[bartread]

Phil Donahue is 85. I imagine he's been taking things a bit easier for 10 or 15 years. It's not as though Colin Powell has been making headlines for a while either, and for no doubt similar reasons. This has nothing to do with whether or not he should have taken a stand against the war in Iraq. I agree with disneygibson: Colin Powell had an exceptional career, all of which led up to that moment, where he simply blew it.

[1cvmask]

The only reason why you say he blew it at the end is because it was on public display. Perhaps his whole career progression was being a company man who followed orders blindly but we were never privy to it.

DC is a town that rewards failing upwards.

[pessimizer]

Phil Donahue was fired for questioning the evidence that was sending us to war.

[bartread]

Sure, or at least they'd discussed firing him because of that (but it was in advance of the invasion, I believe), but he was already what he might have considered retirement age when that happened. Could he have gone on elsewhere if he'd wanted to? I bet he could have done. Maybe he just didn't want to.