Colin Powell transcript
US Secretary of State Coiln Powell was Tuesday's guest at a Monitor luncheon. Here is the USState Department's transcript of his remarks.
MR. COOK: Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for coming. We're honored to have Secretary of State Colin Powell as our guest. He is the sixth Secretary of State to meet with the group over the years and we are most grateful to him.
Since we have limited time with the Secretary, I'll resist the urge to offer an introduction that provides a chapter-by-chapter summary of his bestselling book, My American Journey. Suffice it to say that Colin Powell began life, in his own words, as a black kid of no early promise, from an immigrant family of limited means, was raised in the South Bronx. From a start as the best ROTC candidate in Company D at Fort Bragg in 1957, he rose to four-star rank and service as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and now, as the nation's 65th Secretary of State.
We are delighted he has agreed to meet with our little group dedicated to better journalism through eating. And now for some quick housekeeping details: As always, we are on the record. The State Department will transcribe this gathering and a text will be made public at 7:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. You are, of course, free to use the contents of this lunch immediately, and if I get a draft of the transcript before 7:00 in the morning I'll send it along to you right away.
You'll see Monitor photographer Andy Nelson taking occasional pictures for stories that will run in our paper and on its website. If you need a photo of this lunch for your coverage, please get in touch with Andy, who will be happy to help. Thus endeth the housekeeping portion of the program.
The Secretary is going to make some opening remarks. Then I'll throw out the first question or two, after which we'll move to questions from around the table. After my softball openers, we'll start with a penetrating question from Chuck Lewis of Hearst. If you want to ask a question, please do what you always do and send me a subtle, non-threatening signal. I'll do my best to call on as many folks as possible.
The Secretary is on record as saying that when reporters ask follow-up questions, "You're headed for trouble, so break off, apply power, gain altitude or eject." (Laughter.)
SECRETARY POWELL: In that order.
MR. COOK: It almost makes you want to ask a follow-up to see what maneuver he employs. And with that, Mr. Secretary, thank you very much for being here. The floor is yours.
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be with you today. And I'm not going to make much of an opening statement because it's always much more fun to get to the questions, and any opening statement I wish to make I will make it in answer to a question.
MR. COOK: You're a pro. Right?
SECRETARY POWELL: Other than to say that, as you know, we had another difficult situation in Iraq today with the mortaring, or rocket hit, on the dining facility in Mosul, and a number of GIs have been lost, as well as others, but the count is not complete yet.
It once again demonstrates what the President said yesterday, that we have a difficult insurgency that we are fighting; that these individuals are determined to take Iraq back to the past and not have elections that will produce a government that is representative of the people. And even though we are saddened by the loss of these brave young Americans and others; we can't be deterred; we can't let them succeed.
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