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David Edwards In a wide-ranging CNN interview, former Bush Secretary of State Colin Powell lashed out at ex-vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and said the Pentagon should reconsider the policy barring gays from serving openly in the military.
CNN released a preview of Fareed Zakaria's interview with Colin Powell Thursday.
Of Palin, Powell said, "Gov. Palin, to some extent, pushed the party more to the right, and I think she had something of a polarizing effect when she talked about how small town values are good. Well, most of us don't live in small towns. And I was raised in the South Bronx, and there's nothing wrong with my value system from the South Bronx."
"And when they came to Virginia and said the southern part of Virginia is good and the northern part of Virginia is bad. The only problem with that is there are more votes in the northern part of Virginia than there are in the southern part of Virginia, so that doesn't work."
Of Rush Limbaugh, "Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh?" Powell asked. "Is this really the kind of party that we want to be when these kinds of spokespersons seem to appeal to our lesser instincts rather than our better instincts?"
The Palin quotes were noted by ThinkProgress, which first posted the clip.
Powell also indicated that there should be a review of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gays in the military. "We definitely should reevaluate it," he said. "It's been fifteen years since we put in 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' which was a policy that became a law. I didn't want it to become a law, but it became a law. Congress felt that strongly about it. But it's been fifteen years, and attitudes have changed. And, so, I think it is time for the Congress, since it is their law, to have a full review of it, and I'm quite sure that that's what President-elect Obama will want to do."
Pam's House Blend writes, "An architect of the original law, Powell's opinion is widely regarded as a barometer of the law's future."
This video is from CNN's GPS, broadcast Dec. 11, 2008.
Download video via RawReplay.com
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Originally published on Friday December 12, 2008.