Powell's "correction" to Aristide's claims

Sec/State Colin Powell: "He went onto the airplane willingly. And that's the truth." Powell "also admonished two" Hill members "for suggesting U.S. troops strong-armed the Haitian into exile." Powell: "It would have been better for members of Congress who have heard these stories to ask us about the stories before going public with them so that we don't make a difficult situation that much more difficult."

The Times went on to say that while U.S. officials "insist that they did not force" Aristide to leave, "they acknowledge that they made it clear to him that they could not protect him if he clung to power, and that they offered to give him safe passage out of the country if he would leave by dawn on Sunday." What a great choice! Either live in exile, or risk being killed my an armed mob of distgruntled ex-army men.

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), talked to CNN's Wolf Blitzer about the Aristide kidnapping allegations and summed it up nicely. "I have certainly heard the accusations and I've heard the rebuttal by the administration. But it sort of misses the point. The fact of the matter is, we said to President Aristide, look, you can stay and be killed or you can leave. You make the choice. That's hardly a voluntary departure. ... We've now set up a new standard. You don't have to be a failed government, just a failed leader in our minds and we won't do anything to support and defend you."