Uncle Colin's Cabin?
	found on CNN written by Gr1fter, edited by Nick (Plastic) [ read unedited ] posted Thu 10 Oct 4:18pm
		"Singer and former Civil Rights activist Harry Belafonte recently kicked up a storm when he made some pretty scathing remarks about Secretary of State, Colin Powell's place in the Bush cabinet, comparing him to a 'house slave'. 'Colin Powell's committed to come into the house of the master. When Colin Powell dares to suggest something other than what the master wants to hear, he will be turned back out to pasture.' Powell's response was dignified and diplomatic: 'If Harry had wanted to attack my politics, that was fine. If he wanted to attack a particular position I hold, that was fine,' Powell said. 'But to use a slave reference, I think, is unfortunate and is a throwback to another time and another place that I wish Harry had thought twice about using.' "Even as a black man completely dissatisfied with the Bush administrations politics I feel as though Belafonte (and others) miss the point. That Powell can be a role model to African American youth in this country by holding the highest position ever held by a black man and the fact that his voice does get heard in the cabinet means that the world is probably a better, more level headed place with Powell in the cabinet."

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1.  To summarize   by profwhat       at Thu 10 Oct 4:36pm score of 4.5 obnoxious     Harry Belafonte, who built his career on selling to white Americans the false image that Jamaicans are happy, singing workers, thinks that Colin Powell is a traitor to his race. Go figure.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

2.  Re: To summarize   by Lulu Lotus-Eater       at Thu 10 Oct 4:40pm score of 1   in reply to comment 1     What ever gave you the idea Harry Belafonte was Jamaican?!   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   5.  Re: To summarize   by chasing       at Thu 10 Oct 4:45pm score of 2 informative   in reply to comment 2     Perhaps it was this?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   21.  Re: To summarize   by cutta       at Fri 11 Oct 7:42am score of 1   in reply to comment 2     the 'banana loading song' was a jamaican folk song before being recorded by harry belafonte off topic but there you go round here we say birds not bitches   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   26.  just an FYI   by n29_w95       at Fri 11 Oct 9:04am score of 1   in reply to comment 2     New Yorker ---Pie is good!   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   27.  Re: just an FYI   by MustWork       at Fri 11 Oct 9:11am score of 1   in reply to comment 26     Actually, having grown up listening to Harry Belafonte, I gathered from his talking to the audience that he was born in New York, moved to Jamaica for a period (about 10 years?), and then had his family move back to New York. Having spent 10 years growing up in Jamaica, his Jamaican accent, Jamaican singing style, etc., might account for people thinking that he has Jamaican roots. Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat History class.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   28.  Re: just an FYI   by zanzibar       at Fri 11 Oct 9:18am score of 1   in reply to comment 27     I always assumed that "Jamaican roots" referred to his ancestry, not his place of birth. The CNN article says that both Belafonte and Powell "share the same Jamaican roots", which seems to further imply that family background is the issue here (unless CNN is merely referring to Colin Powell's thick Jamaican accent...)   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

3.  Cheers to Harry.   by dheeraj       at Thu 10 Oct 4:40pm score of 0.5 compelling     Jeez. Of COURSE Powell's voice "gets heard in the Cabinet." Why? Because his voice is saying what they want to hear. These imaginary "differences of opinion" that certain reporters like to over-hype -- e.g., Powell wanted to take things slow and steady last year, after 9/11, while Ashcroft, et al. wanted to bomb everything in sight -- don't count, in my view, as substantial differences of opinion. There are times for diplomatic, dignified responses (to use Gr1fter's terms), but when thousands of lives are potentially at stake -- as is the case now that our so-called "representatives" have rubber-stamped Bush, Jr.'s war plans -- then I'm sorry, but there's no time for being "dignified." Powell is rubber-stamping an entirely unnecessary war, and for that, he is a worthless Uncle Tom. Just as Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, Cheney, and the rest are daily redefining the term "devil." OK. You may now mod me down.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

8.  Watch your back in 2004   by Brian Jones       at Thu 10 Oct 5:28pm score of 3 brilliant   in reply to comment 3     The accolades may come now from the hard-core Bush-haters, but wait until the Presidential campaign starts. The hacks you thought were your friends will fall in line behind whatever McCandidate the Democrats pick -- and these caring, thoughtful, diversity-celebrating Democrats will stomp you like a palmetto bug unless you get behind Massa McAuliffe and dance to the tune he's playing. Cheap crass attention-whoring plug goes here.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   13.  Re: Cheers to Harry.   by Conrad Bombora       at Thu 10 Oct 7:18pm score of 1.5 astute   in reply to comment 3     Jeez. Of COURSE Powell's voice "gets heard in the Cabinet." Why? Because his voice is saying what they want to hear. These imaginary "differences of opinion" that certain reporters like to over-hype It's not imaginary you may be forgetting that Powell used to be called General Powell. There have always been difficulties between leaders who come from a military background dealing with leaders who come from a civilian background who are making decisions on military matters. Before Sept 11 it was not uncommon to see stories of infighting between Rumsfeld, Cheney, vs. Powel after Sept 11 the stories died out, and understandably so. The White House probably clamped down on the situation and told every one to shut up in order to show a unified front. The differences and resentments are still there. Powell in no way is an "Uncle Tom" he is like every other jackass in DC a "Politician" and if he plays his cards right, he may be called President Powell. "Must be nice to hope for the thing you wish to want... Sure beats doing it." Strangers with Candy   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   37.  Re: Cheers to Harry.   by Atlasshrugged00       at Fri 11 Oct 10:45am score of 0.5 irrelevant   in reply to comment 13     "if he plays his cards right, he may be called Presdent Powell." Too bad he doesn't want the job.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   45.  Re: Cheers to Harry.   by Ajax       at Sat 12 Oct 6:39am score of 1   in reply to comment 3     Jeez. Of COURSE Powell's voice "gets heard in the Cabinet." Why? Because his voice is saying what they want to hear. These imaginary "differences of opinion" that certain reporters like to over-hype -- e.g., Powell wanted to take things slow and steady last year, after 9/11, while Ashcroft, et al. wanted to bomb everything in sight -- don't count, in my view, as substantial differences of opinion. Really? Well, you could have fooled Colin Powell. "Coca-ColaŽ and ArmageddonŽ / We like it, like it, yes we do!" -- Clutch.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

4.  what fresh freedom is this?   by chasing       at Thu 10 Oct 4:41pm score of 5 clever     So basically Belafonte thinks black men should be free enough to choose their politics and agendas, but only so long as they agree with him.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

15.  Re: what fresh freedom is this?   by Anonymous Idiot       at Thu 10 Oct 8:30pm score of 2 obnoxious   in reply to comment 4     Sounds like half the shitheads around here, doesn't it?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   25.  Re: what fresh freedom is this?   by Bucky Katt       at Fri 11 Oct 8:53am score of 2.5 brilliant   in reply to comment 15     Yes, yes it does. Some have shotguns Some have doves. Some comments are original, and won't even be touched with gloves. We try to embrace reason in our dissenting assault But around here it's high treason, if it's not Dubya's fault. Aloof.. bizarre...sarcastic... volatile... He is a CAT, after all.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   52.  Re: what fresh freedom is this?   by Eric Blair       at Sat 12 Oct 8:02pm score of 1   in reply to comment 4     Yes, you are right. But...Powell is in an administration of which only 10% of blacks voted for. Obviously he is going to be seen by many blacks as a traitor or an "Uncle Tom".       Let's face it...the Republican Party is a party primarily composed of white people. 92% of the delegates at the Republican Convention were white. So, what is a non-white person doing there at their convention? He is "window-dressing", a "spook by the door". Even the Republicans want some high-profile "spooks" because they feel it enhances their image as "America's" party. Sure, Powell can talk about the problems of Black America at the convention, but few Republicans will actually listen or care.       Belafonte basically called Powell a "house nigger". Well...is he? Yes, I think he may be. He can give "suggestions" to the master (Bush) but the master will turn to his own trusted comrades (Cheaney, Rumsfeld, etc.) when "prime time" or "crunch time" comes.       Malcolm X, a nigger with an attitude (25 year before the hip-hop group N.W.A.!) said the same thing. The house niggers were more respected by the masters than the field niggers. When a critical situation came up, however, the house niggers were as unimportant as the field niggers.       And that's what Powell is, or, more precisely, that's how he behaves, as a house nigger. The field niggers are in jail, in Watts, Compton, Southeast Washington, Detroit, Oakland, etc. but he's flying high. It's just that the masters don't care about his opinion. Given the choice, Malcolm X would have taken an honest filed nigger over a house nigger any day. I agree with Malcolm, but then again, I have a nigger perspective just like Malcolm had. It's something you just have to be born with. And, as N.W.A. says, "Nobodys' pickin' up a nigger with an attitude." Why should they, when they can pick up house niggers like Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice, Alan Keyes, etc.? Better to work in the big house than work in the fields, I guess.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

6.  Hmmm   by deeluxx       at Thu 10 Oct 4:57pm score of 2 nuanced     Funny that Belafonte is probably most famous for recording "Day-O", a bastardized version of a few different Jamaican folk songs, and written by a white man. Getting rich off a white mans version of his own 'Jamaican roots'. Who's the Tom now? Alan Arkin wrote "Day-O", in case you were wondering. Yes, that Alan Arkin.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

36.  Re: Hmmm   by Pengie       at Fri 11 Oct 10:35am score of 1   in reply to comment 6     This site begs to disagree with you. Now who are you going to believe? A site with dates, song titles, and a history of Alan Arkin's career as a folk singer? Or one with all those dancing bananas and monkeys?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

7.  Powell takes the high road   by 1fastdog       at Thu 10 Oct 5:12pm score of 5 astute     I think Belafonte has fallen under the same assumption that many people make about Colin Powell & here's a perfect example from the write-up: Powell's response was dignified and diplomatic. Too many people equate Powell's diplomacy and dignity with softness. In an age where ranting and raving are a lightning rod for publicity hounds, Powell almost always takes the high and soft spoken road, which unfortunately for him, people like Belafonte equate with gutless compliance towards the status quo. Powell knows that to change the things that you disagree with you have to work them from inside the system. Standing on the streetcorner and throwing verbal darts at the system ala Al Sharpton may get you on the news but it's probably not going to effectively change govt policy. To change the system you have to be part of the system. Distasteful though that may be to Belafonte, it's what's going to be the most effective strategy for Powell in the long run. Tipping The Bottle & Biting The Lime   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

18.  Re: Powell takes the high road   by IamaplasticSquid       at Fri 11 Oct 12:53am score of 3 astute   in reply to comment 7     While I agree that Powell is a class act on this one, I disagree with Powell knows that to change the things that you disagree with you have to work them from inside the system. Standing on the streetcorner and throwing verbal darts at the system ala Al Sharpton may get you on the news but it's probably not going to effectively change govt policy. The fact is we need both. While Al Sharpton is mostly a loud mouth bore, and the current civil rights movement is pretty much a shadow of it's past, Martin Luther King did a pretty good job of changing things from the street corner. His issues were broader and attracted a far bigger following than Sharpton's overhyped show pieces, that allowed him to apply serious pressure from the outside. Mahatma Gandhi is another example of forcing change from the street corner. Colin Powell is making a difference, whether you think he is a dissident or a Bush suck up he is in the heart of a very important group of people, but working from the inside isn't the only path to effective social change, only one of the options. Just because some on the street corner are clowns doesn't mean they all are. Plastic Squid, Toy Box 2 (The Big Clear Plastic One with the Blocks and Stuff)   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   39.  Re: Powell takes the high road   by Atlasshrugged00       at Fri 11 Oct 10:49am score of 2.5 brilliant   in reply to comment 7     Belafonte has made another even more critical assumption. He (like Streisand, Alec Baldwin, etc.) actually thinks we give a shit what he thinks. Unless you have some real world political leadership or educational experience...I don't care what your personal opinion really is.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   46.  Re: Powell takes the high road   by Ajax       at Sat 12 Oct 7:04am score of 1.5 nuanced   in reply to comment 39     Unless you have some real world political leadership or educational experience...I don't care what your personal opinion really is. ...he said, clicking "Submit" to add his commentary to the news & opinion website he was logged onto. As I have remarked before, the only person who shows worse taste than a celebrity asking us to care about his/her opinions is the non-celebrity making a big deal about how annoyed they are at quote-unquote having to listen to said celebrity's opinions. "Coca-ColaŽ and ArmageddonŽ / We like it, like it, yes we do!" -- Clutch.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   48.  Re: Powell takes the high road   by bcarmichael       at Sat 12 Oct 10:06am score of 1   in reply to comment 46     As I have remarked before, the only person who shows worse taste than a celebrity asking us to care about his/her opinions is the non-celebrity making a big deal about how annoyed they are at quote-unquote having to listen to said celebrity's opinions. A point well-taken. But an analogy may make it clear why some people find famous entertainment figures talking politics so distasteful. If I'm in the library and somebody is talking on their cell phone nearby, my level of displeasure is going to scale right along with the volume they're speaking at. A quiet whisper will be no big deal. Addressing the cell phone with a bullhorn, on the other hand, is going to be intolerable. Alec Baldwin is screaming on his cellphone every time he threatens to emigrate if confronted by a Bush Presidency. As well, it's offensive to be consdescended to. The poor people of this country are in the midst of an economic decline. They have serious money worries. It is hard to believe that Barbara Streisand's worries about the economy are anything more than the posturing of a dilettante, however, and her appropriation of their suffering in a blatant round of self-aggrandizement should be grounds for mute embarrassment. Instead, they get used as fundraising opportunities. Yeesh. Even uglier possibilities can rise from this commingling of politics and entertainment. Right now, the Republican candidate for governor in California is a sitting duck. He's falsely accused the Democratic incumbent of taking bribes. And been called on it. Support from his own party has dwindled so badly that they're talking about running Ahnold Swcharzenegger as a write in candidate. You remember what happened last time California made a movie star Governor, right? "Rational people know that things act of themselves, or not all."   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   49.  Re: Powell takes the high road   by Ajax       at Sat 12 Oct 10:29am score of 1   in reply to comment 48     I think your analogy, though well-intentioned, fails for a couple of reasons. First, "celebrity" is much easier to ignore than a bullhorn. Had this story not been brought to Plastic, I would have had absolutely no inkling of Harry Belafonte's views on Colin Powell. Perhaps that would dismay Harry Belafonte, but the fact remains that his "celebrity" exists in a far different sphere than my attention span. If a "celebrity bullhorn" is being talked into not in the library where I'm engaged in quiet contemplation, but in the dance club several miles away where the "in crowd" and their hangers-on are gyrating to the latest techno beats, I don't see where I have a legitimate bitch. If I'm close enough to hear, I'm probably there because I do pay attention to that sort of thing. Secondly, American politics cannot in any way, shape, or form be likened to a library full of serious people engaged in quiet contemplation. A mosh pit with neckties is a far better metaphor. :) If I want to hear serious opinions, I go to serious-opinion-place (sometimes Plastic qualifies.) If I want to hear celebrities bloviate, I watch Entertainment Tonight or its bastard cousin E! (full disclosure: I don't watch either, but rumor has it that's what they show.) It seems to me that far too much celebrity-criticism is born not of the kind of opinions that celebrities have (logic dictates that celebrities, like any other segment of the population fall along the same bell curve of wit and wisdom everyone else does, and therefore there are just as many sensitive, thoughtful celebs as there are famous empty-headed blowhards) but simple jealousy. A stupid opinion doesn't get any smarter because it's a movie star expressing it, but it's just as easy to ignore a celebrity as it is to ignore Plastic. If you want to blame someone for celebrities talking politics, how about blaming the media who are pointing the camera at them and asking them for their opinions? "Coca-ColaŽ and ArmageddonŽ / We like it, like it, yes we do!" -- Clutch.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   50.  Re: Powell takes the high road   by Atlasshrugged00       at Sat 12 Oct 1:33pm score of 1   in reply to comment 49     Hey they are all apart of the same circles. The real blame lies in the public who gives the media their calling to ask the celebrity their opinions. I have long stood by my claim that so-called athletes (A-rod) and celebrities (from respected Tom Hanks to frowned upon Tommy Lee) are nothing more than modern gladiators and court jesters. I enjoy their entertainment value at times, but wish the public didn't value their entertainment to the tune of 250 million dollars (A-rod) or even 30 million dollars a movie (Schwarzenegger). OT: I do however value the free market and if that is the going rate people wish to pay for 2 hrs of entertainment so be it (just don't complain about ticket prices). AS for opinions Plastics implied if not explicit task is a clearinghouse for opinions. And since I have both the political and educational backgrounds in leadership I mentioned I feel more than qualified to comment on Belafonte's stupid opinion (your words not mine)   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   54.  Re: Powell takes the high road   by MustWork       at Wed 6 Nov 3:08pm score of 1   in reply to comment 48     You remember what happened last time California made a movie star Governor, right? We should only be so lucky as to have someone of the Gipper's leadership quality in the White House. George is doing pretty good, though. As good as Arnold might be, he cannot run for President, as he is a naturalised citizen. Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat History class.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   41.  Re: Powell takes the high road   by weiyuent       at Fri 11 Oct 12:04pm score of 1   in reply to comment 7     As the saying goes, to do real good you have to go where the devil is. And if you dance with the devil, you might change the audience but you don't change the devil, the devil changes you. So, in some, the truest sacrifice in life would be to go work with those you disagree with, try to change their thinking and take the risk willingly that they will change your thinking, all for the sake of the cause that you believe in. Kudos to Powell.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

9.  Can I take BOTH?   by Thalia       at Thu 10 Oct 6:09pm score of 2 compelling     Why yes... Colin Powell is a role model, and should be. He has achieved a high position through hard work, and without nepotism. He's clearly a role model. BUT, Colin Powell is also being treated like a second class member of the Cabinet by the Bushies. He is certainly not being accorded the respect that the Secretary of State deserves. I do agree that Belafonte's remarks are unfortunate to say the least. But his message is valid. Colin Powell is not treated like he should be... and is on a mighty tight leash in the Bush White House. Thalia Judeo-Christianity: just like regular Christianity, only insincerely 5% more inclusive! -- MC Nally   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

11.  Secretary of State: Odd man out   by jhe       at Thu 10 Oct 6:47pm score of 2 interesting   in reply to comment 9     Colin Powell is also being treated like a second class member of the Cabinet by the Bushies. With the exception of Bush I, the secretary of state has been the odd man out since at least the Nixon administration (until they gave the job to Kissinger). The National Security Advisor seems to have edged out the Secretary of State. The main differences between Powell and George Shulz and Cyrus Vance are 1. he's black and 2. ok, did I mention that he's black? Anyway this is pretty much par for the course. "Because a person's a person, no matter how small" -- Theodore Geisel   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   20.  Who is edging who?   by Airbag       at Fri 11 Oct 6:09am score of 2 astute   in reply to comment 11     The National Security Advisor seems to have edged out the Secretary of State. Powell does appear to be the odd man out of the Rice,Rumsfeld,Cheney huddle that surrounds our Leader. But there is a factor in that cohesiveness which actually expands the importance of the Secretary of State and makes his role sharply different from his predecessors. The Bush policy of withdrawal from engagement with international forms of consensus means that there is no competition of ideas within the Administration of how that engagement will be conducted at those moment when it becomes inadvertently necessary. Powell is foreign policy because Rice and Rummy are too busy playing Battleship in the Oval Office to bother with it. That is why you have Powell telling the Security Council that they have a simple choice: Do as I suggest or play with the hungry pitbulls I have quartered back in Washington.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   40.  Re: Secretary of State: Odd man out   by Pengie       at Fri 11 Oct 10:56am score of 3 interesting   in reply to comment 11     It's also interesting that while people are complaining about Colin Powell being treated as a second-class member of the cabinet, they aren't mentioning Condoleeza Rice at all. If the National Security Advisor is edging out the Secretary of State, then a powerful black man is being kept from a central role in determining national foreign policy by an even more powerful black woman. And this is somehow a race issue. (Yes, I know there are a bunch of white guys up there too...it's just odd that Rice's role is minimized in this particular debate)   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   30.  Nepotism   by zanzibar       at Fri 11 Oct 9:27am score of 1.5 clever   in reply to comment 9     Colin Powell is a role model, and should be. He has achieved a high position through hard work, and without nepotism. Now if only we could say the same for the rest of his family...   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

10.  Cabinet members   by geekybob       at Thu 10 Oct 6:42pm score of 5 brilliant     Colin Powell is an adviser to the President. His job is to advise him to the best of his ability until a decision is made, and then to support and implement the President's decision without further dissent, public or private. Colin, still a military man in every way but title, must have deep reservations about the course this President has set. I have no doubt that his voice has been heard quite loudly on this issue. He understands, however, that it's time to shut the fuck up and do the more difficult half of his job: help conduct-- and win-- a war that he opposes. It's too bad some people don't understand that, and need to make such racial remarks. I'm not a Democrat, I'm a liberal. Democrats go to meetings.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

32.  Re: Cabinet members   by j4cks0n       at Fri 11 Oct 9:59am score of 1.5 succinct   in reply to comment 10     Well said.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

12.  Colin Powell grew up in the culture...   by MAYORBOB       at Thu 10 Oct 7:02pm score of 2.5 compelling     ...that says, unless you have ultimate authority for something, you owe your superiors a respectful silence while they give you your marching orders. Frankly, I am surprised by the opinions of so many who believe that he would break ranks with the President over policy that Bush has indicated will be official administration policy. There is nothing in Powell's background to demonstrate that he possesses the requisite flintiness (some would say prima donna quality) of an Alexander Haig to openly break with Bush. Powell is a good, bright man. Perhaps, the perfect Secretary of State, in that this position doesn't call for a firebrand but rather a diplomat. But he is not a firebrand. Tending to final details.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

14.  As an outsider looing in   by MrFadedGlory       at Thu 10 Oct 8:01pm score of 4.5 compelling     ...from all the way on the other side of the world, I thank my lucky stars that Colin Powell is a member of the Cabinet. I feel much better with him in the SecState job than I would with some Bush clone in the job, and Powell doing a lecture circut somewhere. He is an intelligent and wise MAN. His skin colour doesn't matter, in my opinion. Belefonte's statements have the stench of stupidity about them. To suggest that Powell is a house nigger as he so colourfully states, is to suggest that the other members of the cabinet have more freedom to say what they want, than Powell does. That Powell is just there for effect. If he was white, I doubt that many people would be fixating on him in the same way. he would just be a moderate member of the cabinet. It seems that because he is black he should be saying something more or in some way endagering his position in a way that a white cabinet member never would. I think you would see a much different Colin Powell if he was in the 'Top Job'. As president, Powell would have the opportunity to do many of the things that I am sure he would like to but is not able to due to his military training. I think it's a terrible shame that he is probably too old to run for President. I would feel much better about the fate of the world with him in the Whitehouse. ::M aka, Michael (Plastic)   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

29.  Re: As an outsider looing in   by MustWork       at Fri 11 Oct 9:20am score of 1   in reply to comment 14     I think it's a terrible shame that he is probably too old to run for President. I would feel much better about the fate of the world with him in the Whitehouse. If Mr. Powell can continue to stomach the public abuse from the know-nothings, and the private abuse from other insiders, then I think he would make a great VP Candidate in 2004, with an eye towards the Oval Office in 2008. What a wonderful, happy thought. Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat History class.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   47.  Re: As an outsider looing in   by Ajax       at Sat 12 Oct 7:09am score of 1   in reply to comment 29     ...I think [Powell] would make a great VP Candidate in 2004, with an eye towards the Oval Office in 2008. What a wonderful, happy thought. Not gonna happen. Sorry. :/ "Coca-ColaŽ and ArmageddonŽ / We like it, like it, yes we do!" -- Clutch.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

16.  Yes, Harry...   by blueflower       at Thu 10 Oct 9:58pm score of 3 clever     ...you've now managed to become as annoying as Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan, and Al Sharpton. I don't think African-Americans fought to trade white masters in for a black ones. Go away.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

17.  payback's a bitch   by gerrymander       at Thu 10 Oct 11:22pm score of 2.5 brilliant     I guess Belafonte never forgave Powell for stealing his hit.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

19.  It's A Bureaucrat Thing. You Wouldn't Understand.   by mischief       at Fri 11 Oct 1:28am score of 1     'When Colin Powell dares to suggest something other than what the master wants to hear, he will be turned back out to pasture.' I am quite confident that Powell suggests many things that the Shrub and his handlers do not want to hear. Conversely, Powell probably suggests many compromises on those same issues that Shrub, Inc. DO want to hear. In the end, however, Powell receives his orders and he carries them out, and only in not performing this last action would he 'be turned back out to pasture'. However, in criticizing Belefonte, a State Department official included this remark: 'As people said when the secretary sang at ASEAN [that] he should keep his day job, you could say the same about singers who get into politics". Good thing that idiot stayed anonymous, because like anyone else, singers have the right to express their opinion on political matters and those who perform those tasks. "And then... and then... and then...", and then the man who stuttered died, his last words an echo of his life   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

22.  Why?   by LeighBCD       at Fri 11 Oct 7:52am score of 1 irrelevant     Why on earth should the Secretary of State for the United States have to justify his actions to a former cabaret singer? Colin Powell is one of the most powerful men on the planet yet he feels the need to respond to Harry Belafonte's outburst. This sorry episode only serves to diminish Powell and give Belafonte the publicity he undoubtedly was seeking. To rose-lipt maidens and lightfoot lads   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

51.  Re: Why?   by TheJazzPen       at Sat 12 Oct 3:21pm score of 1   in reply to comment 22     Because the cabaret singer is an American citizen. Is why. Gee, yer dumb.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

23.  Have We Met?   by Linux Ate My Dog!       at Fri 11 Oct 7:53am score of 0.5 irrelevant     Interesting. Mr Belafonte talks about "Colin Powell". Mr Powell talks about "Harry". Either these two have met and Mr. Belafonte failed to mention it, or Mr. Powell is trying to be more familiar -- and thus condescending? -- in a subtle way "He's old school." -- byrne   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

24.  Re: Have We Met?   by Anonymous Idiot       at Fri 11 Oct 8:18am score of 1 astute   in reply to comment 23     ... Mr. Powell is trying to be more familiar -- and thus condescending? -- in a subtle way Gee, good thing Mr. Belafonte was respectful when he insulted Colin and insinuated he was nothing more than a house boy for the president then. Wouldn't want to look condescending when questioning someone's integrity, would one.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]   38.  Re: Have We Met?   by Linux Ate My Dog!       at Fri 11 Oct 10:48am score of 1   in reply to comment 24     I made no pronouncement whether it was justified or not. I was just wondering whether it was happening. So is it, according to you? "He's old school." -- byrne   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

31.  So Whaat?   by choodak       at Fri 11 Oct 9:32am score of 1     We all have bosses we don't like in jobs we do like. Even if there are differences of opinion between the Bushites and Powell what relevance is that. Powell is doing a job and dealing with all the crap that comes with it. I can see nothing to criticize about his actions. His policies may be a different story. The environment isn't that terrible. Imagine what Kissinger had to deal with during the Nixon administration.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

33.  Tally This Banana   by mrwarmth       at Fri 11 Oct 10:01am score of 4 astute     One of the deep flaws in the thinking of ideological people is that they cannot believe that others would willingly, knowingly, adopt a contrary position. Ideologists therefore put great energy into concocting theories for why the people they think need their help don't want it, and in fact want all the things they're not supposed to. Marxists had to invent the convoluted theory of false consciousness to explain this phenomenon. Modern day activists fall back on the rhetoric of slavery. Right-wing people, at least these days, have fastened on to the vocabulary of addiction to explain why otherwise fine people would want to watch porn. Etc. Harry Belafonte is doing the same thing. He can't admit or acknowledge that Collin Powell might actually believe in what he is doing, since no African American could possibly disagree with Belafonte without being under some form of bondage or mind control. This shows that, ultimately, ideology is incompatible with democracy, and secretly loathes the freedom it gives others to think differently. -Niall Where is Ratko Mladic?   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

34.  Public vs. Private   by My name is Mudd       at Fri 11 Oct 10:04am score of 1     I would just like to point out that NONE of us know how Bush and Powell interact in private. All we know is that, in general (bad pun, sorry), he supports the president's positions in public. Everyone, except for Sonny Corleone, knows you never disagree with your family/team/organization in public. Short then is the time which every man lives, and small is the nook of the Earth wherein he dwells.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

35.  Saint Colin Powell - bwaah   by rmo314       at Fri 11 Oct 10:30am score of 1     Harry Bellafonte is wrong but why this sanctification of Colin Powell. He may be a great soldier but I do not see any political insight in his viewpoints. All his recommendations are of the "do nothing" or "wait and see" kind. He supports affirmative action without clarifying whether it is quotas or outreach - yeah, try it in the fighting units. Even as a military leader I have my doubts based on the 1991 Iraq war for overcaution and not providing a vision for a proper conclusion. Religion: A daughter of Hope and Fear,explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable - Ambrose Bierce   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

42.  The weight of impressions.   by TSM       at Fri 11 Oct 12:52pm score of 2 brilliant     Bellafonte seems to think that Powell is a coward. I must stridently disagree. Colin Powell strikes me as a very reasonable and cautious man. Of course he's got good reason to be cautious, he's one of the few people alive who really knows what it means to command a substantial portion of the free world's military might with the wave of a hand. I think he's got a very well-developed respect for what it means to send soldiers to their deaths as well as what it means to the families and friends of the people who are actually being killed. To most of us, the high Iraqi bodycounts from 1991 meant that we were winning, like the Chicago Bulls were winning championships around the same period of time. It meant that we were fighting the good fight and doing good things for the world. It meant that the honest, hardworking shopkeepers of America would sell that many more Desert-Storm Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action-figures. Powell, on the other hands has seen the burning fields. He's seen the fire-cooked corpses of men who died attempting to flee their hopelessly obsolete tanks. I think the man knows exactly what it means for one country to go to war with another. I think George W. Bush comes from a long line of saboteurs and drug-addicts. Daddy was the head of the CIA for a good long while, an organization that has considered itself above the laws of any country for years. Think about this while you're reviewing the high spots of a Bush presidency. We've all heard about his niece and her dad's predictable and disappointing refusal to enforce the Florida state laws he supported with respect to her punishment. Then there's the fact that W's own daughters are quickly blossoming into a fine pair of second-string barsluts. Shall we go into W's own little problems with substance abuse? This is a line of people who seem to be incapable of managing their own children and they've been handed the keys to the free world not once, but twice. The war with Iraq strikes me as more of a vendetta or a distraction than an actual strategic move. Recall the speech he used rally support against Saddam Hussien? I've heard it a million times, hell, I've said it a few times myself. The age-old tactic to get a brawl started in any given night spot. "Did you hear what he said? Are you gonna let him talk to you like that? I'd kick the shit out of anyone who talked to me like that. . ." That's the impression that I get. An entire administration full of con-men and common hoodlums, yet there's this one voice of reason over in the corner. One man of placement and influence who's got the gall to suggest out loud and in public that maybe this war, this crowning jewel by which G.W. Bushes' legacy will be measured, this one last desparate act to gain the approval of his probably distant and uncaring father, might not be such a good idea. The wordsmanship with which this is said is even and smooth as a lake on a calm day, but it is what it is. It's one dissenting voice in a room full of the most powerful white collar criminals in the world. Now do you really get the impression that these are the actions of a coward? --TSM "Reserving the right to refuse service to anyone since 1976"   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

43.  Re: The weight of impressions.   by Airbag       at Fri 11 Oct 2:12pm score of 1.5 astute   in reply to comment 42     The war with Iraq strikes me as more of a vendetta or a distraction than an actual strategic move. I probably have as little confidence in the Bush plan as anybody you hear on Plastic but that plan is the logical consequence of a certain world view and you aren't helping the argument against that logic by attributing the motives for it to be a simple aggregation of personal idiosyncrasies of a particularly flawed human being. I happen to be a particularly flawed human being but the logic of my actions have more to do with the decisions I have made and less to do with how I feel about stuff. If you wanted to stop what I was doing, you would have better luck showing how I make bad decisions than by starting to talk about my Mom or Dad. That isn't to say that such a perspective is meaningless, it just means that it is none of your business.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

44.  Shut UP, Harry!   by JulesRules       at Fri 11 Oct 3:49pm score of 0.5 obnoxious     Bush is going to throw a FIT when he finds out Colin Powell is black. yada yada yada   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]

53.  Talk About the Pot Calling the Spliff Hemp   by Loungeshark       at Tue 22 Oct 7:25pm score of 1     The offenses pouring out of Harry Belafonte's mouth are amazing. Try to imagine the backlash if an Anglo suggested certain individuals were the equivalent of a house servant. Somebody should sit the man down and tell him that slavery ended nearly a century before he was making a mint tallying banana.       What I personally find disgusting is the attitudes of those on this site that agree whole-heartedly with this crap! The Republican party is under constant criticism for not accepting more blacks to the fold, yet the blacks that are Republican are tar-babied and feathered by other blacks--and reactionary whites-- for not being true to their race. The rest condemn those black individuals for doing the bidding of caucasians.       Well isn't that just convenient for the critics. Clinton was praised up and down a flagpole for his diverse staff, yet when you look at the diversity of George Bush's White House the slander is thrown by those same liberal "experts". Clarence Thomas, J.C. Watts, Colin Powell, Condaleeza Rice, and others were not recruited to serve as window dressing and token ethnics for the party, they(can you believe their gall?)actually harbor conservative views and worked their way to prominent positions. The most offensive aspect of their careers is that they managed to rise to high levels WITHOUT the help of Jesse Jackson set aside programs.       Allow me to attempt a new angle for the pompous and omniscient rainbow pushers out there. Maybe Colin Powell isn't doing the master's bidding but maybe he quite possibly agrees with the philosophy of being a conservative. Unlike Mr. Belafonte who got rich serving up stereotypes, General Powell was serving this country, and along the way he may have learned for himself what makes this country succeed.       As for Hank Belafonte, I noticed not one Democratic politician took offense or stated that what was said could be construed as a hate-crime. No liberal leader stepped to the mike and said he found the comments distressful or unfortunate, and therefore you have to assume they stand in tacit agreement. Almost appears as if they have Belafonte making the controversial comments on their behalf. Almost appears they sent him out to smear their Republican opponents so they do not get punished for mud-slinging in the election in a few weeks.       Almost appears he may be doing the bidding of those White-Folks up on the Hill, don't it? When your psychic reads your tarot and the Death card comes up, ALWAYS double down.   [ ...reply just to this | comment on the story... | next new ]