Powell Calls US Neo-Cons “… Crazies”: Report

CAIRO, September 12 (IslamOnline.net) - While the US administration was vigorously trying to build its case to invade Iraq, US Secretary of State Colin Powell has called Vice-President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz “fucking crazies” during a phone conversation with his British counterpart Jack Straw, a leading British newspaper revealed Sunday, September12 .

In his new book titled “The Accidental American: Tony Blair and the Presidency”, BBC’s veteran journalist and broadcaster James Naughtie said Powell made the unsavory remarks during the build-up to the US-led war on Iraq, the Guardian reported.

The book, which will hit the shelves as planned this week, said the top US diplomat and former General had fallen out with neo-conservatives within the Bush administration as he opposed any US unilateral action without a United Nations backing.

The relationship between Straw and Powell was so intimate during this period in time with both speaking on an almost daily basis, according to Naughtie.

Powell's concerns were said to have chimed with Straw's and those of Blair himself - that if America acted without UN sanction, allies would be lost.

Powell is thought to have been terrified that the strategy of the “crazies” would alienate the Blair government, which believed it needed UN backing to win over Parliament and the British public.

‘Voice of Sanity’

John Kampfner, political editor of the New Statesman and author of Blair's Wars told the Guardian that the British government saw Powell as “the most significant voice of sanity” in the US administration.

“At different times during this very difficult period, the Brits used Powell to get across their point of view to the White House. But, bizarrely, Powell sometimes also used Blair to pass messages to Bush,” said Kampfner.

The offices of Powell and Straw contacted the US publishers of Naughtie's book, to say they would vigorously deny the claims if publication went ahead.

“We were surprised to receive calls from the offices of Jack Straw and Colin Powell within 24 hours of each other,” a source at the publisher told the mass-circulation daily.

Naughtie stood by his claims and is said to be privately delighted that Powell and Straw have reacted so violently.

Powell acknowledged in April that the pre-war information he gave the United Nations to justify the invasion-turned occupation of Iraq was not “solid” any longer, heaping the blame on the intelligence community.

The Guardian had said that the doubts had already emerged at a private meeting between Powell and Straw shortly before Powell’s presentation.

The pair voiced their fears during a private meeting at the Waldorf hotel in New Yorkwith Straw expressing concern that the WMDs claims parroted by the US administration could not be proved.

To add salt to injury, a US weekly had revealed that Powell came under persistent pressure from the Pentagon and White House to include questionable intelligence in his presentation.

The US News and World Report magazine said the first draft of the speech was prepared for Powell by Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis Libby, in late January,2003 .

According to the report, the draft contained such questionable material that Powell lost his temper, throwing several pages in the air and declaring, “I'm not reading this. This is bullshit”.