Israel Matzav

What could be worse than Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense?

What could be worse than Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense? Another post-racial RINO (Republican in name only) with an antipathy for Israel: Yiddish speaking former Shabbos goy Colin Powell.

One new name that has become a topic of speculation on military listservs and among Democratic national security hands in recent days is that of retired four-star Gen. Colin Powell. The moderate Republican former Secretary of State, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and National Security Adviser to Ronald Reagan post-Iran Contra famously endorsed Barack Obama for president in 2008.

Powell has consulted with Obama on Iraq and Afghanistan including in a White House visit the weekend before Obama rolled out his Afghanistan strategy last December. Indeed, Obama has consulted Powell so often, it has raised the eyebrows of some retired senior Democratic national security figures he has apparently consulted less so. Nevertheless, some Democratic national security hands and former military officials have in the past week raised Powell’s name as a possible candidate for Obama to consider to succeed the exceedingly hard-to-replace Gates.

“It would fulfill George Marshall’s example perfectly,” former Powell advisor Larry Wilkerson told POLITICO Wednesday, explaining that no other person besides George Marshall has served as army chief, Secretary of State and Defense Secretary.

Powell, 74, might be reluctant to take the job if offered, Wilkerson posited, because he is “fairly comfortable out of government, he makes a lot of money and he has made a lot of progress” in establishing a strong economic foundational base to support his extended family.

But if Obama asked him, Powell might be willing to consider it, Wilkerson said, adding that Powell would be mad at him for saying so.

“If Obama asked the question, I am not sure what Powell would say. He can hardly say, ‘No, Mr. President,’” Wilkerson said.

Wilkerson noted that Powell had initially said no to an emissary of the Reagan White House about serving as deputy and ultimately national security advisor. “But Reagan talked to him and Powell was persuaded,” ultimately serving as Reagan’s national security advisor from 1987-1989.

I brought it down this far for a reason: 1987-89 are the years in which the Reagan administration was being pushed to recognize the PLO in return for Arafat being coaxed into saying that he accepted Israel's existence (which of course he never did). That happened after the 1988 elections and before Bush I took office in January 1989. Anyone think Powell might have played a role in that?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:35 PM