Latest / BOB DOLE : 1995 Clinton's Comeback / Episode 485 : BOB DOLE 1995 Clintons Comeback (Part 26) Colin Powell for President Not (B)

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Episode 485 : BOB DOLE 1995 Clintons Comeback (Part 26) Colin Powell for President Not (B) · BOB DOLE : 1995 Clinton's Comeback

• 0:26
  SPEAKER_06: Good afternoon.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_06: For 35 years of my life, I served my nation as a soldier proudly and to the best of my ability.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_06: Since my retirement two years ago, I have written my life story and traveled across the country speaking and listening to my fellow Americans.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_06: What I saw and heard renewed my faith in our country, its people, and its promise.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_06: I also came away with a deeper understanding of the challenges we face, of the problems we must solve to reach the dreams of our founders.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_06: All of us have a role to play.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_06: And I have been giving the most prayerful consideration to the role I should play.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_06: The question I face was: should I enter politics and seek the presidency of the United States?
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_06: Many of you have encouraged me to do so.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_06: I have been deeply honored by the hundreds of letters I have received, and by the hard work of grassroots organizing committees.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_06: I thank all of you for the faith and confidence you had in me.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_06: For the past few weeks, I have been consulting with friends and advisors.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_06: I have spent long hours talking with my wife and children, the most important people in my life, about the impact an entry into political life, political life would have on us.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_06: It would require sacrifices and changes in our lives that would be difficult for us to make at this time.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_06: The welfare of my family had to be uppermost in my mind.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_06: Ultimately, however, I had to look deep into my own soul, standing aside from the expectations and enthusiasms of others.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_06: Because I believe I have a bond of trust with the American people.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_06: A passion and commitment that, despite my every effort, I do not yet have for political life.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_06: Because such a life requires a calling that I do not yet hear.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_06: And for me to pretend otherwise would not be honest to myself, it would not be honest to the American people, and I would break that bond of trust.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_06: Therefore, I cannot go forward.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_06: I will not be a candidate for president or for any other elective office in 1996.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_06: I know that this is the right decision for me.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_06: It was not reached easily or without a great deal of personal anguish.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_06: For me and my family, saying no was even harder than saying yes.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_06: I will remain in private life and seek other ways to serve.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_06: I have a deep love for this country that has no bounds.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_06: I will find other ways to contribute to the important work needed to keep us moving forward.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_06: I have spent long hours talking with my wife and children, the most important people in my life, about the impact an entry into political life, political life would have on us.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_06: It would require sacrifices and changes in our lives that would be difficult for us to make at this time.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_06: The welfare of my family had to be uppermost in my mind.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_06: Ultimately, however, I had to look deep into my own soul, standing aside from the expectations and enthusiasms of others.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_06: Because I believe I have a bond of trust with the American people.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_06: And to offer myself as a candidate for president requires a commitment and a passion to run the race and to succeed in the quest.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_06: The kind of passion and the kind of commitment that I felt every day of my 35 years as a soldier.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_06: A passion and commitment that, despite my every effort, I do not yet have for political life.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_06: Because such a life requires a calling that I do not yet hear.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_06: And for me to pretend otherwise would not be honest to myself, it not would not be honest to the American people, and I would break that bond of trust.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_06: And therefore, I cannot go forward.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_06: I will not be a candidate for president or for any other elective office in 1996.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_28: As you can imagine, what you just heard is going to be a collective sigh of relief across the entire 1996 campaign field that Colin Powell has decided not to run.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_28: And there are a lot of rumors about why he decided not to run, whether he ever really had that fire in the belly to do it, whether his wife, who who did suffer some from depression, uh was too worried about his the risk of him being the first African American with a real clear shot at winning.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_28: Uh, you gotta remember, too, that somewhere in the middle of all this, which we're gonna cover in episode or two, uh was fascinated.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_28: And he just decided to do something that you don't see every day.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_28: And that's somebody who had a clear advantage going into a campaign, deciding not to run and not to seek the office.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_28: It was a it was a shocker.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_28: And as you'll hear some of these candidates, uh who was not running and Phil Graham was of course, you can feel feeling the uh the hundred-pound weight off their shoulders as they get ready for the rest of the 1996 campaign to begin.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_04: You know, if you have a little film on that, you're gonna get a little bit of pictures.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_04: I'm delighted that he indicated he's gonna be active as a Republican.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_04: He brings a tremendous amount to the Republican Party.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_04: I think he'll have a substantial role to play in in '96 and beyond.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_04: And uh, we certainly in the House Republican Party are looking forward to sitting down with him, to uh listening to his ideas, uh, and to working with him.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_04: Frankly, had he run, it would have made it substantially less likely because I as I've said openly, I thought there was not room in the system for two candidates to uh try to launch a campaign uh in uh December.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_04: On the other hand, in all fairness, uh I understand Senator I mean uh Senator Dole went to New Hampshire this morning and got a fairly important endorsement up there, and I think that we have to wait and see what happens over the next couple weeks.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_12: First place, I'm not gonna think about it till we finish getting a balanced budget through I'm not saying that General Powell and I agree on position on issues like quotas and welfare reform.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_12: I think to win this race, one of the goals that we had to achieve is to create a two-person race where the choice was between Bob Dole and me.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_12: And I think as of today, the field is set, that choice is defined.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_12: Either Bob Dole's gonna be the nominee or I'm gonna be the nominee.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_12: And I think given that choice that I can and will win.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_22: You know, I've been kidding.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_22: I said I hope he sells a lot of books and becomes my honorary finance chairman.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_06: Good afternoon.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_06: For 35 years of my life, I served my nation as a soldier proudly and to the best of my ability.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_06: Since my retirement two years ago, I have written my life story and traveled across the country speaking and listening to my fellow Americans.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_06: What I saw and heard renewed my faith in our country, its people, and its promise.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_06: I also came away with a deeper understanding of the challenges we face, of the problems we must solve to reach the dreams of our founders.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_06: All of us have a role to play, and I have been giving the most prayerful consideration to the role I should play.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_06: The question I face was: should I enter politics and seek the presidency of the United States?
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_06: Many of you have encouraged me to do so.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_06: I have been deeply honored by the hundreds of letters I have received and by the hard work of grassroots organizing committees.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_06: I thank all of you for the faith and confidence you had in me.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_06: For the past few weeks, I have been consulting with friends and advisors.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_06: I have spent long hours talking with my wife and children, the most important people in my life, about the impact an entry into political life, political life would have on us.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_06: It would require sacrifices and changes in our lives that would be difficult for us to make at this time.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_06: The welfare of my family had to be uppermost in my mind.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_06: Ultimately, however, I had to look deep into my own soul, standing aside from the expectations and enthusiasms of others.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_06: Because I believe I have a bond of trust with the American people.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_06: And to offer myself as a candidate for president requires a commitment and a passion to run the race and to succeed in the quest.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_06: The kind of passion and the kind of commitment that I felt every day of my 35 years as a soldier.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_06: A passion and commitment that, despite my every effort, I do not yet have for political life.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_06: Because such a life requires a calling that I do not yet hear.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_06: And for me to pretend otherwise would not be honest to myself, it would not be honest to the American people, and I would break that bond of trust.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_06: And therefore, I cannot go forward.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_06: I will not be a candidate for president or for any other elective office in 1996.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_06: I know that this is the right decision for me.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_06: It was not reached easily or without a great deal of personal anguish.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_06: For me and my family, saying no was even harder than saying yes.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_06: I will remain in private life and seek other ways to serve.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_06: I have a deep love for this country that has no bounds.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_06: I will find other ways to contribute to the important work needed to keep us moving forward.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_06: I know my decision will disappoint many who have supported me.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_06: I thank them once again from the bottom of my heart, and I ask for their understanding.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_06: I also know that my actions and taking the time to reach this decision has created an enormous level of expectation and anticipation.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_06: But I needed the time to give this the most careful study.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_06: I will continue to speak out forcefully in the future on the issues of the day, as I have been doing in recent weeks.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_06: I will do so as a member of the Republican Party and try to assist the party in broadening its appeal.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_06: I believe I can help the Party of Lincoln move once again close to the spirit of Lincoln.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_06: I will give my talent and energy to charitable and educational activities.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_06: I will also try to find ways for me to help heal the racial divides that still exist within our society.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_06: Finally, let me say how honored I am that so many of you thought me worthy of your support.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_06: It says more about America than it says about me.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_06: In one generation, we have moved from denying a black man service to the lunch counter to elevating one to the highest military office in the nation and to being a serious contender for the presidency.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_06: This is a magnificent country.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_06: I am proud to be one of its sons.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you very much.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_06: Mr.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_06: Donaldson?
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_16: General, you say it's a calling you did not feel, but some people are going to say that you backed away from a fight you should have made because of the general, used to having your way, you're not used to being criticized, and in the hurly burly, the down and dirty of American politics, you just didn't have the stomach for it.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_06: I understand the down and dirty of uh American politics, and that's the way it should be.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_06: I mean, uh, you should run this test of fire if you wish this highest office.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_06: But at this point in my life, and knowing what I know about myself, my talent, my energies, uh, and what I'm capable of doing, this was not the right thing for me to do at this time.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_06: Um the moment, well, uh you know, uh the future is the future.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_06: Uh at the moment, it's the right thing for me at this time.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_06: Yes.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_25: General, um, you mentioned you're not going to be seeking any office.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_25: Have you ruled out the prospect of um being on the vice presidential uh being a vice presidential candidate?
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_25: Have you discussed that with Senator Dole or any other candidate?
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_06: I have ruled it out.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_13: Yes.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_13: If you had decided to run, what do you think your chances would have been entering the Republican primaries and going through the primary process?
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_06: I think I would have uh done fairly well.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_06: In some of the positions I've taken in recent weeks, uh it struck some chords within the Republican Party.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_06: I think there is more moderation there than one might uh believe uh from some of the rhetoric.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_06: And I think the uh relatively favorable poll results I have been getting uh would have given me the encouragement uh needed to keep moving in that direction.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_13: What about the conservative opposition that surfaced uh publicly last week?
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_06: Well, I expected opposition, conservative opposition to some of the views that I took, and uh it has come, but I've also received some support from conservatives that uh essentially said the party ought to be broad enough to uh to accept uh and listen to many views.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_06: The particular meeting last week that you're talking about, uh the views expressed concerning my views, uh I expected to to get.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_06: We all should be concerned, however, about the nature of that meeting and the nature of the attack.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_06: When you move away from just disagreeing with somebody's views and you move into ad hominem attacks to destroy character, you're adding to the incivility that exists in our political life right now and which we ought to do something about.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_06: Yes, sir.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_15: Uh you say that you would enter in the future or you will continue speaking out as a Republican.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_15: Why as a Republican, why what is in that philosophy that appeals to you that doesn't appeal to you on the Democratic side?
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_06: I'm very impressed by what the Republican Party is trying to do right now.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_06: Trying to put the nation on a uh better fiscal balance, trying to bring government under control and make government smaller, trying to put more money back into the pocket of individual taxpayers.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_06: And uh I believe that they have ideas and energy at this time uh that I can align with.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_06: There are some aspects of uh the agenda of the Republican Party that I disagree with, and I have said so, and I will continue to speak out, and I hope the party can broaden its appeal uh to appeal to the greatest number of Americans possible.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_06: But that's where I think my interests lie and my uh politics lie.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think about the Republican Party, the parts that he said he disagreed with?
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: Let me know in the comments.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_29: Did the firestorm of conservative criticism of you and your positions and your character play any role in your decision not to run?
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_06: No, I I can't get excited when somebody who never served in the military jumps up and attacks me for my 35 years of service.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_06: And so that didn't bother me particularly, and frankly, I was pleased that a number of right conservatives, as they may be called, uh were somewhat supportive, not agreeing with me, but supportive of my entering uh into the debate and into the dialogue.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_06: So that that uh rolled off my back.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_14: Will you endorse the candidate?
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_06: Uh I I've just become a member of the party.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_06: I think what I will do is wait a while, see what's out there, uh, and and I'll not be in the endorsement uh business for a while.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_06: Or if or if ever.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_06: Yes, sir.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_07: Ken, you spoke rather eloquently a moment ago about the importance of a uh black man being considered uh for the presidency, and I gather you believe that is important to the country as well.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_07: But if not uh now, and if not you when and who I think it uh it will happen at some point, and uh this time it is it is not me.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_06: Uh but I think the important point is that the nation has arrived at a point in our national life where such a possibility exists, and that's the realization of a great dream, even though I may not be the one to fill it.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_27: General Powell Powell, yes, yes.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_27: You you have said many times uh that you were fearful of the Republicans' contract with America as being too harsh.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_27: How do you see the Republican Party as it's now shaking up, particularly now they're cutting, they're going to change welfare, they're going to change Medicare, they're going to change Medicaid.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_27: What are your thoughts on those viewpoints?
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_06: I think welfare reform is essential, Medicare reform is essential, Medicaid reform is essential.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_06: And both Democrats and Republicans agree with that.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_06: And I think it's the Republicans right now who have the energy to make those changes.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_06: The harshness I spoke of, and which I will continue to speak of, is that we have to be absolutely sure that we have in our mind at all times that with these changes we are fundamentally changing the social safety net that people have relied upon.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_06: And at the end of this chain, there are children who may be in need and at risk.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_06: And so while we're sending out block grants, while we're dismantling programs that have not completely satisfied everything we hoped of them, uh we have to concern ourselves about those who may be cut loose, and we have to be prepared to help them.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_06: And so that's the harshness.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_06: I didn't sense that there was enough consideration of that, and I'll be speaking more about that.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_06: Yes, sir.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_08: You talked about family uh sacrifices.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_08: Was your personal security a factor?
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_08: And could we ask your wife that uh that question too?
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_06: Uh I I had no concerns about my personal security.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_06: I travel widely around the country uh usually by myself, and I I uh I I had no particular concerns.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_23: I think everybody has known that I have had a concern, but I want you to know that it certainly played no part in his decision.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_23: It was one that we reached together as a team, as we have for 33 years, and I am very supportive.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_23: Thank you.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_23: No.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_23: It was a deep tragedy, one that uh is has great effect on the world at large.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_23: And it's certainly something that we ought to consider about the feeling that exists in the world against leaders and people who are trying to accomplish something in the face of peace.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_23: Yes, indeed, it did.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_23: But we it just simply points up that that always exists, but did not play a part in the decision.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_06: By the time of uh the tragedy, which which saddened uh my entire family because we knew the ravines well, um, we pretty much had reached this point in our decision process.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_23: Why have you ruled out uh the second slot of the Republican Two?
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_06: I think having come this far and uh made this decision, uh I need to uh move back into private life, find other things to use my energies and talents uh on, and not keep the political uh pot boiling any anymore at this time.
• 20:38
  unknown: When did you actually make the difference?
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_06: The last several weeks have uh been an incredibly intense period in my life and the life of many of my close friends and uh my family.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_06: And over the last several days, uh we we sat down and uh prayerfully considered all of it.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_06: And the final uh decision with my uh with my wife was on Monday evening.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_03: General Burr, last week of uh well last week there were uh a number of Republicans who said that if you were the nominee, they would not support your candidacy.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_03: Uh you now are describing yourself as a Republican.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_03: Will you support the nominee of your party in 1996 against President?
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_06: I will wait and see the entire uh slate of candidates across uh across the board, and then I will make my judgment, but I will act and work as a Republican in the months ahead, trying to broaden the appeal of the party.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_06: I will wait and see the entire slate, see what the nation looks like, and I will do, I think, as I always have, uh vote for the person uh who can do the best job for the nation.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_23: General Paul, could you possibly be a candidate in the year 2000?
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_23: I think why could you possibly be a candidate, a presidential candidate in the year 2020?
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_06: I am not now starting this all over again, I can assure you.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_06: Uh you know, it's it's a it's a it's a great country and and and uh I have uh life and energy, and uh I'm gonna do a lot of things in the in the in the months and years ahead, but I am not getting on the political treadmill again at this point.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_27: What do you plan to do when you walk out this door today?
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_06: We're going home.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_19: To elaborate on the role you've been playing in the presidential campaign, and is there a message you have to all those disappointed uh I guess particularly Republicans who wanted you to run?
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_06: I would just say to everybody who encouraged me and wanted me to run, um, Republicans and others, and and all the American citizens who contacted me and number of the people who headed up organizing committees, uh, that I am deeply, deeply appreciative of that support.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_06: I'm deeply, deeply appreciative of the time and talent and energy you put into it.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_06: I'm sorry I disappointed you.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_06: Um, but uh I hope uh you will see that in the next phase of my life uh I will continue to serve the country in a way that uh will justify uh the kind of kind of inspiration and enthusiasm and support you've sent my way uh this time around.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_19: What about the specific role you see playing over the next 12 months in the presidential?
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_06: For the moment, I just intend to uh uh pursue politics as a private citizen.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_06: I'm not getting into the campaigning business or endorsing business right now.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_19: You opened it out and speaking with the Republican convention.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_06: Right now, I'm just a private citizen, and uh that's it.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_24: Yes, Gwen.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_06: I'm gonna stay in private life, and I'm going to there there are a number of uh charities and educational activities that I have an interest in, and I'm going to find ways to uh show support to them and uh work in work in that field.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_06: And I have a particular interest in in uh children's programs and disadvantaged children's programs and for the campaign trail, athlete campaigning for some candidate, perhaps a Republican nominee.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_06: At the moment, I do not plan to go in the campaign trail.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_06: I need a little time before I consider anything like that.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_06: Yes, sir.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_10: Um you never say never.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_10: The long time between now and August, what if the GOP nominee doesn't look like he can beat the president or anybody else?
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_10: What if there's a draft?
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_10: What then?
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_06: I'm ruling out to uh run for the presidency in 1996 or running for any elective office in 1996.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_06: Have I added a new dimension to the race?
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_06: I I think I have.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_06: Uh it was interesting that uh when I started speaking out uh in September at the end of my book tour and took some positions that people thought were somewhat heretical within the Republican Party, uh, instead of being burned at the cross immediately over a period of a week or two, suddenly we saw that many more people felt that way within the Republican Party and started to voice those views.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_06: So if uh if I have served some useful purpose, I think it is that.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_06: I've opened a national dialogue a little bit, particularly within the Republican Party, and I hope that continues.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_18: Um I wonder if your wife shared your enthusiasm for the Republican Party, or do you get the report?
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_06: This is my press conference.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_06: I'd like her to uh tell us whether she says we the uh we she makes uh uh her own decisions on such matters, and we uh we have not discussed this.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_06: Um uh this is this is no, this is not what each one of us should do.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_06: I hope that in the days and weeks ahead I'll be uh able to persuade her uh that I made the right choice today.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_06: Yes, sir.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_20: Many Americans who respect you greatly will reach the conclusion from this if you have to be out of your mind to seek the presidency.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_06: No.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_20: I am wondering how much you disagree with Mr.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_20: Lady.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_06: Let me say first of all, this gives me the chance to say I applaud and congratulate those candidates who are out there now uh fighting for the right to be president of the United States.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_06: And we should be proud that such people do come forward and always have come forward.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_06: Uh it is a needed process.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_06: You have to have that kind of fighting and debate.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_06: It's called democracy.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_06: I would say to the American people that they should start to draw the line, however, on some of the incivility that we see in our national debate and in our political debate.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_06: We have to start remembering that uh, as I am very fond of saying, we are all a family.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_06: We have to work together.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_06: We've got to start finding common truths and not just believing that on the fringes are the truths.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_06: And from those common truths move forward to solve the problems that the nation has.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_06: So don't give up on the political process.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_06: Fix it.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_06: Fix campaign finance reform.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_06: Uh fix how long people can stay in the Congress, either by term limits or making sure you vote them out as soon as you don't like them and you get involved in politics and vote.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_06: Uh and uh it's a great system.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_06: It just needs, I think, a little uh little tidying up at the moment.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_06: Yes, sir.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_14: What exactly did you rule out running as an independent or perhaps as the candidate of a third party like Mr.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_14: Rhodes for?
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_06: I I ruled out running.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_06: And so once I did that, it uh there was no need to specify.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_06: It was a it was a decision that of going into political life, not a decision of what party is in the future.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_06: Nobody nobody has offered me any offices, so uh I I'm not gonna rule anything in or out.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_06: But right now I intend to remain in private life.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_06: Yes.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_06: I would say to them that uh I I understand that they are looking for new ideas and fresh races, fresh faces in American politics, and I certainly was one.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_06: Um but I also have to be honest with them and say that uh it was not something that I felt was the right thing for me to do at this time.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_06: Uh keep looking, and I would uh I would ask all Americans who have reached a level of uh uh prominence and success in their life, either politically or in business, uh, to consider offering themselves up for higher political office.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_06: I think we need a richer, a richer uh uh farm team, so to speak.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_06: We need more people coming forward to uh present themselves to politics if they think that is the right thing for them to do.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_10: You uh discussed this with uh New Gingrich.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_10: There was a report that uh you weren't going to go unless you got a green light from him.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_06: Um Mr.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_06: Gingrich and I speak frequently, and in the last uh week or two uh we have spoken, but we didn't talk about uh traffic lights.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_06: We discussed everything imaginable as one always does when you're speaking to the speaker.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_06: Um we didn't talk about traffic lights.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_06: Yes.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_06: It wasn't so much a a temptation.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_06: It's that I have energy, I have talent, I have strength.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_06: A number of people suggested that I consider this.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_06: I felt it was my obligation to give it every consideration, and I did that.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_06: Um but at the end of the day I couldn't go forward.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_06: As I've said in my memoirs, and I have said uh very often over the last several years, that I was fundamentally a soldier.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_06: And previous opportunities that came along while I was a soldier to leave the military and enter political life, I also turned down.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_06: But when I left the military, I felt that uh I should consider political life.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_06: For most of the last two years, I've been quite engrossed in finishing my book, and it was only within the last two months that we went into the intense period of analysis to see if this was the right thing for the family, right thing for me.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_06: I went back and forth um very, very often in the last several weeks.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_06: Yes, sir.
• 30:30
  unknown: In the last week, we saw a published report about your wife receiving medication for a friend.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_06: Was that beyond the mail say about uh my wife uh has depression, she's had it for many, many years, and uh we have told many, many people about it.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_06: It is not a family secret.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_06: It is uh very easily controlled with proper medication, just as my blood pressure is sometimes under control with proper medication.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_06: And uh uh you obviously don't want your whole family life out uh in in the press, but uh when the story broke, we confirmed it immediately.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_06: And uh I hope that people who read that story who think they might be suffering from depression make a beeline to the doctor because it is something that can be dealt with very easily.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_06: Was that a fair thing for your opponents to bring up, though?
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_06: I don't know that my opponents brought it up or anybody brought it up.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_06: It was uh it was widely known within my my circle of friends, and frankly, many uh in the media knew it and just hadn't bothered to report it before.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_06: And finally, one paper broke the story, broke it in a very straightforward uh manner that was not the least bit troubling.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_06: And then one of the news magazines last week wrote a much longer article on it that was done very, very well, and uh we found no offense in what was written about it.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_21: What was it when you attempted to seek that offer?
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_21: What was it you most wanted to do with that offer?
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_21: Is there one thing that you said, boy, if I were president, I could do that.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_06: Show leadership, be a conciliator, move the country forward toward lower government, lesser less government, um, put us in a more fiscally responsible platform basis, and try to inspire people and try to restore a sense of family, restore a sense of shame in our society, help bring more civility into our society.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_06: And I hope to do that uh in in other ways.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_18: So when you said you want the Republican Party to broaden its tent, uh uh I assume you were talking uh in a Lincoln way about minorities.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_18: I think not appeal to more black.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_06: Well, they don't.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_06: I mean, it I don't because the because uh a very large percentage of blacks don't believe the Republican Party appeals to them and they vote consistently Democratic.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_06: And I think it would be in the interest of minorities and especially for African Americans to have other choices.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_06: And I think it would be an important thing for the Republican Party to broaden its appeal, and a number of leaders of the Republican Party have said the same thing, so that uh African Americans have uh two sets of issues to look at, two sets of power bases to look at, and not just uh believe that the only choice for them is the Democratic Party.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_17: Is there any obvious reason that that blacks have have sided with the Democrats and not the Republicans?
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_06: I believe that something is deep historical reasons.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_06: They have seen uh the Democratic Party as more in line with their needs uh over the years, and the Republican Party has not succeeded in breaking that hold.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_06: And I think it is in the interest of the country and in the interest of African Americans to have that uh hold shaken loose uh so that African Americans have a greater choice and can pick uh from more than one option to uh satisfy their political needs and to make sure their needs are taken care of.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_06: Let me take one more, please.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_21: Um ruling out the Vice Presidency today.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_21: Why are you also becoming a Republican?
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_06: Because I feel it is time for me to participate in some way in the political process.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_06: For all of my career, I I was nonpartisan, uh never expressed a political view or an affiliation with a party.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_06: I thought the time had come for me to get off that fence anyway and begin to work within one of the party systems, one of the major party systems.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_06: Uh today.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_06: No, I haven't I haven't done whatever paperwork is required yet, but I can assure you I will.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_06: One more, and then I think we'll end it.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_06: Yes, sir.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_14: Mrs.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_14: Powell, if I can ask, aside from security considerations, did you rule out in your own mind or reject the role of First Lady of the United States?
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_14: So what were your thoughts about becoming First Lady, about the role for yourself?
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_23: Well, it certainly is a flattering thing to think of that people would think that you were capable of doing such a thing.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_23: Um however, it is not something that is in my sight at this time.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_23: I am happy with my activities as they are and plan to continue them.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_06: Thank you all very, very much.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_28: So now that Powell's out of it, um I never forget the Time magazine.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_28: Well, it's either Time or Newsweek, uh, and I have it here at my house somewhere.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_28: Uh, the big picture of Bob Dole on the cover, and it said, and then there was Dole.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_28: And poor Bob Dole, the utility outfielder of the Republican Party, here he is on the verge of his biggest moment, and that's the sentiment he's got to deal with with the electorate is well, and then there's dole.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_28: Like now we've got to settle for Bob Dole.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_28: And I think that was a horribly unfair thing.
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_28: And I I may be the one rabid Bob Dole supporter, but I thought he was a great candidate and a dynamic candidate, and a guy who could get things done, and really we were very fortunate to have him uh as a potential presidential candidate, and uh I still say he's the greatest man to run for president and not win in my lifetime.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_28: But uh but that was what he was dealing with, and so he's got to go out now in this field of candidates uh and take on fire breathing Pat Buchanan and then a really, really impressive candidate in Lamar Alexander, plus Steve Forbes spending multi-millions of dollars to to to hit him, and the electorate's not all that excited about him, and so uh that's kind of the way this groundwork starts to lay in place for the rest of the 1996 campaign that will begin in earnest now that Colin Powell's backed out.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_05: In the final analysis, are you glad you wrote the book or has it turned out to be a slide for life?
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_06: I'm I'm very glad I wrote the book.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_06: I'm very pleased with the reaction he's gotten.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_05: Yes.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_05: Definitively uh shall I expand on that yes?
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_06: There's nothing to expand on.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_06: I I uh deeply flattered and deeply touched, but I I try to think things out clearly and and uh maybe that's why I might not be a good politician right now, because I cannot change my mind once I've come to a conclusion that I think is right, and I came to that conclusion on fault.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_06: I am a Republican.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_06: I'm uh pleased to be a Republican, uh but uh I'm I am not anxious to be a major political figure at this time.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_06: So I'm seeing whether there is a role I can't play at the convention.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_05: Maybe I won't play a role at the convention right now.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_05: Uh would you be campaigning for other Republicans this fall?
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_06: Um I don't want to go out.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_06: I don't plan to go out on a campaign or fundraising trail.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_06: I'm uh I'm a Republican, I'm practicing my private politics uh privately uh uh hardcover edition.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_06: And I cannot uh leave the feed for myself or to my family or to the people who uh who uh inclined toward me in that regard.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_06: I cannot give you the fire that I'm like I could do with my life at this point.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_06: I hope they will understand my reasons, and I hope they will know that I'm still gonna be playing some role in public life and I'm gonna be doing things and I'm doing things and educational activities which will make a contribution uh to this nation.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_06: And I and I haven't passed over yet.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_06: I mean I'm not uh I'm not ready to go down to to Hilton Head and sit in a rocking chair and drink getting physics.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_06: Um I'll be active about it.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_28: I never really understood why Colin Powell didn't really want to campaign for Bob Dole.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_28: Um he did a little bit in that he he does the convention speech that you that you will hear, but you saw a little clip of in that in that last piece.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_28: Uh but Powell kind of fades away, so um, in in this whole thing after the convention, and so it is uh Bob Dole taking on a field of candidates as we get moving toward 1996.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_28: Uh before we go though, uh Colin Powell died literally just before we began this this uh podcast.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_28: Had had he passed away uh just literally a couple of months later, we would have done a special on him.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_28: And uh and so uh we never got a chance to really look back on what a giant figure Colin Powell was.
• 39:15
  SPEAKER_28: Uh and he really was.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_28: He was somebody I really admired, and I think most of the country did, and I give him credit not so much as the first African-American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who led, if you want to call it this, the textbook way to run a war.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_28: Uh if you want to see uh uh an administration that gets it right about how to run a war, um, if you gotta be in a war, you know, it is done during George H.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_28: W.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_28: Bush's presidency when dealing with Iraq.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_28: They had a plan in place of what they wanted to do, they had a they had everybody in line about what what their goal was, what the um what the ultimate end was going to be, and when they achieved it, they packed up and went away and didn't try to build a nation over there.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_28: And that is the mistake that we have made over and over and over again in wars.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_28: We get in there and then we try to hold the government up, prop them up, pay for it, put our troops on the ground, and end up in these quagmires that go on for years and years.
• 40:17
  SPEAKER_28: And Colin Powell had a he had a simple method for this thing, and that was you go in with overwhelming force, you have a clear objective, you you achieve that objective, and you leave.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_28: And uh and I would give him and President Bush and Dick Cheney and and and the and the group that ran that the Gulf War credit for that successful operation.
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_28: And we do have in our back catalogue of episodes a complete look at the Gulf War when Colin Powell was in charge.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_28: But I thought we would leave this look at him and his role in the 1996 campaign, uh, with this reflecting on General Powell's life and legacy from CBS News, uh, to give you a sense of just who he was for those who maybe weren't as politically active or what have you back in 1996, which was you know 30 years ago.
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_26: The nation is reflecting on the life of former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_26: The 84-year-old died Monday due to complications from COVID-19.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_26: Powell also battled multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer that compromises the immune system.
• 41:27
  SPEAKER_26: In a statement, Powell's family thanked medical staff at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he was being treated.
• 41:35
  SPEAKER_26: They also called him a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather, and a great American.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_26: CBS News national security correspondent David Martin takes a look back at his life.
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_11: Already dealing with cancer, Colin Powell succumbed to the coronavirus this morning at Walter Reed, where he had been hospitalized since last Monday.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_01: He's not only a dear friend in the Patriots, one of our great military leaders and a man of overwhelming decency.
• 42:18
  SPEAKER_11: Raised in Harlem in the Bronx as a child of immigrant parents, Powell joined the ROTC program at City College of New York, became a soldier, did two tours in Vietnam, and went on to become one of this country's most prominent leaders.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_11: First black National Security Advisor, first black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, first black Secretary of State.
• 42:43
  SPEAKER_11: He considered a run to become the first black president, but decided he didn't have the political fire in his belly.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_11: Powell became a household name during the first Gulf War when he pointed at a map showing the location of the Iraqi army.
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_11: Desert Storm, as it was called, lasted just seven weeks.
• 43:14
  SPEAKER_11: And in an interview on the 25th anniversary of the war, Powell acknowledged it may have created a false impression that the next war would be just as quick.
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_11: Do you think Desert Storm created unrealistic expectations about what military force can it may have in the minds of some.
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_06: It didn't uh in in my mind.
• 43:34
  SPEAKER_06: Uh I understood the nature of that war, how limited it was, and it wasn't a model of what we can do in every other conflict that comes along.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_11: He developed the Powell doctrine, a series of questions to be asked before the United States goes to war.
• 43:49
  SPEAKER_11: One of them, is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement?
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_11: Stands out as a red flag, warning against the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
• 44:03
  SPEAKER_11: Powell was Secretary of State then and delivered a key speech at the UN outlining what turned out to be false intelligence that Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_06: Every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources.
• 44:19
  SPEAKER_06: What we're giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_11: Powell later told a friend that speech was a black mark on my record that will never go away.
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_11: But that didn't stop presidential candidates from craving his endorsement.
• 44:35
  SPEAKER_11: And although he rose to the top under Republican presidents, he ended up endorsing two Democrats who became president, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_11: Elaine.
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_26: David Martin, thank you.
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_26: Ambassador John Negriponte joins me now.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_26: He served as Deputy National Security Advisor to Colin Powell.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_26: He also served as the Director of National Intelligence under President George W.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_26: Bush.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_26: Mr.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_26: Ambassador, thank you very much for being with us.
• 45:05
  SPEAKER_09: Thank you.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_09: Thank you for having me.
• 45:09
  SPEAKER_26: So your reflections, first of all, today, Ambassador, as someone who worked very closely with Colin Powell, knew him personally.
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_26: What will you remember most about him?
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_09: Well, first of all, I would I I remember the inspiration that he was for all of those who worked with him and for him.
• 45:29
  SPEAKER_09: He was a charismatic figure.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_09: He was very considerate of others.
• 45:34
  SPEAKER_09: He was a team player.
• 45:36
  SPEAKER_09: He just uh believed in keeping the ball moving down the field.
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_09: Uh he related extremely well to both his civilian and military colleagues.
• 45:45
  SPEAKER_09: As somebody who reported directly to Colon, both as deputy national security advisor and then as ambassador to Iraq and uh and and ambassador to the United Nations before that, uh, I was uh just totally impressed by his leadership skills.
• 46:00
  SPEAKER_09: Both in Iraq and in New York, I I spoke to him practically every day on the telephone.
• 46:05
  SPEAKER_09: That was his leadership style.
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_09: And uh I just felt uh I had his back every step of the way.
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_09: Uh great man to work for, lovely person to know.
• 46:17
  SPEAKER_26: Well, he was someone who was respected by both Democrats and Republicans alike throughout his career.
• 46:23
  SPEAKER_26: Why do you think that was?
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_26: How did he manage to do that?
• 46:28
  SPEAKER_09: Well, first of all, I don't think of Colin, even though he had an affiliation with the Republican Party, I don't think of him as a partisan figure.
• 46:36
  SPEAKER_09: He was a professional soldier.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_09: And that's where he first distinguished himself.
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_09: And I think he continued on in that tradition a little bit like George uh Catholic uh Marshall or uh uh Dwight D.
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_09: Eisenhower.
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_09: He was that kind of person.
• 46:53
  SPEAKER_09: He was a national figure, he had charisma, he had national recognition.
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_09: I think politicians wanted to associate with colon because uh they hoped that some of uh his incredible popularity would stick to them.
• 47:08
  SPEAKER_09: And uh so I I again I just want to emphasize I just simply cannot think of Colon as a partisan figure.
• 47:17
  SPEAKER_26: Well, I do want to ask you about his 2003 speech to the United Nations that cited faulty intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq War.
• 47:25
  SPEAKER_26: We heard a bit about this from David Martin in his um closing there a moment ago.
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_26: But how did that moment impact Colin Powell?
• 47:35
  SPEAKER_09: Well, you saw me in that photograph sitting right behind him.
• 47:38
  SPEAKER_09: I was uh representative to the UN at the time, and George Tennant was there, the head of the CIA.
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_09: He scrubbed that speech, he went to the CIA uh numerous times before he gave it to check it out.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_09: He uh gave uh that report to the United Nations uh in good faith.
• 47:54
  SPEAKER_09: He thought what he was saying was true.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_09: It turned out to be false.
• 47:58
  SPEAKER_09: He's sort of taking the fall for that, and he he kind of blames himself.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_09: And I I can see why it happened on his watch, and he's the one who delivered the remarks.
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_09: But I think the people in the intelligence community ought to step up once and for all and candidly admit that they gave him false information and that they regret having done that.
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_09: I think uh uh they're they're much more responsible than he is for the fact that we uh sold the American people a bill of goods when it came to Iraq WMD.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_09: And they ought to say that forthrightly and candidly and not let Colon continue to take the blame.
• 48:36
  SPEAKER_26: Um Mr.
• 48:36
  SPEAKER_26: Ambassador, since you raised that point, I wonder if you can tell us, did General Powell express that kind of sentiment to you that um he felt as though perhaps, you know, um that he had not been um supported in in the way that he should have been.
• 48:54
  SPEAKER_09: Well, that I mean he certainly said that he did he felt that he had not been properly served by the intelligence community.
• 49:02
  SPEAKER_09: Um he had lost uh he lost complete confidence in them after that experience.
• 49:12
  SPEAKER_26: All right, let's talk about his years as Secretary of State.
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_26: In what ways, Mr.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_26: Ambassador, do you think that he helped shape the State Department into what it is today?
• 49:24
  SPEAKER_09: Well, I think first of all, uh there was tremendous morale while he was there.
• 49:29
  SPEAKER_09: He related extremely well to the personnel of the all the personnel in the building and at the embassies uh around the world.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_09: He was a beloved figure.
• 49:39
  SPEAKER_09: He had a kind of a uh totally hands-on approach to uh running the department, and he got to know dozens, if not hundreds, of people who worked in the building uh personally.
• 49:50
  SPEAKER_09: I mean, you you gotta have been around Colin Bell to understand how charismatic his style was.
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_09: I remember he came out to the embassy in Baghdad when I was serving as ambassador there, and he we brought about uh uh around the uh uh him uh several hundred military people and and others to listen to him talk.
• 50:10
  SPEAKER_09: Uh uh, and he just uh was uh spellbinding in the way he spoke to people off the cuff, no prepared remarks, but he was always good for uh just a terrific uh spellbinding presentation.
• 50:24
  SPEAKER_09: That's the kind of guy he was.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_26: Well, how do you think Colin Powell would want the world to remember him?
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_09: Well, I think they'd want to remember him first and uh foremost as uh uh a tri a terrific soldier who won the first Gulf War, uh along with obviously the the troops and others who who who fought it, but he certainly led the effort here in Washington.
• 50:51
  SPEAKER_09: I think he'd want to be remembered as uh somebody who uh uh ran a uh State Department uh very effectively and and and he was a popular leader.
• 51:03
  SPEAKER_09: And I think we ought to also remember his role as national security advisor because he was the national security advisor for the last fourteen, fifteen months of Ronald Reagan's administration, which was a period of great accomplishment uh in breaking down some of the barriers with the Soviet Union, including a major arms control agreement.
• 51:25
  SPEAKER_09: And so I think that was sort of pathbreaking towards uh the eventual end of the Cold War, which occurred in the next administration.
• 51:33
  SPEAKER_09: But he played an important role in that.
• 51:37
  SPEAKER_26: All right, former ambassador John Negriponte, thank you so much for taking the time to share your reflections with us today.
• 51:44
  SPEAKER_26: Really appreciate it.
• 51:44
  SPEAKER_09: Thank you, Elaine.
• 51:45
  SPEAKER_09: Thank you very much.