Origin and Usage
New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman claims to have coined the term, having used the phrase "the pottery store rule" in a February 12, 2003, column. He has said he referred to Pottery Barn specifically in speeches. According to Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell cited the rule in the summer of 2002 when warning President George W. Bush of the consequences of military action in Iraq:
'You are going to be the proud owner of 25 million people,' he told the president. 'You will own all their hopes, aspirations, and problems. You'll own it all.' Privately, Powell and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage called this the Pottery Barn rule: You break it, you own it.
Powell confirmed the quotation on Jonathan Dimbleby's "Dimbleby" program on April 30, 2006.
Democratic candidate John Kerry cited the rule during the first debate of the 2004 Presidential election on September 30, 2004:
Former Secretary of State Powell denies using the term "pottery barn rule", but stated:
"It is said that I used the “Pottery Barn rule.” I never did it; Friedman did it … But what I did say … once you break it, you are going to own it, and we’re going to be responsible for 26 million people standing there looking at us. And it’s going to suck up a good 40 to 50 percent of the Army for years. And it’s going to take all the oxygen out of the political environment. . ."
Read more about this topic: Pottery Barn Rule
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