We'll meet again

Thank you for helping commemorate the fifth anniversary of the biggest sucker deal in Manhattan since Peter Minuit bought the place.

At least the Native Americans got trinkets. All we got from Colin Powell's 2/5/03 U.N. presentation — and the media's unquestioning praise for it — was a costly and unnecessary war.

* * *

Very special thanks go out to Blue Gal at Crooks & Liars, and to those who contributed heartfelt and thoughtful posts to this little memory book.

Because about some things, our memories shouldn't be little, nor should our capacity to question.

See you next year!

Same time, new president. A good one, I hope.

Day of Shame Links #8

At Maine Owl, The Owl well remembers the day Powell threw us a Curveball and digs into the archives for a chilling timeline of the days of shame that followed the boffo U.N. anthrax-and-pony show. Highly recommended reading.

James at The Mahatma X Files recalls what he said on the first anniversary: "one the most infamous acts of Propaganda in World history. We must never forget."

Day of Shame Links #7

A Poetic Justice suggests giving peace a chance.

For Alan Perlman, AKA "The Jewish Atheist," the Day of Shame doesn't quite bring on a peaceful, easy feeling. He sees Powell as "a magnificent example of affirmative action run amok."

When asked about his, IMHO, provocative statements about the role of race in Powell's career, Dr. Perlman replied thusly:

Please know that there is no stronger defender of civil rights than I. I wrote a tribute to Dr. King on his birthday. Upon reflection, I stand by my statements: Powell gave me no reason to respect his intellect or talents. Both white and Black people do evaluate skin tone and speech patterns. There is reason to question why and how he got as high as he did.

That said, he was not alone in allowing the Iraq War. Unquestioning obedience knows no color or gender.

I love equality; I hate preferences and double standards. As long as these stand, the achievements of many Black people will be tainted.

I am merely reporting my perspective based on my observations. If anyone wants to write to me with a list of Powell's writings, original thoughts and creative accomplishments (not just awards people gave him, but substantive achievements), I would be happy to reconsider my words.

More coming soon...

Sorry, juggling Super Tuesday aftershocks and a little real life. There are more links coming today and, I hope, through the rest of the week. In the meantime, if you haven't caught up with all the links and commentary below, please take a look!

Day of Shame Links #6

Elayne Riggs holds out hope that Barack Obama is the anti-Powell.

QSR (Quick Service Restaurant News):

2008-02-04 — The Women's Foodservice Forum (WFF) today announced this year's lineup of keynote speakers for the 2008 WFF Annual Leadership Development Conference, to be held April 13–16 in Washington, D.C. at the new Gaylord National® Resort & Convention Center.

General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.), one of the most admired men in America, will deliver a compelling presentation reflecting his years of service at the highest levels of international affairs. He will be speaking on leadership to illustrate precisely what embodies a true leader and demonstrate how to consistently be focused and take responsibility while working to improve processes, organizations and people.

Still doing "compelling presentations" after all these years. No wonder he's so admired!

Day of Shame Links #5

Driftglass marks the Day of Shame with pictures, poetry, and heartfelt prose:

The number of dead Iraqis, who might as well be so many Pac Man dots, so little do they matter to us as real, live human beings anymore. Not that they ever did, really.

The Las Vegas Gleaner describes the magical effect Colin Powell's vial of "Bisquick" had on Harry Reid:

Sen. Harry Reid explain[ed] just last year how Powell's UN performance justified Reid's vote to give Bush the blank check to go to war, even though that Senate vote happened in October 2002, which is to say nearly four months before Powell brandished his enchanted pancake mix.

Think Progress:

"one of Iraq’s engineers who tried to warn the U.S. that Saddam had shut down his weapons programs, recalls crying as he listened."

Steve Shickles:

AP - As of Monday, Feb. 4, 2008, at least 3,945 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes eight military civilians. At least 3,211 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military’s numbers.

Day of Shame Links #4

On February 7, 2003, Slacktavist described Powell's presentation thusly:

"POWELL'S EVIDENCE LOOKING SHAKY. No smoking gun, lots of smoke and mirrors."

If there's one thing I hate, it's 20/20 hindsight. Goddamn hippies!

See also Editor and Publisher on "5 Years Ago: When the Press Helped Colin Powell Sell the War."

(Both h/t atrios)

Day of Shame Links #3

Rising Hegemon marks the day.

And so does Consortium News, with an excerpt about Powell at the U.N., from Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush.

(h/t Rena in comments)

Live and let die

The internets are chock full of handy lists.

An oft-posted one is "Colin Powell's Rules to Live By," which is generally set up with a gushy intro, like this one:

I was watching my favorite show on The View today, MLK Day and General Colin Powell was on. What a great father figure, so steady and self assured. Elizabeth mentioned his list of rules to live by and I had to look it up. So here it is.

1. It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
2. Get mad, then get over it.
3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.
4. It can be done!
5. Be careful what you choose. You may get it.
6. Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
7. You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.
8. Check small things.
9. Share credit.
10. Remain calm. Be kind.
11. Have a vision.
12. Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.
13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

He has so perfectly embodied each and every one of those rules, I'm not sure there's anything else to say.

Day of Shame Links #2

If you look around YouTube, you'll find that the MSM's Powell/U.N. postmortems are all about rehabilitating the general's reputation.

So, it's left to the blogosphere, and great work like Jonathan Schwarz's, to painstakingly detail the shameful lies.

According to blogger Montag, there was a precedent for Powell's presentation, a long time ago. In a galaxy far, far away.

And if you like things a little more outré, Lambert blurbs MJS's "Bad Magician" series thusly:

The hour may produce the man, but our times produced The Bad Magician, who defines deviancy upward from the lizard backbrain of his own Id to the hallucinatory, phantasmagoric irreality of today's prehensile discourse. The Bad Magician's creator, Corrente writer MJS, combines the semiotic trickeration of Umberto Eco with the gonzo journalism of Hunter Thompson. I laughed, I cried, I put my head in a bucket of water. Three thumbs up!

Day of Shame Links #1

Here is the first helping of contributions to the Day of Shame blogswarm, 2008...

In reply to this year's call-to-action, whaleshaman muses about that vial of non-anthrax.

Batocchio's superb analysis, like Gaul, is divided into three parts. With understatement that burns, Batocchio says "It wasn't a pleasant feeling, knowing we were almost certainly going to war based on flimsy reasons."

Then, he lets it rip:

I understand being a clueless imbecile brings with it the reflexive need to protect one's self with plenty of self-aggrandizing, ego-fluffing bullshit, but really, enough is enough.

And, about "liberal" hawk Michael O'Hanlon:

Sometimes it takes an awfully expensive education to make a man such a fucking moron.

Go. Read. Now.

More coming soon....