Appearing before the House Budget Committee, Powell said he could furnish no estimate of the cost of any war with Iraq. But he did say he thought that the Arab nation should be able to adjust quickly after a war - in contrast to the slow pace of recovery in Afghanistan.
Iraq has an effective bureaucracy, rich oil resources and a developed middle class, Powell said. "I would hope that it would be a short conflict and that it would be directed at the leadership, not the society," he said.
Once those goals are achieved, Powell said, the US military leader in such a war would take temporary charge of Iraq. But that person would give way to a prominent American or international figure, whose own term would be limited with an eye toward turning over the government to the Iraqis themselves, the secretary of state said.
"We would try to build as much as we can on the structure that is there," Powell said. "The challenge would be to put in place a representative leadership."
"The US military leader in such a war would take temporary charge of Iraq. But that person would give way to a prominent American or international figure." Arrogance? Neo-imperialism? To the victors, the spoils?
Take note John and Tony, you don't seem to be getting much of a gig in this scenario. Maybe your invitations to the victory party are in the mail along with the cheques. As always, arselickers just end up with a nasty taste in their mouths.
A little trivia quiz for all the boys and girls from "The Presidential Prayer Team for Kids"
Do you know which Colin Powell in the early 1990s worried that:
1. "Ruling Baghdad" would come only at "unpardonable expense in terms of money, lives lost and ruined regional relationships?"
2. Addressing the "inevitable follow-up," who also asked whether Americans would really learn to live with "major occupation forces in Iraq for years to come?"
3. Finally, who argued that, "fortunately for America, reasonable people" would think such a scenario "would not have been worth the inevitable follow-up?"
And a timely reminder of events, propaganda and character assassination from 1991.
