Powell: Woodward Got it Wrong

Secretary of State Colin Powell refuted on Monday most of the allegations reported by Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward in his new book, "Plan of Attack."

In an interview with radio host Sean Hannity, Powell challenged Woodward's portrayal of him as someone who was "semi-despondent" over President Bush's decision to go to war.

"I was not semi-despondent at any time," Powell said, noting that Bush took his advice to go to the United Nations to make the case for war against Iraq.

"The president took it to the U.N. in September 2002. He made his case to the world. And when he did that, I knew that we had two roads ahead and I [was] not sure which one we would follow," Powell said.

"Road one was that the U.N. was able to solve this. But I also knew that there was a second road. And if the U.N. didn't act, the president would act and he would take us to war if that's what it took and ask like-minded nations to join us."

The secretary of state continued:

"Unfortunately, the U.N. did not act in a timely manner. The president took that second road. I knew that it might happen. And I knew that when he took that second road I'd be with him for the whole way.

"I don't quit on long patrols," Powell added. "I believe it was the right decision at the time and I believe it was the right decision now."

The top diplomat challenged Woodward's claim that Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar bin Sultan had been briefed on the Iraq war plan before he had.

"That's silly, because I participated in the development of the plan. I commented on the plan as it was being developed and I knew when Vice President Cheney and Mr. Rumsfeld and General Meyers were going to go brief Prince Bandar on the plan - a plan that I was intimately familiar with."

Powell admitted speaking to Woodward, telling Hannity: "We all did. We were instructed by the White House to cooperate with Mr. Woodward in preparation of a book, as we did with his first book. I had a couple of phone calls with him and that was the extent of my participation."

But he denied that Woodward's account has put him "in the dog house" with his colleagues, saying, "I'm not in the dog house with anybody who counts."

Powell said that after Bush had briefed Prince Bandar, Bush personally told him that the U.N. option was likely to fail.

"The president said to me: 'You know, I'm not sure the U.N. is going to make it. I'm not sure the diplomatic track is going to work. And if it doesn't, you know we're going to have to go to war.' He said, 'It's not what we want, but that's what it might take.'

"And I said, 'We knew that when we started down this road.'"

On Woodward's claim that he and Vice President Dick Cheney have fallen out over the war to such an extent that they no longer speak to one another, Powell said:

"[Vice President] Cheney and I see each other on an almost daily basis, we talk to each other. He's just back from an Asian trip. The day he left we had three conversations to go over Asian issues. It's just not true to say that Mr. Cheney and I are not communicating and there is an estrangement. ...

"We've been friends for many, many years - going on 17 years now," Powell continued. "When we agree, it's great. When we disagree, we disagree openly with each other. And, you know, that's appropriate."

Powell recalled his days as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, serving under then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney:

"Many days we would go over to see President Bush [41]. Maybe I was in disagreement with him about something, but he was the boss. I was supposed to back his play.

"And what he would say to President Bush 41 was 'Mr. President, here's what I think. But you need to hear what Colin thinks because he has a different view on this issue.'"

On Woodward's account of Powell's "Pottery Barn" warning to President Bush, where he reportedly said, "if you break it, you own it," Powell explained:

"I had a responsibility to lay out for the president and my colleagues in the Security Council some of the upsides and some of the downsides. If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't have been doing my job."

But Powell insisted: "I'm glad to see Saddam Hussein gone. I am glad that that regime is gone. I am glad that we did it. I'm glad we had a president who was willing to lead us there."

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