This is a pretty quick read because a lot of points are repetitive. I've always been a bit ambivalent about Colin Powell. Military men work on a different spectrum than most of us, for better or for worse, so I don't judge what I don't completely understand. This particular book is not so much about policy as it is about common sense ideas that you should implement in your life if you want to be successful. Ideas such as working hard, don't complain about a problem but come up with solutions instead, be honest, be open, be upfront about challenges, take personal responsibility, and so on. The first half of the book was actually pretty good. As the book went on, though, some of the advice was recycled from the beginning but worded differently. Therefore, I thought it could have been pared down.
Near the end of the book Powell discusses his infamous "WMD" UN speech in 2003 and how it will eternally be a "blot" on his record. He openly contemplates where things went wrong and he turns a number of rhetorical questions over to the reader. However, in an earlier part of the book he says that you must know when you've had a good run and when it's time to get off the train. So I found myself thinking that it's ironic he wrote that little piece of advice, yet failed to take it. It seems to me that he had a good run with Presidents Reagan and Bush Sr. If he got off the train then and stayed off perhaps he wouldn't have been in this predicament with Bush Jr. Powell doesn't allude to that. It is merely an observation of mine after reading this. Maybe this advice of his was 20/20 hindsight.
