Iraq War role was a stain on Powell’s record — one he openly said he regretted

 

The 84-year-old Powell, who died of complications from covid-19, later described his regret at making the case for the 2003 invasion, most famously in a speech before the United Nations that outlined what turned out to be faulty intelligence about Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction program.  He subsequently called the episode a “blot” on his record.  “I'm the one who presented it on behalf of the United States to the world, and [it] will always be a part of my record,” Powell said in 2005. “It was painful. It’s painful now.”  More than 4,000 Americans and potentially hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians died in the insurgent conflict unleashed by the U.S.-led invasion based on the government’s inaccurate claims.  The war laid the foundation for many of the problems that have kept Iraq mired in violence, sectarian rivalry and economic crisis for close to two decades, and created lasting challenges for the United States in Afghanistan, Syria and beyond.  Colin Powell, former secretary of state and military leader, dies at 84  Those facts appeared to weigh on Powell in later years. While Powell remained a revered figure in both parties after his retirement from public life, he mostly remained out of politics and declined suggestions that he run for office.  The son of immigrants from Jamaica, Powell was the first Black American to hold a series of top government positions: national security adviser to President Ronald Reagan; chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton; and secretary of state for President George W. Bush.   Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander in chief, U.S. Central Command, consults with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin Powell during Operation Desert Shield in Saudi Arabia in 1991. (U.S. Army/Via Reuters) In February, 2003, with the nation still gripped by fear about the possibility of further terrorist attacks like those on Sept. 11, 2001, Powell’s credibility as a military leader and security strategist gave his presentati