Saint Colin of Washington

The saintly perception of Colin Powell involves two traits that ultimately contradict each other. One is deep personal integrity. The other is deep loyalty to those he serves. Given the devilish and diabolical actions of the teams he’s played for, however, its miraculous how Powell manages to look like he’s cut from different cloth.

Whether the issue is the suppression of the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam, the sheparding and cover-up of the Iran Contra affair, America’s support of ruthless African overlords, the bloody crusade against the Nicaraguan government, the avoidable ground war in Gulf War I, and now the “misleadership” scandal surrounding the selling of Gulf War II, Powell seems to maintain his choirboy’s innocence.

Yea, though the Secretary of State walks through the valley of the shadow of scandal, he fears no evil because… nobody ever associates him with it. And it’s not as if he’s simply perceived as an innocent bystander in these unholy activities. It’s as if—like a phantom or a ghost—he was never there!

Even in the midst of the current scandal, his station remains blessed. Commentators, bearing witness to Powell’s supposedly reverent principles, believe he might even resign on moral terms! And while the President is chastised and called to account over 16 words in the State of the Union, Powell’s almighty speech to the U.N.—one that was far more evangelical and soulless than the President’s was—has been largely overlooked.

If one cannot bestow honor on Powell for being a “team player,” one has to feel some reverence for Powell for being a great player. To the extent the public and the press have come to confuse demeanor with character and discretion with moderation, Powell is the angel who never falls.