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Powell laid out a compelling argument
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008 | 2:05 a.m.
Colin Powell’s endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama will have a more significant impact on the outcome of the election than any other forthcoming endorsement.
First of all, Powell has been a friend of John McCain for two decades. He is a Republican. He served under Reagan and both Bushes in various capacities. To go against his friend McCain, his party and his past bosses was not easy.
Powell said McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin showed poor judgment and that she was not qualified to be president. He also was troubled by the personal attacks by the Republican Party.
Powell’s reasons for endorsing Obama are compelling.
He thinks our relations with overseas allies have been damaged and that Obama is the better option to repair our relationships. Powell mentioned on “Meet the Press” that he has watched carefully the past two weeks how each responded to the economic crisis. Powell thinks Obama has shown a steadier hand and has a better outlook on how to deal with the issue.
He also said McCain would basically follow the policies that Bush has pursued the past two years.
Powell also made the point that it is likely that two Supreme Court justices will be appointed in the next four years. He fears McCain’s appointments would be too far to the right.
Last, he mentioned that Obama will be an exceptional leader and will provide inspiration to a nation that really needs inspiration.
Obama still needs all the help he can muster and Sunday morning, on “Meet the Press,” he received a needed injection of credibility from one of the most respected men in the United States.
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Colin Powell has been friends with McCain for 27 years and seen him in good and bad times. Powell does not endorse lightly and has been watching both Senators for months. For Powell to endorse Obama when McCain has been his friend for all these years should be very telling. To also state that Sarah Palin is not qualified is something that needed to be said, as well, although Powell may take a lot of heat for it.
This man has Honor. McCain does not!
There are many in my community who are manufacturing reasons and manipulating facts to justify their vote for Obama simply because he is Black like us. From my vantage point --
Obama is a remarkable speaker. Obama says, he'll win the war on terrorism, "restore" our reputation in Europe, send everyone's kids to college, tax the rich and give to the "middle class", institute universal health-care and create lots of new jobs. Lofty aspirations make for appealing speeches. It would be very easy for me to drink the Obama 'Kool-Aid. My problem is... I just do not believe him.
What I do believe is that past behavior predicts future behavior.
There is nothing in Obama's past to suggest that he is, in any arena, on my side. I do not believe that Obama has a sound strategy to end Islamic terrorism. I do believe that his political hindsight is a sharp and focused 20/20.
I do not believe that Obama will lower my taxes, help my grandchildren go to college, aid my or any of my families careers or provide my family with comprehensive affordable health-care.
I do not think you can "restore" respect when quite honestly, it never existed from Europe in the first place.
I do believe Obama will raise my taxes to fund entitlement programs for people who refuse to be accountable. I do believe that Obama's past associations serve as windows shedding light on his core values, beliefs and judgments. I do believe that people tend to associate with others who share their values and beliefs.
I do believe Obama will appoint Supreme Court Justices that would be too far to the left.
I agree with Joe Biden's assessment "Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. " As a student of history and having served with seven presidents, I guarantee you it's gonna happen. I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate."
So while he isn't the best candidate that could be running and he isn't Black, McCain is "the one".
When a man backs a ticket that opposed everything he did for the last 3 administrations can it be about anything but race?
Neiman,
In a word, yes. Go back to listening to Rush and Buchanan. General Powell was and is very concerned about the direction the McCain campaign has been heading in.
Here's what General Powell said:
"We have two wars. We have economic problems. We have health problems. We have education problems. We have infrastructure problems. We have problems around the world with our allies. So those are the problems the American people wanted to hear about, not about Mr. Ayers, not about who's a Muslim or who's not a Muslim. Those kinds of images going out on Al-Jazeera are killing us around the world.
"And we have got to say to the world, it doesn't make any difference who you are or what you are, if you're an American, you're an American. And this business, for example, of the congressman from Minnesota who's going around saying, "Let's examine all congressmen to see who is pro-America or not pro-America" -- we have got to stop this kind of nonsense, pull ourselves together and remember that our great strength is in our unity and in our diversity. And so, that really was driving me.
"And to focus on people like Mr. Ayers and these trivial issues, for the purpose of suggesting that somehow Mr. Obama would have some kind of terrorist inclinations, I thought that was over the top. It was beyond just good political fighting back and forth. I think it went beyond. And to sort of throw in this little Muslim connection, you know, "He's a Muslim and, my goodness, he's a terrorist" -- it was taking root. And we can't judge our people and we can't hold our elections on that kind of basis.
"So, yes, that kind of negativity troubled me, And the constant shifting of the argument. I was troubled a couple of weeks ago when in the middle of the crisis, the [McCain] campaign said, "We're going to go negative," and they announced it, "We're going to go negative and attack [Obama's] character through Bill Ayers." Now I guess the message this week is, "We're going to call him a socialist, Mr. Obama is now a socialist, because he dares to suggest that maybe we ought to look at the tax structure that we have.
"Taxes are always a redistribution of money. Most of the taxes that are redistributed go back to those who paid them, in roads and airports and hospitals and schools. And taxes are necessary for the common good. And there is nothing wrong with examining what our tax structure is or who should be paying more, who should be paying less. And for us to say that that makes you a socialist, I think is an unfortunate characterization that isn't accurate.
"I don't want my taxes raised. I don't want anybody else's taxes raised. But I also want to see our infrastructure fixed. I don't want to have a $12 trillion national debt, and I don't want to see an annual deficit that's over $500 billion heading toward a trillion."
To Neiman (cont'd):
Those are all excellent reasons for supporting Obama. For you, or anyone else, to suggest that a man like Colin Powell would put anything before the welfare of this nation is beyond despicable. When you've given one tenth of what Colin Powell has in service to our country then you can question his motives. Your suggestion is beneath contempt.
Carolo: Powell's son has a high level position with the McCain Campaign. This is all about safeguarding one's position in the oligarchy. Powell, Obama, and McCain all have more in common with each other than they ever will with little fish like you. Nothing will change; everything will essentially stay the same.
Powell gave a very convincing speech at the UN that helped sell the need to invade Iraq to the American people. He has since been shown to have been either an idiot or a liar for giving that speech. Why should this endorsement be given any respect?
Occam's Razor says Powell's endorsement of Obama is either racially motivated and/or a payback for being used by the Bush administration, period.
Where does Occam's Razor even remotely say that bot?
And need we remind you that the speech he gave to the UN was given with Bush's cribnotes in hand. So the preceding statement might as well be about Bush.
Everybody -- Republican and Democrat -- should read this:
http://www.ldsmag.com/ideas/081017light....
redferret, Bush is both a liar and an idiot, no argument from me on that.
I simply don't buy Powell's statements about why he endorsed Obama. Powell has almost zero credibility today thanks to his UN speech (no matter who wrote it, he gave it). The most obvious reasons are those that I put forth above.
boftx,
Occam's Razor says that Powell endorsed Obama because Powell believes Obama to be the best person for the job. That would be the simplest explanation.
neiman: As usual, a very narrow-minded statement from you.
Seems to me Powell explained at length his reasons for backing Obama. How could he be any more clear?
Is it just that its hard for you hard line extreme right wingers to believe that someone can sit down and make an educated, well thought out decision based on something other than ideology and party loyalty?