For example, even if he doesn't bring it up on Meet the Press, we know through Bob Woodward's accounting of the lead-up to the war that Powell tried to dissuade the President from going to war, and battled it out with Donald Rumsfeld about the size of the force we planned to send in once the decision was made; arguing for a larger force that would lead to fewer SNAFUs during the invasion, and a better chance at keeping control of the country, post-invasion.

We know that he warned the President, to no avail, of the Pottery Barn rule - You Break It, You Own It - and tried to sound the siren that the occupation would not be easy, and that there was no clear exit plan. We know that Powell duke...

For example, even if he doesn't bring it up on Meet the Press, we know through Bob Woodward's accounting of the lead-up to the war that Powell tried to dissuade the President from going to war, and battled it out with Donald Rumsfeld about the size of the force we planned to send in once the decision was made; arguing for a larger force that would lead to fewer SNAFUs during the invasion, and a better chance at keeping control of the country, post-invasion.

We know that he warned the President, to no avail, of the Pottery Barn rule - You Break It, You Own It - and tried to sound the siren that the occupation would not be easy, and that there was no clear exit plan. We know that Powell duked it out over the use of torture with members of the administration, and knew how it would reduce our standing in the world, and only encourage our enemies to torture those troops of ours that they captured.

In short, while we may criticize Powell for not resigning from the administration if he had strong objections to the war, it's clear that he did fight a lot behind the scenes, and he can imply (if not explicitly say) that he would have rather had Barack Obama as President during those months, so we never would have gone to war with Iraq to begin with.

Further, Powell can add a strong voice to some key points that Obama has been making, moving ahead. First and foremost, Powell was one of five former Secretaries of State who said we should open up lines of communication with our enemies, without preconditions, to step up the diplomatic efforts to settle the ongoing strife in the Middle East.

Second, Powell has made clear that talking to Iran and Syria is an urgent component to ending this war in the right and responsible way. Reported The Times of London, "Powell believes that a reduction in US forces will have to be accompanied by talks with Syria and Iran. "You have to talk to the people you dislike most in this dangerous world."

And,...

Further, Powell can add a strong voice to some key points that Obama has been making, moving ahead. First and foremost, Powell was one of five former Secretaries of State who said we should open up lines of communication with our enemies, without preconditions, to step up the diplomatic efforts to settle the ongoing strife in the Middle East.

Second, Powell has made clear that talking to Iran and Syria is an urgent component to ending this war in the right and responsible way. Reported The Times of London, "Powell believes that a reduction in US forces will have to be accompanied by talks with Syria and Iran. "You have to talk to the people you dislike most in this dangerous world."

And, of course, all of this doesn't even account for the fact that this is the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs - a man who loves America and loves America's military. For all the smears being hurled about "palling around with terrorists" and "white flag of retreat," nothing can counter that like a Republican former 4-star coming out and saying "This guy loves America as much as me."