Colin Powell endorses Obama

[paladin0]

Colin Powell has turned his back on the troops and has endorsed Barak Obama for President. I've lost a lot of respect for him today.

Paladin0

[Atomic Lib Smasher]

Colin Powell has turned his back on the troops and has endorsed Barak Obama for President. I've lost a lot of respect for him today.

Paladin0

We all know Powell was a big lib politically anyway.

[DarkHalo]

I still have a lot of respect for Colin Powell. He has done so much for our country. But I do feel let down by his decision to support the Obamessiah. No doubt the left will suddenly love him and maybe even quit calling him an uncle tom.

[formerlurker]

Oh yeah, he is a total sellout.   Wow -- the freepers are going to tear him to shreds.   I hope he likes his new digs at the DU. 

[djones520]

Colin Powell is still a great man who has done more for this country then most of us will ever dream of doing.  He spent 35 years fighting for what he just did.  Making a personal choice for who he'd like to see as President.  I hope everyone here will honor that choice of his, and still give him the respect he has earned and deserves.

[djones520]

Now as for the politics of this issue...

I'm afraid this may be the nail that seals McCains coffin.  He's without a doubt the biggest "black" politician out there.  Not to mention his republican background.  Throwing his support behind Obama is going to make a lot of undecideds wonder why someone who served such a long time as a Republican is now supporting a Democrat.  Everyone (not including DUmpmonkeys) hold a lot of respect for him, and know him to be a pretty intelligent man who isn't going to vote based solely apon race.

It's gonna raise a lot of questions, and it's only going to hurt McCain.  This late in the race, it's probably the most damaging thing I could see happening.

[formerlurker]

Colin Powell is still a great man who has done more for this country then most of us will ever dream of doing.  He spent 35 years fighting for what he just did.  Making a personal choice for who he'd like to see as President.  I hope everyone here will honor that choice of his, and still give him the respect he has earned and deserves.

There are a great deal of veterans in the military who served under his command who would disagree with you strongly.    He dedicated his life to the military and for that I am grateful.   However going on National television to support the candidate who voted against our troops, and has written the blueprints for surrender is not anything to respect.  

You know Powell donated $2,500 to the McCain campaign too, which I am sure was never questioned when he made his endorsement.  

Powell wants to play politics with the big boys then he has to take the hits that go with that.  

[formerlurker]

Now as for the politics of this issue...

I'm afraid this may be the nail that seals McCains coffin.  He's without a doubt the biggest "black" politician out there.  Not to mention his republican background.  Throwing his support behind Obama is going to make a lot of undecideds wonder why someone who served such a long time as a Republican is now supporting a Democrat.  Everyone (not including DUmpmonkeys) hold a lot of respect for him, and know him to be a pretty intelligent man who isn't going to vote based solely apon race.

It's gonna raise a lot of questions, and it's only going to hurt McCain.  This late in the race, it's probably the most damaging thing I could see happening.

Colin Powell was the man who the press tore to shreds because he "lied" to the UN about WMDs.    He also disagreed with GWB and Rumsfeld on Iraq as he thought the proper way to handle Iraq would be to bomb it to hell, then rebuild what is left -- that of course would be resultant in absolute disaster for our mission in the entire region. 

This would have helped McCain somewhat had Powell endorsed him, but it really isn't going to hurt him.

[JohnnyReb]

Lets just say, I'm disappointed and let it go at that.

[Chris_]

... He's without a doubt the biggest "black" politician out there.  Not to mention his republican background.  ...

Yeah, our Secretary of State don't count.

[djones520]

Colin Powell was the man who the press tore to shreds because he "lied" to the UN about WMDs.    He also disagreed with GWB and Rumsfeld on Iraq as he thought the proper way to handle Iraq would be to bomb it to hell, then rebuild what is left -- that of course would be resultant in absolute disaster for our mission in the entire region. 

This would have helped McCain somewhat had Powell endorsed him, but it really isn't going to hurt him.

Your looking at it from the wrong point of view.  Your viewing it as a partisan.  Not as an undecided voter who doesn't delve as much into politics as we do.  Their not the types who saw the screed posted online about his speech to the UN.  Their the types who know Colid Powell as a national hero who has served this nation his whole life as a Soldier, National Security Advisor, and Secretary of State, under both Republican and Democratic governments.

[djones520]

Yeah, our Secretary of State don't count.

When Condeleeza Rice has been in the national spotlite half as long as Colid Powell has...

[TheSarge]

We all know Powell was a big lib politically anyway.

Yup.  

But I have a guess that the McCain camp knew this was coming considering Michael Powell is on the McCain staff.

His answers on MTP sounded like he knew the questions before hand.

Gee you think Harry Belafonte will retract his "House Negro" comment now?

[paladin0]

Colin Powell is still a great man who has done more for this country then most of us will ever dream of doing.  He spent 35 years fighting for what he just did.  Making a personal choice for who he'd like to see as President.  I hope everyone here will honor that choice of his, and still give him the respect he has earned and deserves.

While Colin Powell did a lot for the country, what he did today was turn his back on it and the troops he once served with. He of all people saw first hand what Clinton and the democratic congress did to our troops. He knows that our troops will suffer greatly under an Obama administration, and for the sake of having a black president he's willing to see defeat in Iraq, greater U.S. casualties in Afghanistan and a loss of benefits for our veterans?

Paladin0

[whiffleball]

Call me unsurprised.

[jinxmchue]

Another sucker voting for the Obamessiah because he looks black.

[Chris_]

Colin Powell is still a great man who has done more for this country then most of us will ever dream of doing.  He spent 35 years fighting for what he just did.  Making a personal choice for who he'd like to see as President.  I hope everyone here will honor that choice of his, and still give him the respect he has earned and deserves.

I give him respect for what he has done.

But this decision to support a neophyte and dilettante who pals around with terrorists and WHO WILL DESTROY THIS COUNTRY saddens me greatly.  I know many Americans are stupid -- I just didn't think that he was.

But then again, I am not Black, so I guess I can't understand his decision completely.
 

[djones520]

Some of his reasons.

Speaking with reporters after his appearance on NBC, Powell said that part of the reason he is supporting Obama is because he did not like the negative tone of John McCain's campaign, which has noted the links between Obama and domestic terrorist William Ayers.

"It troubled me. We have two wars. We have economic problems, we have health problems. ... Those are the problems the American people want to hear about, not about Mr. Ayers, not about who's a Muslim and not a Muslim. Those kind of images going out on Al Jazeera are killing us around the world," he said.

-snip-

Powell, who described himself as still a Republican, added that he also doesn't like the McCain camp's decision to call Obama a socialist because he wants to raise taxes on individuals and businesses making more than $250,000 a year.

"Taxes are always a redistribution of money. Most of the taxes that are redistributed go back to those who pay it -- in roads and airports and hospitals and schools -- and taxes are necessary for the common good, and there's nothing wrong with examining what our tax structure is and who should be paying more, who should be paying less. And for us to say that makes you a socialist I think is an unfortunate characterization and is inaccurate," he said.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/19/colin-powell-endorses-obama/

And for the record, I just absolutely love the knee-jerk "he's voting Obama cause he's black" reactions.  /sarcasm

[Jim]

I would like to have thought he would rise above race but I knew he wouldn't.  And how nice of him to put it off till now when BHO needed something positive to rebound from J-T-P.

[TheSarge]

Some of his reasons.

Some of his reasons are crap.

And for the record, I just absolutely love the knee-jerk "he's voting Obama cause he's black" reactions.  /sarcasm

I guess that knee jerk reaction you're mocking includes Powell himself right?

Colin Powell, the first African-American Secretary of State, said this afternoon that electing an African-American US president would be “electrifying” for the world, but he said he still remains undecided between McCain and Obama.

Electrifying?  Might as well have called him The Messiah. 


Powell was always a "Political" type of officer anyway.  He's siding with who he thinks is most likely to give him a job in the next administration.

[TheSarge]

Front Page, NY Times — Powell admits that he is anti-Republican this election.


The McCain campaign has sought to promote the idea that Mr. Obama is “palling around with terrorists,” in the words of Mr. McCain’s running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, because of Mr. Obama’s weak links to Mr. Ayers.

“I thought that was over the top,” Mr. Powell told reporters. “It was beyond just good political fighting back and forth.”



Mr. Powell also told reporters on Sunday that he was troubled that a number of Americans believe that Mr. Obama is a Muslim, although he did not directly link that supposition to the McCain campaign. At a recent town-hall style meeting, Mr. McCain told an audience member who said she thought that Mr. Obama was an “Arab,” “no, ma’am, he’s a decent family man.”

“These are the kinds of images going out on Al Jazeera that are killing us around the world,” Mr. Powell said. “And we have got to say to the world it doesn’t make any difference who you are and what you are. If you’re an American you’re an American.”
 

[Crazy Horse]

Well Powell 

I commend you for your service to this country, but you just went into the same column as Wesley Clark.

[formerlurker]

Your looking at it from the wrong point of view.  Your viewing it as a partisan.  Not as an undecided voter who doesn't delve as much into politics as we do.  Their not the types who saw the screed posted online about his speech to the UN.  Their the types who know Colid Powell as a national hero who has served this nation his whole life as a Soldier, National Security Advisor, and Secretary of State, under both Republican and Democratic governments.

... then they don't watch Meet the Press.   

[RobJohnson]

... then they don't watch Meet the Press.   

Meet the Press is not the only one reporting this.

[NHSparky]

Point being, if he's "anti-Republican" this cycle by some wave of the Magic Wand, why wasn't he against Bush in 2004 when Powell's stances coincided much more closely with Kerry's stand in 2004 than Obama's now?

If Obama wins, it'll be interesting to see what part Powell plays in the administration, and don't think for a second he won't be thrown a bone over this one.