Secretary of state Colin Powell during a hearing at Capitol Hill, Washington. (AFP)

Washington, Feb. 12: Secretary of state Colin L. Powell, a retired four-star general known for his even temperament, paused yesterday during a congressional hearing to berate a Capitol Hill staffer for shaking his head as Powell offered a defence of his pre-war statements on Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction.

The public scolding came after Powell had already endured a number of attacks by Democrats on the administration’s Iraq policy during an appearance before the House International Relations Committee. He had just snapped at a member of Congress who had casually declared President Bush “AWOL (Absent Without Leave)” from the Vietnam War.

Powell was recalling for the panel his review of the pre-war intelligence. “I went and lived at the CIA for about four days to make sure that nothing was,” he began, when he paused and glared at a staffer seated behind the members of Congress. “Are you shaking your head for something, young man, back there?” Powell asked. “Are you part of these proceedings?”

Powell’s unusual remarks threatened to derail the hearing. Representative Sherrod Brown (Democrat-Ohio), a 12-year veteran of the House, objected: “Mr Chairman, I’ve never heard a witness reprimand a staff person in the middle of a question.”

Powell shot back: “I seldom come to a meeting where I am talking to a congressman and I have people aligned behind you giving editorial comment by head shakes.” “Well, I think people have opinions,” Brown responded.

Representative Dana Rohrabacher (Republican-California) rushed to defend Powell. “I think the secretary is owed an apology for that, not reprimand,” he said. This brought a reaction from Representative Gary L. Ackerman (Democrat-New York), who had earlier in the hearing been cut off by Rohrabacher when a statement he made denouncing the administration’s claims on weapons of mass destruction ran over the assigned length. “Point of order, Mr Chairman,” he asked. “Has that gentleman who’s speaking been recognised?”

Representative Henry J. Hyde (Republican-Illinois), the committee’s chairman, urged members to calm down, despite the “very emotional subject.” For much of the hearing, Powell had calmly answered barbs by Democrats over the administration’s inability to find weapons in Iraq.

“Truth is the first casualty of war,” said Ackerman, who had voted for the war resolution. “I would contend truth was murdered before a shot was fired.”

Powell, however, became testy when Brown said, in a reference to questions about whether Bush completed his National Guard service: “You are one of the very few people in this administration that understands war. We have a President who may have been AWOL from duty.”

“First of all, Mr Brown, I won’t dignify your comments about the President because you don’t know what you are talking about,” Powell snapped. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean, Mr Secretary,” Brown replied. “You made reference to the President,” Powell said.

“I say he may have been AWOL,” Brown repeated. “Mr Brown, let’s not go there,” Powell retorted. “Let’s not go there in this hearing. If you want to have a political fight on this matter, that is very controversial, and I think is being dealt with by the White House, fine. But let’s not go there.”