Why did Colin Powell place loyalty above integrity during the run up to the Iraq invasion?

Question

plezurgui (below) Any (honest) fed or soldier will tell you that following unlawful orders or supporting deceit of the public trust is NOT part of the job discription. ALL public servants have to place the public trust and protection above anyone they answer to.

Answer 1

I am probably still being blinded by my own personal beliefs here but I really admire Colin Powell!!

I really think he was duped like the rest of us!

At least that's what I want to believe!

IDK!!

I wonder what he has had to say about this?

I have seen a few interviews with him since he resigned. He still sounded like he touted the administration's line?!

But just considering the fact that he would resign an office that he spent all of his life working towards.....the pinnacle of his career.... I think that speaks volumes!!

Answer 2

Because above all else, Powell is and has always been a soldier. To a soldier, loyalty IS integrity. He served at the pleasure of the President, and while he did his best to steer things in a somewhat different direction from WITHIN the administration, I'm sure it never for a second crossed his mind to defy or embarrass the President once he had been overruled. This is also why he's still relatively quiet on the subject even now.

Answer 3

Because, like the Old Soldier he is, he followed orders, even when he didn't like them.

Loyalty is the highest military virtue, that being the case, Powell's integrity is still intact. Misplaced loyalty has destroyed many a General's legacy. Look at Bob Lee.

But, because he chose to be loyal to his President, rather than his country, his credibility is shot.

Those "27, 8 by 12 color glossy photos with the circles and arrows and a description of each one on the back," showing the exact locations of the WMD's that didn't exist is what history will remember him for.

Answer 4

Well, here you are asking inane questions again.
Before that question should be answered, you should ask yourself what the purpose of the President's cabinet is.
The Constitution is set up for separation of powers. That is between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. Now guess which branch the President's cabinet in in. Yes, it is in the Executive branch and the President is the head of that branch. The people in the Executive branch ALL work for the President. Especially HIS cabinet. It is their job to advise him and carry out his wishes. Period.
Any disagreements within the Cabinet should remain inside the Cabinet. The country should only have one policy toward any single issue.
From what I can see, Colin Powell has a lot of integrity.

Answer 5

A moment of insanity? This was and still is a true dark cloud for Powell. I think he succumbed to the pressures put upon him by President Bush, V.P. Cheney and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. I would like to think he was left out of the loop and he honestly thought what they were doing was for the benefit of the people of Iraq and America. I have such high regard for the man and was thoroughly disappointed in him while he was making his speech to the UN in support of the invasion of Iraq. I still give him credit for having enough integrity to step down after the President's first term. He wasn't going to be fooled twice. He also no longer supports the President's policy in Iraq.

Answer 6

I'm with Dina. I think Cheney & Company only gave him certain bits of info.... but he's defintely a man of integrity...he left the war pig and company

Answer 7

Character flaw,loose morals and weak sense of integrity.He did himself and the world much damage when he went to the security council to lie

Answer 8

I think he believed in it at the start. I could be wrong, but I think that is what I read

Answer 9

Powell was a loyal soldier. He failed to be a patriot.

Answer 10

perhaps he believed in what he said....