Colin Powell dead at 84

[DaleCooper]

I didn't realize he was 84 but I suppose that makes sense. RIP.

[Woody]

Why are people acting like Colin Powell is singlehandedly responsible for the Iraq War?  I thought Hillary Clinton Joe Biden was singlehandedly responsible for it.

Also anyone acting like this is proof that vaccines don't work is an idiot.  Powell had Parkinson's and multiple myeloma and had specifically done treatments for multiple myeloma that trash your immune system.  It's an extremely abnormal case and almost any similar flu-like virus would probably have killed him.  Any journalistic outlet that says "he died of COVID, he was vaccinated" without including that he was also severely immunocompromised should be punished for spreading COVID misinformation and promoting vaccine hesitancy.

After Nuremberg, the precedent is that being complicit in a war-action because "following orders" is not an excuse. So technically, he is complicit by lying to the UN and the world to start a war... as much as Clinton and Biden voting to start said war.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

As stated many times, had things gone differently, he could have been the first black president.

[brucejoel99]

ITT: too many posters ignorantly conflating a reliance on faulty intelligence with outright deceitful lying.

[TDAS04]

RIP.

[ProudModerate2]

Good man with a good heart.
He was used by others, because they knew how much he was respected.
Sad day.
RIP.

[Xing]

RIP, condolences to his family.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

I’ve also seen comments from far left tankie types celebrating his death on Twitter, and I have no doubt that there are people on the opposite side of the extreme spectrum celebrating his death for a very different reason, or politicizing his vaccine status.

I hate that when someone important dies, there were inevitably be ghouls celebrating online. I hate even more that we somehow accept this. It doesn’t have to be like this.

This is no different than people celebrating Casey DeSantis’s diagnosis or Rush’s death, FYI.

Umm no. Rush did disgusting things beyond partisanship in his life that makes the lack of sympathy way more justifiable than here

Among other things, Limbaugh killed himself (slowly) with his own willful ignorance.

[VBM]

I’ve also seen comments from far left tankie types celebrating his death on Twitter, and I have no doubt that there are people on the opposite side of the extreme spectrum celebrating his death for a very different reason, or politicizing his vaccine status.

I hate that when someone important dies, there were inevitably be ghouls celebrating online. I hate even more that we somehow accept this. It doesn’t have to be like this.

This is no different than people celebrating Casey DeSantis’s diagnosis or Rush’s death, FYI.

Wasn’t it your side that celebrated RBG’s death and then spat on her grave by replacing her with a Federalist Society ghoul a month before the election, despite saying that Scalia couldn’t be replaced in an election year?

[T'Chenka]

Powell always struck me as a well-intentioned man. Rest in peace.

[jojoju1998]

There's a possible chance that we could see a State Funeral authroized by Biden for Powell. It's not often that we see a state funeral for a non president. But Powell's stature other than the Iraq War stuff, makes me think there could be a chance that could happen.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

He was an interesting and somewhat paradoxical character. Lionising him is a bit odd as he was fundamentally a functionary rather than a primary political actor, but demonising him is silly and demonstrates an ignorance of his career and of the reality of his role in various controversies (which, again, largely took the form of a functionary rather than that of a primary political actor). Praise and criticism, both, would be different. I tend to think that his time in public life would have been happier in a country with a firmer line between politics and administration. RIP.

[It’s so Joever]

Rip.
I admire Powell and while he made several devastating mistakes that certainly ought not to be ignored during his career, I do genuinely believe he cared for this country and it’s prosperity. He was a good man, just happened to be misguided.

[Schiff for Senate]

A true freedom fighter and patriot. May he rest in peace.

[President Johnson]

Rest in peace, freedom fighter.

Unfortunately he was surrounded by neocon warmongeres in the Dubya years in which he didn't perform particulary well. Still an overal great servant to his country. I think he would have been a pretty decent president, especially for a Republican.

It's too unfortunate his other health issues made this Covid infection deadly despite vaccination.

[Woody]

Why are people acting like Colin Powell is singlehandedly responsible for the Iraq War?  I thought Hillary Clinton Joe Biden was singlehandedly responsible for it.

Also anyone acting like this is proof that vaccines don't work is an idiot.  Powell had Parkinson's and multiple myeloma and had specifically done treatments for multiple myeloma that trash your immune system.  It's an extremely abnormal case and almost any similar flu-like virus would probably have killed him.  Any journalistic outlet that says "he died of COVID, he was vaccinated" without including that he was also severely immunocompromised should be punished for spreading COVID misinformation and promoting vaccine hesitancy.

Wait. If those vaccinated who are in horrible health to begin with are dying of COVID, what is the point with a vax then if they are dying anyway? And then you combine that with the fact that those who are unvaccinated/good health have a 98-99% survival rate, you start to get some perspective if Democrats' lockdowns and economic decisions was really worth the cost.

[certified hummus supporter 🇵🇸🤝🇺🇸🤝🇺🇦]

Why are people acting like Colin Powell is singlehandedly responsible for the Iraq War?  I thought Hillary Clinton Joe Biden was singlehandedly responsible for it.

Also anyone acting like this is proof that vaccines don't work is an idiot.  Powell had Parkinson's and multiple myeloma and had specifically done treatments for multiple myeloma that trash your immune system.  It's an extremely abnormal case and almost any similar flu-like virus would probably have killed him.  Any journalistic outlet that says "he died of COVID, he was vaccinated" without including that he was also severely immunocompromised should be punished for spreading COVID misinformation and promoting vaccine hesitancy.

Wait. If those vaccinated who are in horrible health to begin with are dying of COVID, what is the point with a vax then if they are dying anyway? And then you combine that with the fact that those who are unvaccinated/good health have a 98-99% survival rate, you start to get some perspective if Democrats' lockdowns and economic decisions was really worth the cost.

Bemoan the lockdowns as much as you want, the fact still remains that despite having a "98-99% survival rate" as you say, nearly a million of your fellow countrymen and countrywomen are buried 6 feet under the Earth thanks to this plague.

[All Along The Watchtower]

I give Powell props for this, at the very least:

I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is 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's no, that's not America.  Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president?  Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, "He's a Muslim and he might be associated [with] terrorists." This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

https://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/john-farrell/2008/10/20/colin-powells-endorsement-of-barack-obama-and-eloquence-about-anti-muslim-bigotry-in-america

[Hammy]

Why are people acting like Colin Powell is singlehandedly responsible for the Iraq War?  I thought Hillary Clinton Joe Biden was singlehandedly responsible for it.

Also anyone acting like this is proof that vaccines don't work is an idiot.  Powell had Parkinson's and multiple myeloma and had specifically done treatments for multiple myeloma that trash your immune system.  It's an extremely abnormal case and almost any similar flu-like virus would probably have killed him.  Any journalistic outlet that says "he died of COVID, he was vaccinated" without including that he was also severely immunocompromised should be punished for spreading COVID misinformation and promoting vaccine hesitancy.

Wait. If those vaccinated who are in horrible health to begin with are dying of COVID, what is the point with a vax then if they are dying anyway? And then you combine that with the fact that those who are unvaccinated/good health have a 98-99% survival rate, you start to get some perspective if Democrats' lockdowns and economic decisions was really worth the cost.

Over a third of covid survivors end up with long term, sometimes debilitating health consequences--in many cases they are not only no longer able to work, but as a result of that, unable to afford basic treatments.

[S019]

RIP FF

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Wait. If those vaccinated who are in horrible health to begin with are dying of COVID, what is the point with a vax then if they are dying anyway?

Because significantly fewer are dying than would have without vaccination you dead-eyed sociopathic goon. Greatly improving someone's odds doesn't mean certain survival, but it has given countless millions a better chance. Powell, of course, was vastly more vulnerable than the average clinically vulnerable person: he had blood cancer, he was immunocompromised due to his treatment for that, he was elderly, he was male and he was from an ethnic group associated with higher levels of Covid mortality.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Wait. If those vaccinated who are in horrible health to begin with are dying of COVID, what is the point with a vax then if they are dying anyway?

Because significantly fewer are dying than would have without vaccination you dead-eyed sociopathic goon. Greatly improving someone's odds doesn't mean certain survival, but it has given countless millions a better chance. Powell, of course, was vastly more vulnerable than the average clinically vulnerable person: he had blood cancer, he was immunocompromised due to his treatment for that, he was elderly, he was male and he was from an ethnic group associated with higher levels of Covid mortality.

Why waste any precious words on SW?

[All Along The Watchtower]

He was an interesting and somewhat paradoxical character. Lionising him is a bit odd as he was fundamentally a functionary rather than a primary political actor

Powell's experience in military matters made him a very popular figure with both American political parties. Many Democrats admired his moderate stance on military matters, while many Republicans saw him as a great asset associated with the successes of past Republican administrations. Put forth as a potential Democratic vice presidential nominee in the 1992 U.S. presidential election[52] or even potentially replacing Vice President Dan Quayle as the Republican vice presidential nominee,[53]

Reminds me of the courting of Eisenhower, lol.

Speaking of which, is Powell the most recent American General to have had such iconic status and damn-near universal respect? Seems like that would be impossible these days, and that was hard enough after Vietnam. In that respect Powell is a real outlier.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Say what you will about him when he was part of the Bush administration, but he had the humility and hindsight to admit what a devastating mistake he was part of and from there also recognized the same about his entire political party too. I personally appreciate that, and the loss of yet another unicorn-a sane Republican-is always bad for the country.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Say what you will about him when he was part of the Bush administration, but he had the humility and hindsight to admit what a devastating mistake he was part of and from there also recognized the same about his entire political party too. I personally appreciate that, and the loss of yet another unicorn-a sane Republican-is always bad for the country.

Was he even a Republican in recent years?