“When Colin Powell joined the Administration, he was a respected General and a shining star in the eyes of the world and the American people.  Now, he is leaving after presiding over President Bush’s failed foreign policy that has led the US to become more isolated diplomatically than at any other time in modern history.  Tragically, Powell’s legacy is directly tied to President Bush’s quagmire in Iraq. 

“Did Colin Powell do all that he could to limit the damage and the policies of the Bush neoconservative foreign affairs team during his tenure as Secretary of State?  The answer to that question will be debated for years to come, but he was clearly the lone moderate voice in a cabinet full of ideologues.  This president’s record leads me to believe that he will not find a replacement to Powell who would be interested in or able to mend the diplomatic fences in a new Bush Administration.”