RANK OF GENERAL.
BEFORE GOING ON TO SERVE AS THE
YOUNGEST SHARE OF THE JOINT
CHIEFS OF STAFF.
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
POLITICAL SCIENTIST IAN HUNT
CREDITS POWELL WITH MAKING THAT
POSITION THE HIGH PROFILE ON TV
ROLE THAT IT IS TODAY.
HE SAYS THAT POWELL BECAME A
HOUSEHOLD NAME, WHICH IS TOUGH,
REALISTIC EDGE COUPLED WITH A
WELCOMING TONE.
>> WELCOMING TONE THAT LOOKED
LIKE IT WAS JUST ADVANCING KIND
OF GENERALIZED COMMON SENSE ON
BEHALF OF EVERYBODY.
SO HE COULD MIX BEHIND THE
SCENES BAREKNUCKLED BUREAUCRATIC
BRAWLING WITH A REALLY CALM
FORCEFUL AND DIRECT PUBLIC
SPEAKING STYLE.
>> SKINNER WORK WITH POWELL.
SKINNER SERVED UNDER PRESIDENT
GEORGE H&W BUSH AS SECRETARY OF
TRANSPORTATION AND ALSO AS THE
PRESIDENT'S CHIEF'S CHIEF OF
STAFF.
HE SAYS THAT POWELL WAS A GREAT
PUBLIC SERVANT AND A GREAT
PERSON.
>> MOST IMPORTANT, HE WAS A VERY
DECENT HUMAN BEING AND HE KIND
OF ROSE FROM THE RANKS.
HE UNDERSTOOD PEOPLE.
HE UNDERSTOOD PEOPLE WELL.
HE WAS ALWAYS THOUGHTFUL, NEVER
COMPETITIVE.
HE WAS DEDICATED WHEN HE MADE
HIS MIND UP HE WOULD KNOW HOW TO
WORK THE SYSTEM IN A WAY THAT
WAS MOST EFFECTIVE FOR THE
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT AND FOR THE
COUNTRY.
BUT HE DIDN'T DO IT IN A WAY
THAT OFFENDED PEOPLE WHAT HE WAS
ABUSIVE IN ANY WAY.
HE WAS A VERY CALM INFLUENCE IN
A VERY DIFFICULT TIME IN OUR
NATION.
>> SKINNER CREDITS POWELL'S
LEADERSHIP FOR DURING THE FIRST
GULF WAR.
POWELL HAD SERVED TWO TOURS IN
VIETNAM AND HEARD IT SAID THAT
POWELL USED LESSONS WITH HIM
FROM THAT.
HE CARRIED THAT AS A FOUNDATION
OF HIS TAKE ON THE MILITARY WHO
WAS DISILLUSIONED WITH THE U.S.
RELIANCE ON MILITARY FORCE AND
DIDN'T WANT HIS GENERATION OF
LEADERS TO MAKE THE SAME VIETNAM
ERA MISTAKES.
>> I'VE ALWAYS FELT STRONGLY
THAT YOU SHOULD TRY TO SOLVE
CONFLICTS IN THIS WORLD THROUGH
NEGOTIATION, THROUGH DIPLOMACY.
ANY TIME WE CAN SOLVE A PROBLEM
THAT WAY AND NOT USE FORCE AND
SATISFY OUR OBJECTIVES LET'S
PUSH FOR THAT.
>> BUT POWELL DID IN A SENSE
REPEAT THOSE VERY SAME MISTAKES
WHEN AS SECRETARY OF STATE HE
LENT HIS CREDIBILITY AND
CHARISMA TO PUSHING FOR THE WAR
WITH IRAQ.
>> MY COLLEAGUES, EVERY
STATEMENT I SAY TODAY IS BACKED
UP BY SOURCES, SOLID SOURCES.
THESE ARE NOT ASSERTIONS.
WHAT WE ARE GIVING YOU OUR FACTS
AND CONCLUSIONS BASED ON SOLID
INTELLIGENCE.
>> DESPITE THAT, WEAPONS OF MASS
DESTRUCTION WERE NEVER FOUND IN
A ROCK AND POWELL LATER CAME TO
REGRET HIS ROLE.
>> I REGRET IT NOW BECAUSE THE
INFORMATION WAS WRONG.
I THEY CAN PUT ANYTHING ON HIS
CAREER BUT HE DID TELL EVERYONE
AND DID SAY TO PEOPLE, HE SAID
IF YOU GO INTO IRAQ, YOU BREAK
IT YOU OWN IT.
THAT WAS HIS LINE AND HE TOLD
THAT TO EVERYBODY BEFORE THIS
ALL OCCURRED.
HE USED IT AFTER.
NOBODY IS PERFECT.
NOBODY GOES FORWARD WITHOUT
MAKING MISTAKES.
AND BY THE WAY, THOSE DECISIONS
ARE NOT MADE BY THE SECRETARY OF
STATE OR THE CHAIRMAN -- HE HAD
RESPECT FOR THE CHAIN OF COMMAND
AND AUTHORITY WHICH HE GREW UP
IN THE MILITARY.
HE KNEW HIS ADVICE WOULD BE
TAKEN IN TO A CONSIDERATION AND
IT TURNS OUT THAT IT WASN'T
QUITE WHAT WE THOUGHT WOULD BE.
BUT IF YOU TAKE THAT DECISION,
COMPARED TO ALL OF THE THINGS HE
WAS INVOLVED IN IN HIS CAREER,
BOTH PRIVATE-SECTOR AND
PERSONALLY, EVERYTHING ELSE WELL
EXCEEDS WHATEVER HAPPENED IN
THAT PARTICULAR DECISION.
>> NOW THAT NORTHWESTERN
POLITICAL SCIENTIST IAN HURD
SAID THAT SOME OF HIS APOLOGY
SAYING HE DIDN'T KNOW, THAT WAS
A BIT OF A DODGE GIVEN THE
EXPERTS AT THE TIME NEW FULL
WELL THE SITUATION WITH WEAPONS
OF MASS DESTRUCTION IN IRAQ.
BUT HE SAYS IN THOSE
CONTRADICTIONS, POWELL EMBODIES
LONG TERM PREDICTIONS IN
AMERICAN POLICY.
>> ON THE ONE HAND, TRYING TO BE
SMART AND SENSIBLE AND COMMON
SENSE AND NOT MAKE THINGS WORSE,
BUT ON THE OTHER HAND THERE IS A
KIND OF QUICKNESS TO THE USE OF
FORCE IN AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
THAT HE FELL INTO SOMETIMES FOR
SURE.
NOT JUST IN IRAQ BUT ELSEWHERE.
U.S. FOREIGN POLICY IS TOLD
THROUGH THOSE TWO TRADITIONS.
>> THOSE WHO KNOW HIM SAY THERE
WAS A LOT MORE TO POWELL THAN
HIS MILITARY AND WHITE HOUSE
ROLES.
HE LOVED HIS FAMILY, HIS WIFE
ALMA HE ENJOYED WORKING ON CARS.
JAMES KENNEY WAS AMBASSADOR TO
IRELAND FROM 2003 TO 2006 WHICH
MEANS POWELL WAS HIS DIRECT BOSS
AND CENTRATE STATE, HE SAID
POWELL WAS KIND AND ALSO A
COMPUTER GEEK.
>> THINK OF THIS.
THERE WAS WHEN COMPUTERS AND THE
STATE DEPARTMENT.
AND ALL OVER THE WORLD.
THE WANG COMPANY PEAK IN 1982.
AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT HAD
WANG.
HE WENT TO CONGRESS AND GOT ALL
OF THIS MONEY, HUNDREDS OF
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO REWIRE
THE WORLD SECURELY AND EVERYONE
GOT NEW SOFTWARE, NEW COMPUTERS
SO THAT WE COULD TALK TO EACH
OTHER.
THERE WAS EMBASSIES THAT COULD
EVEN TALK TO EACH OTHER OVER THE
COMPUTERS.
AND POWELL -- THESE ARE STORIES
NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT WHAT HE DID.
HE WAS REVERED INSIDE THE STATE
DEPARTMENT.
THEY LEFT HIM.
>> POWELL WAS THE FIRST BLACK
PERSON TO SERVE AS CHAIR OF THE
JOINT CHIEFS AND ALSO AS
SECRETARY OF STATE.
AFRICAN-AMERICANS SERVED IN THE
U.S. MILITARY FOR GENERATIONS.
IT WAS ONLY IN POWELL'S TIME
THAT BLACK TROOPS WERE PERMITTED
TO HOLD MILITARY LEADERSHIP
ROLES.
>> WHILE THERE IS A STORY ABOUT
HIS OWN SUCCESS IN BREAKING
THESE BARRIERS, THERE IS ANOTHER
STORY THERE IN THE RESISTANCE TO
ALLOWING AFRICAN-AMERICANS TO
SERVE IN LEADERSHIP, THAT ONLY
BEGAN TO BREAK UP AFTER VIETNAM
HAD BEEN PEOPLE LIKE COLIN
POWELL GOOD BE ASSIGNED TO ROLES
TO AS THEY BEEN QUALIFIED FOR A
CENTURY.
>> AGAIN, POWELL WAS FULLY
VACCINATED BUT HE WAS ALSO
FIGHTING A CANCER THAT MEANT HE
HAD A SEVERELY COMPROMISED
IMMUNE SAID IT -- SYSTEM.
GOT DOCTORS FROM NORTHWESTERN
SAID POWELL'S DEATH TODAY SHOULD
NOT DISCOURAGE ANYONE FROM
GETTING THE COVID VACCINE.
IF ANYTHING, THEY SAY HIS
PASSING SHOWS HOW IMPORTANT IT
IS, PARTICULARLY FOR THOSE WHO
ARE IMMUNOCOMPROMISED, TO GET