Colin Powell Endorses Obama

[AFA]

Colin Powell Endorses Obama

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell announced Sunday that he will be voting for Sen. Barack Obama. "He has both style and substance. I think he is a transformational figure," Powell said on NBC's Meet the Press.

"Obama displayed a steadiness. Showed intellectual vigor. He has a definitive way of doing business that will do us well," Powell said.

Powell said he questioned Sen. John McCain's judgment in picking Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate because he doesn't think she is ready to be president.

He also said he was disappointed with some of McCain's campaign tactics, such as bringing up Obama's ties to former 1960s radical Bill Ayers.

Following the interview, Powell told reporters outside NBC's Washington studio: "I think that Senator Obama brings a fresh set of eyes, fresh set of ideas to the table. I think that Senator McCain, as gifted as he is, is essentially going to execute the Republican agenda, the orthodoxy of the Republican agenda with a new face and a maverick approach to it, and he'd be quite good at it, but i think we need more than that."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/19/colin-powell-endorses-oba_n_135895.html


Former Secretary of State Colin Powell crossed party lines this morning to endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president, the most prominent GOP defection yet of the 2008 campaign.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/10/19/colin_powell_endorses_obama.html

 

[black amal]

Thats nice, some support

 

[blakey]

Thats nice, some support

thats some nice support :glugglug:

 

[girk1]

That on top of the news that Obama raised $150 million dollars in September:eek:

Although I am still pissed off a bit at Powell for his fradulent UN presentation I still have much respect for him. He was privy to far more information than most of us yet he went along with this war when millions of citizens like myself could see that this was total BS. Powell has said that he was misled by those he trusted in the CIA & had worked alongside for decades. :dunno:

If Powell had been a 45 year old Secretary Of State with children,family & his future to be concerned about I wouldn't have begrudged him as much for not standing up to the Bush Admin. & the entire GOP. But as a 65 year old man with his life in order(I assume) I felt he should have told the Administration to 'Kiss my ass' & resigned as it was obvious he was opposed to this war & understood the consequences. Maybe he couldn't have stopped the war but millions like me who knew this war was BS from the beginning would have revered him. Had he resigned Powell could have been Emperor of America in 2004 or '08.


Hopefully if Obama wins Powell can come full circle on this Iraq war by helping Obama get the troops out of Iraq. Because I respect the man so much I hope this helps salvage his legacy a little here & around the world.

 

[AFA]

Powell was clearly pushed into that by the Bush administration who wanted his credibility in their phony claim that Iraq was dangerous. I lost some regard for him there but approved of his resignation. Something on PBS made this abundantly clear that he regretted it. It is reasonable he is supporting Obama for the reasons he stated, and the move gives him back some of the integrity he seems to have put aside.

 

[girk1]

Republican attack dogs like have started already.:1orglaugh

Limbaugh simply dismisses the endorsement as one of race & sarcastically derides Powell for repaying the Reagan & the Bushs' who gave him many of his stripes.That among other ulterior motives suggested for a respected man like Powell who ,according to CNN, has over an 80 percent favorable rating with the public.

That is why I thought he could have been a revered candidate had he resigned not in 2005 ,but in the months leading up to the war & that UN adress he gave in 2003. Reports were being leaked that he strongly opposed going to war & there was the famous Pottery Barn analogy(you break you own it) he made before he finally signed off on the war. Had he resigned THEN & not AFTER the war was waged ,with his support, he would have been exalted & terribly hard to beat in '04 or '08(as a Democrat as he is a social liberal/moderate)

 

[AFA]

Republican attack dogs like have started already.:1orglaugh

Limbaugh simply dismisses the endorsement as one of race & sarcastically derides Powell for repaying the Reagan & the Bushs' who gave him many of his stripes.That among other ulterior motives suggested for a respected man like Powell who ,according to CNN, has over an 80 percent favorable rating with the public.

That is why I thought he could have been a revered candidate had he resigned not in 2005 ,but in the months leading up to the war & that UN adress he gave in 2003. Reports were being leaked that he strongly opposed going to war & there was the famous Pottery Barn analogy(you break you own it) he made before he finally signed off on the war. Had he resigned THEN & not AFTER the war was waged ,with his support, he would have been exalted & terribly hard to beat in '04 or '08(as a Democrat as he is a social liberal/moderate)

That's the way it works. It has nothing to do with common sense or honesty. Like a trial attorney for a guilty man, you go with the one iota of BS, that sounds most believeable and say it over and over again. Look at the guys that got OJ off his murder rap. I was actually in disbelief when Powell went along with them. Certainly he wouldn't have been the only high military official that opposed the war, there is a long list as the Bush admin tried to find some general to support their politics in Iraq and not his own ability as a military commander.

 

[Sicario]

If that worthless fuck Rush Limbaugh knows what is so right and wrong for America, why isn't this asshole running for office instead of spewing his bullshit from some cozy radio studio? Yeah, I am a registered Republican, but nobody is going to tell me who or how I should vote especially coming from an overweight snake oil peddler like Limbaugh or the likes of Bill O'Reilly.

:thefinger I really hate that asshole Rush Limbaugh!!! :thefinger

 

[Facial_King]

It was a solid endorsement. He spoke at some length, and really slammed McCain's campaign for some of its bottom-feeding tactics. While my feelings about Powell overall are the same as AFA's, this did improve my opinion of him a little bit.

He also slammed Palin, so that was a bonus...

 

[Member2019]

If that worthless fuck Rush Limbaugh knows what is so right and wrong for America, why isn't this asshole running for office instead of spewing his bullshit from some cozy radio studio? Yeah, I am a registered Republican, but nobody is going to tell me who or how I should vote especially coming from an overweight snake oil peddler like Limbaugh or the likes of Bill O'Reilly.

:thefinger I really hate that asshole Rush Limbaugh!!! :thefinger

I can actually respect Bill O'Reilly for several reasons, if I disagree with him most of the time.
At least Bill is not afraid to disagree with Republicans and he does admit when he is wrong.

I do agree with you on Rush though, he is a hypocrite.
But I lost all respect for him a good decade ago.

I've never been registered a Republican, never will.
Same for the Democrats too.

Powell's endorsement of Obama wasn't unexpected.
Although I do find it a little hypocritical to state things about Palin versus Obama.

I mean, if Palin had been campaigning for years, instead of just months, she might seem different.
I mean, even Obama pulled some whoppers last year long, let alone before it was "official" that he was running.

Both of them are quite inexperienced.

 

[titsrock]

^^Both may be inexperienced, but only one has a brain. I find this desperate "working Joe" appeal from McCain/Palin to be hollow at best, or sinister, at worst. The Pubs are going to have 8 years to "rediscover" conservative intellectualism within their own party and distance themselves from the evangelicals...

This endorsement, while a nice pickup for Obama, seems designed to be a "safe" endorsement by Gen. Powell. He did it after the debates and when Obama's lead and money seem insurmountable.

I think Obama/Biden are on the way to a 20 pt popular vote win over McCain/Palin. Maybe 315+ electoral win?

 

[AFA]

Interesting you brought that up. One journalist on CNN this morning also said while McCain hoped to show he would go out of the box, (so to speak), by picking Palin, it's a sign of how shallow his campaign is. Someone else did a story on evangelicalism in the military and the disappearing void between the two. Officers have been passed over for promotions and groups meet regularly.

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praise_the_Lord_and_Pass_the_Ammunition

 

[girk1]

^^Both may be inexperienced, but only one has a brain. I find this desperate "working Joe" appeal from McCain/Palin to be hollow at best, or sinister, at worst. The Pubs are going to have 8 years to "rediscover" conservative intellectualism within their own party and distance themselves from the evangelicals...

This endorsement, while a nice pickup for Obama, seems designed to be a "safe" endorsement by Gen. Powell. He did it after the debates and when Obama's lead and money seem insurmountable.

I think Obama/Biden are on the way to a 20 pt popular vote win over McCain/Palin. Maybe 315+ electoral win?

Exactly. No one can argue that Obama is a first class intellect & has National Issues experience as a US Senator & Palin, as evidenced by the Couric interviews, is clueless.


I think this Powell endorsement has been coming since before the DNC ,but the Obama campaign has made it a habit of strategically having Endorsers like Edwards,Richardson, Powell,etc... come out at a certain time for effect/momentum. The "safe" thing for Powell to do was to stay neutral,endorse no one & no matter what he would have had a role in an Obama administration if he so wished. Obama respects him that much. David Axlerod(Obama's campaign manager) was giddy & Obama seemed a bit overwhelmed at how forceful Powell's endorsement was for him & denouncement of McCain/Palin.With all of the Ayers talk & trying to question Obama's patriotism,which they knew was eventually coming, they picked this time.

Powell is a social liberal/moderate like Obama so this doesn't come out of nowhere:

Powell is FOR reduced military spending,pro choice, values immigration, FOR afirmative action, FOR reasonable gun control measures,Diversity in the GOP,FOR more education spending & less prison spending,etc..... Despite this many in the GOP are thrashing Powell & dismissing his pick as one about Race :dunno: as if this is against everything he stands for.


I believe this thing is too close to call a landslide. I live in Red State hell & I am skeptical about what happens behind close curtains.

 

[AFA]

Another thing about Joe the Plumber is some in the middle class may feel separated from McCain, as not fitting into the Joe the Plumber or Joe Sixpack's stereotype. I didn't think the references to beer drinking Alaska meeting halls or blue collar jobs increased his intellectual appeal.

 

[Jagger69]

"I think that Senator Obama brings a fresh set of eyes, fresh set of ideas to the table. I think that Senator McCain, as gifted as he is, is essentially going to execute the Republican agenda, the orthodoxy of the Republican agenda with a new face and a maverick approach to it, and he'd be quite good at it, but i think we need more than that."


Very well said.

Another key endorsement as the election continues to slip away from McCain.

 

[Legzman]

bump

 

[Member2019]

Yes, both sides are running ads for 5th Graders ...

^^Both may be inexperienced, but only one has a brain.

They used to say the same thing about Dan Qualye.
In reality, it's not the person, but what they represent, and that's why you get the non-sense by the media.

Dan Qualye was extremely intelligent, very honorable, "here's my life and why I have a great one," uber-Christian right-winger that many on the left absolutely and rabidly hate.
Now you have Sarah Palin, only exposed to national politics for a few months (again, remember Obama his first few months?), and she represents the self-reliant woman in the Republican party who is a former model, now mother and wife, pro-birth control while anti-abortion, something many on the left absolutely and rabidly hate in combination.

I mean, it's so much easier to go after McCain's flamboyant history.
But, instead, the left goes after pretty much "squeaky clean" people, and picks on the things that mean nothing.
Why? Because their lives are extremely difficult to discredit on their own.
Unlike McCain, who has been flamboyant, unloyal, a flipper from his 2000 positions, etc...
Let alone McCain is the least fiscally conservative of any Republican, and even Clinton was more fiscally conservative than him.

I find this desperate "working Joe" appeal ...

And Obama's ads on Health Insurance are designed for 5th graders as well.
It completely mis-represents the entire McCain Insurance Plan with many self-employed people (like myself) have asked for years.
But it appeals to people who don't recognize the root problem with Health Insurance right now is that you're screwed by your employer.

This whole election is designed by the media and offers 5th grader-level ads.
That's the reality, it's on both sides, and why I'm not voting for either.

"Redistribution of wealth" is our core issue, instead of letting people who innovate and create keep their own and build companies that create jobs.
Instead, we think of "the filthy rich" everytime we raise taxes o people who are self-employed and just trying to build a business.
That's reality, despite what people say.

Again, I'm reminded time and time again by the Clinton-Gore promise on taxes, and why it never happens.
They think they can raise taxes on "just the rich," until it ends up requiring them to put the bar much lower to get the amount they want.
As Palin pointed out, 40% of Americans don't pay income taxes, and you can't "cut taxes" on them (only give them entitlements).

I so wish McCain-Palin would run those ads, and not the 5th grader "guilty by association."
Challenge the "math" non-sense, that caters to people with no appreciation of real small business/self-employed issues.
I find the people who say they are for "small businesses" are the same ones who tax the fuck out of their owners/capital feeders.

The ones who are paying from their growing discretionary income, not existing wealth (which is not income taxed).

 

[Facetious]

Stormin Norman Schwartzkopf endorses McCain !! There's no "extra extra read all about" that ! :dunno:
Are you kidding me ? the libs detest so called republicans who only meet them 1/2 way just as Colon Powell has done throughout his career . . and on this day the libs champion this very average man ?


On the campaign, Obama is has expended nearly 4X the amount of worthless greenbacks as the McCain camp and all he can do is margin of error ?

Unprecedented !!!! 4 X ? !! From where the monies originate (?) we're not allowed to ask ! :thefinger

 

[Member2019]

Whoa! Don't go the other way ...

Stormin Norman Schwartzkopf endorses McCain !! There's no "extra extra read all about" that ! :dunno:
Are you kidding me ? the libs detest so called republicans who only meet them 1/2 way just as Colon Powell has done throughout his career . . and on this day the libs champion this very average man ?
On the campaign, Obama is has expended nearly 4X the amount of worthless greenbacks as the McCain camp and all he can do is margin of error ?
Unprecedented !!!! 4 X ? !! From where the monies originate (?) we're not allowed to ask ! :thefinger

Whoa! Don't go the other way dude.

Colin Powell has taken a lot of flak for being a Republican from many.
He has every right to endorse the other party's candidate, and that's part of the reason why it's getting coverage.

I didn't see Colin coming out and saying the Republicans are wrong, and he noted McCain is a good colleague.
He stated his reasons, and kept it largely positive.

There's no reason to roast him for this, especially given his actual statements.
Such blind "party defense" and "nuke'em if they associate, etc..." is what I despise.

It's no better than the 5th graders in this whole contest all-around.
Colin Powell actually puts forth no agenda, and has refused to run for any office.