Secretary of State (Pres. Bush Cabinet):
Colin Powell on
the Issues
Colin Powell on
Abortion
- Supports a woman’s right to choose. (Aug 1996)
Colin Powell on
Budget & Economy
- Government out of free marketplace & it’ll thrive. (Jan 1995)
- Cut strategic oil stockpile; end Cold War spending. (Jan 1995)
Colin Powell on
Civil Rights
- GOP must reach out more to minority communities. (Aug 2000)
- Inclusion even if you don’t believe in affirmative action. (Aug 2000)
- Overcome black criticism by reaching out “for real”. (Jul 2000)
- Affirmative action gives minorities a competitive choice. (Jul 2000)
- No anti-flag-burning amendment. (May 1999)
- Diversity over discrimination; it won’t go away by itself. (Aug 1996)
- Didn’t attend Million Man March, but respects it. (Oct 1995)
- Wants active government in protecting civil rights. (Jan 1995)
- Equal opportunity without preferential treatment. (Jan 1995)
- Urged reconciliation in L.A. Rodney King riots. (Jan 1995)
- Skin color is not behavioral; sexual orientation is. (Jan 1995)
Colin Powell on
Corporations
No stance on record.
Colin Powell on
Crime
- Building jails is a temporary fix, not the solution. (Aug 2000)
- Build our children instead of building jails. (Jul 2000)
Colin Powell on
Drugs
- Can solve drug problem only by strengthening kids. (Jul 2000)
- Assigned AWACS planes to fight drugs, despite opposition. (Jan 1995)
Colin Powell on
Education
- Promise Four: Marketable skills through effective education. (Jan 2001)
- Junior ROTC is a social bargain; expand it in high schools. (Jan 1995)
- Supports charter schools, vouchers, home schools. (Jul 2000)
Colin Powell on
Energy & Oil
- Member of Bush’s National Energy Policy Development Group. (May 2001)
- Tax credits & more funding for renewable energy research. (May 2001)
- Open small fraction of ANWR for regulated production . (May 2001)
- Long-term energy stability avoids high-polluting emergencies. (May 2001)
Colin Powell on
Environment
No stance on record.
Colin Powell on
Families & Children
- Promise One: Ongoing relationships with caring adults. (Jan 2001)
- Promise Two: Safe places during nonschool hours. (Jan 2001)
- GOP values fuel families; families build communities. (Aug 1996)
- Family is important, but don’t impose “family values”. (Jul 1995)
- A sense of shame is not a bad moral compass. (Jan 1995)
Colin Powell on
Foreign Policy
- Powell’s job: diplomatic solutions & disagree with Rumsfeld. (Aug 2004)
- UN faces irrelevance if it does not respond to Iraq. (Feb 2003)
- State Dept shakeup: More funds; more career officers. (Jan 2001)
- American century gives way to “century of democracy”. (Jul 2000)
- Don’t make up new enemies to fit old mission. (Jun 2000)
- Cuba is an irrelevant Cold War leftover. (Jul 1995)
- Haiti: Imperfect agreements are better than war. (Jan 1995)
- Somalia: Feeding hungry OK; national-building not. (Jan 1995)
China
- Economic strength more important than military strength. (Jan 1995)
- Mao’s China had thorough thought control but not paranoia. (Jan 1995)
Colin Powell on
Free Trade
- Democracy flowers when trade is free. (May 2001)
- Sold his book in China (and it sold well). (Jun 2000)
- China: trading is better than shooting. (Jun 2000)
Colin Powell on
Government Reform
- State Dept. is under-staffed and under-funded. (Feb 2001)
- Government should stay out of the way of free enterprise. (Oct 1997)
- Believes in value of many government social programs. (Jan 1995)
Colin Powell on
Gun Control
- Reasonable investigation of gun registrants. (Jul 1995)
Colin Powell on
Health Care
- Promise Three: Healthy start and future. (Jan 2001)
Colin Powell on
Homeland Security
- Close Guantanamo; it shakes belief in US justice system. (Jun 2007)
- We’ll defeat tyranny as we defeated communism & fascism. (Jul 2000)
- No new nuclear weapons initiatives. (Jun 2000)
- War communication has 5 audiences, including the enemy. (Jun 2000)
- SDI is major conceptual breakthrough in nuclear stalemate. (Jan 1995)
- Oil is a vital interest; humanitarianism is not. (Jan 1995)
- Supports strategy of readiness for 2 near-simultaneous wars. (Jan 1995)
- Originated “Don’t ask, don’t tell” as a compromise solution. (Jan 1995)
- Make military leaner & more efficient. (Jan 1995)
- Supports base closures; too many are Congressional pork. (Jan 1995)
Colin Powell on
Immigration
- Immigration is part of our life’s blood. (Jul 2000)
- Value today’s immigrant as much as Mayflower descendant. (Aug 1996)
Colin Powell on
Jobs
- Kids need more exposure to work, like “Shadow Days”. (Jan 2001)
- Government assistance is a poor substitute for good jobs. (Aug 1996)
- Jobs are the best answer to most of our social ills. (Jan 1995)
Colin Powell on
Principles & Values
- Op-Ed: easier to win presidency than to win GOP primary. (Oct 2005)
- America’s Promise: keep “The Five Promises” to children. (Jan 2001)
- With GOP on economy; wants bipartisanship on social issues. (Nov 2000)
- Raised poor, but rich in spirit & belief in America. (Oct 1997)
- Big Tent of GOP restores the American Dream. (Aug 1996)
- Colin Powell’s 13 Rules of Life. (Jan 1996)
- Keep options open for presidency, but not ready yet. (Jul 1995)
- Voted for Kennedy & Johnson on civil rights grounds. (Jul 1995)
- Fiscal conservative & social conscience; neither party fits. (Jan 1995)
- Would run with a vision; but doesn’t hear call yet. (Jan 1995)
- Made newly aware of heritage on trip to Nigeria. (Jan 1995)
- Buffalo Soldiers: acknowledge black service in army history. (Jan 1995)
Colin Powell on
Social Security
- Hard reality: reduce entitlements or raise taxes. (Jan 1995)
Colin Powell on
Tax Reform
- Lessen the burdens of taxes & debt. (Aug 1996)
- Tax dollars are better spent if left in private hands. (Jan 1995)
Colin Powell on
War & Peace
- 2004: We don't have enough troops in Iraq. (Oct 2008)
- Overwhelming Force replaced by Rumsfeld’s “Less is More”. (Oct 2006)
- Pre-Iraq warnings to Bush about difficult post-war governing. (Oct 2006)
- We must stay the course in Iraq & provide more resources. (Sep 2004)
- Rejects Kofi Annan’s assertion that Iraq war is illegal. (Sep 2004)
- Arafat must end terrorism to get to two-state solution. (Aug 2004)
- Bush & whole Cabinet agreed on multilateral approach on Iraq. (Aug 2004)
- Powell says that intelligence on WMD in Iraq not “solid”. (Apr 2004)
- Contradicted Cheney and sought more UN involvement. (Apr 2004)
- Invading Iraq means “owning” it, for better or worse. (Apr 2004)
- Inspectors are inspectors, not detectives. (Feb 2003)
- The facts show Iraq has not disarmed. (Feb 2003)
- Iraq moved weapons to hide them from inspectors. (Feb 2003)
- Saddam has enough anthrax to kill thousands. (Feb 2003)
- WMD inspectors eluded by producing weapons in mobile labs. (Feb 2003)
- Photo shows Iraqi jet modified to spray anthrax. (Feb 2003)
- Iraq has at least 100 tons of chemical weapons. (Feb 2003)
- Iraq has been trying to enrich uranium. (Feb 2003)
- Intelligence shows links between Iraq and terrorists. (Feb 2003)
- Documented ties between Iraq & Al Qaida. (Feb 2003)
- Our future is frightening unless we act against Iraq. (Feb 2003)
- Saddam killed 5,000 Kurds with mustard & nerve gas. (Feb 2003)
- Post 9/11, we cannot allow Iraq to have nuclear weapons. (Feb 2003)
- Iraq close to facing serious consequences for defiance. (Feb 2003)
- We wrote Resolution 1441 to preserve peace. (Feb 2003)
- Favored containment over invasion in both Iraq wars. (Nov 2002)
- War cabinet split: Rumsfeld & Cheney hawks; Powell dove. (Nov 2002)
- Predicted Iraq war would suck the oxygen from War on Terror. (Nov 2002)
- Support Iraqi opposition while maintaining sanctions. (Feb 2001)
- US need not choose between Israel & Arabs. (Nov 1995)
- US has always stood with Israel; and will continue to do so. (Nov 1995)
- Lebanon: providing “presence” not sufficient basis. (Jan 1995)
- Unapologetic about not taking Baghdad; result spread peace. (Jan 1995)
- Air strikes can’t guarantee changes; only ground troops can. (Jan 1995)
- When I hear “limited” & “surgical”, I head for the bunker. (Jan 1995)
- Predicted Saddam’s mischief in 1994. (Jan 1995)
Colin Powell on
Welfare & Poverty
- Promise Five: Opportunities for community service. (Jan 2001)
- Teach kids volunteerism while young. (Jul 2000)
- Reform the entitlement state, not just the welfare state. (Aug 1996)
- Promote energy security with more LIHEAP spending. (May 2001)
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