Robert Draper: “To Start a War” and Colin Powell

THE DOCTRINE OF OVERWHELMING FORCE IS ESSENTIALLY TO IDENTIFY A PROBLEM, IDENTIFY A COALITION THAT WOULD SOLVE THAT PROBLEM, AND THEN USE THE OVERWHELMING FORCE TO NEGATE THAT PROBLEM.

AS POWELL SUCCINCTLY SAID TO AN AMERICAN AUDIENCE DURING THE OPERATION DESERT STORM, FIRST WE CUT IT OFF AND THEN KILL IT.

THIS WAS A FACILITY THAT THEN-CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF POWELL HAD FOR SPEAKING AND COMP MEN'SABLE BLUNT LANGUAGE, THOUGH IN THE END POWELL WAS ALSO VERY, VERY DIPLOMATIC.

I THINK THESE WERE THE TWO, AMONG THE MANY SKILLS THAT HE BROUGHT ACROSS THE BOARD TO THE POLITICAL ARENA.

YEAH, AND SOME WOULD ARGUE THAT DOCTRINE HELPED TO LIBERATE KUWAIT, RIGHT, AND EVEN THE INVASION THERE AND INCURSION INTO PANAMA.

BUT NOT NECESSARILY WAS THE CASE FOR THE MUSLIMS IN BOSNIA.

NO, THAT'S RIGHT.

IT WASN'T APPLICABLE TO THE SITUATION IN PO BOSNIA THROUGHOUT THE BALKANS, WHERE I HAPPEN TO BE RIGHT NOW, AND IT WAS, INSTEAD, REALLY A KIND OF SORT OF GREAT POWERS WAY OF THINKING.

IT'S SORT OF CONVENTION FORCE AGAINST CONVENTIONAL FORCE.

IT WASN'T VERY APPLICABLE ULTIMATELY TO THE SITUATION AMERICA FOUND ITSELF IN IN THE WAKE AFTER SEPTEMBER 11.

TALK ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZER THAT HE WAS.

HE WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN SECRETARY OF STATE.

THE FIRST BLACK CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS.

THE FIRST BLACK NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR.

AT TIMES IN THE MID '90s IT WAS RUMORED THAT HE WOULD, IN FACT, RUN FOR PRESIDENT AS A REPUBLICAN AND MANY AT THE TIME THOUGHT IF HE IS, HE WOULD WIN THE NOMINATION AND PRANCE THE PRESIDENCY ITSELF.

HOW PIVOTAL THEN YEARS LATER WAS HIS ENDORSEMENT IN 2008, NOT A JOHN McCAIN, HIS FRIEND, LONG-TIME FRIEND AND FELLOW REPUBLICAN, BUT A SENATOR, THEN SENATOR BARACK OBAMA.

I MEAN, IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT.

IT OCCURRED IN THE FALL OF 2008 WHEN THE ELECTION WAS STILL UP FOR GRABS AND IT WAS A BIT OF A SURPRISE.

GIVEN THAT, AS YOU REFERENCED, SENATOR McCAIN AND POWELL HAD BEEN QUITE CLOSE.

BUT HE ALSO RECOGNIZED AND STATED OUTRIGHT THE HISTORIC NATURE OF THE CANDIDACY OF WHAT MIGHT WELL BE AND THEN ULTIMATELY DID BECOME AMERICA'S FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN PRESIDENT.

POWELL UNDERSTOOD THE STAKES BECAUSE, AS YOU ALLUDED TO BEFORE, HAD COME UP IN THE RANKS AS A CONSTANT FIRST.

AS THE FIRST BLACK NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR, THEN CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF AND THEN SECRETARY OF STATE.