A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and associate editor of The Washington Post reflected on the career of former Secretary of State Colin Powell Tuesday, speaking to gathered students and faculty at the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy.
Karen DeYoung spoke about "Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell," her new book that is based on a series of six interviews with Powell and offers a glimpse into his life story and his personal thoughts about the war in Iraq.
"How Colin Powell arrived at the very pinnacle of popular trust in the country, and ultimately the object of scorn for some, is the story that I try to tell in this book," DeYoung said.
During the speech, DeYoung discussed Powell's internal ambivalence about the case for war and his conflicts with members of the Bush administration.
"[Powell] was repeatedly humiliated, his advice was ignored and he knew he was the odd man out in the Bush administration," she said.
DeYoung mentioned that Powell's embittered feelings manifested themselves during her interviews with him. "He was irritated by a rash of news stories about his ended tenure," she said. "It was clear that he was angry."
She also delved into the events surrounding one of Powell's defining moments-his 2003 speech to the United Nations, in which he made the case for the war in Iraq.
"[The speech] was a direct order from the president, and he never thought to question it," DeYoung said.
She also explained how Powell's military mindset led to his limited initial criticism of the war.
"He was a soldier, and he had risen to a high station in life by obeying order; he is a man used to working within, not outside institutions," DeYoung said. She added that Powell was not against the war. "He thought that there was plenty of time to get it right," she said.
In addition, she criticized the Bush administration's early push for the war.
"They had asked all the wrong questions. They had started out with the premise that weapons of mass destruction existed," DeYoung said. "No one ever asked whether there was evidence that disproved that there were weapons of mass destruction. And in fact, there was."
In her concluding statements, DeYoung reserved a strong judgement on Powell's legacy.
"Over the long term, I think he's likely to be remembered as the man who on several occasions had the opportunity to change the course of history and decided not to," DeYoung said.
That assertion evoked questions from audience members-including one from a man who asked whether or not Powell had any real alternatives at the time he was presented with evidence for going to war.
DeYoung has been a writer at The Washington Post since 1975, and has covered issues such as counterterrorism and narcotics trafficking. She spent a decade overseeing coverage of the national government and White House politics.
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