Notes from Colin Powell's speech

I thought my readers might enjoy reading a few of the notes I took on Colin Powell's speaking yesterday at the convention.

Here are two quotes I found particularly noteworthy:

1. The greatest strength we have to fight terrorism is our openness to the rest of the world. Terrorists can knock down our buildings, but they can not change who we are.

2. Trade is now what is driving the political realignment of the world.

Powell also made the note that troops in Iraq are, in fact, in the middle of a civil war. Powell suggested that America puts the pressure on the Iraqi people and not the U.S. military. Powell also mentioned that he supported President Bush's decision to invade Iraq when he was the Secretary of State, but he felt that the war has been poorly handled.

Powell mentioned how he had a conversation with President Bush on the current Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the conversation, President Bush said, "I've looked into his eyes and seen his soul." Powell responded, "I've looked into his eyes and seen his soul too, and I still see a lot of KGB."

Lastly, Powell left on a note of hope. In Powell's view, there are too many doom and gloomers who only see the negative. If we compare the world today to 50 years ago, the world has improved much. For example: The 800 million people living in Europe who, in the first half of the century fought two world wars among each other, now live in peaceful, stable democracies. In the past 50 years, over 3.5 billion Asians have been liberated and are on the road to economic prosperity.

These were the points I found particularly noteworthy. Discuss!