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

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

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)