38 Thoughts to “General Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama”

  1. Elena

    As quoted from fox news!

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

    Colin Powell, the man who delivered to the United Nations the U.S. case for war against Iraq, announced Sunday that he is going to vote for Barack Obama for president.

    The former secretary of state for President Bush said the next individual to serve as president of the United States will have to reach out to the world community, and he believes Obama has both style and substance to be successful in that role

    “I think he is a transformational figure, he is a new generation coming into, onto the world stage and the American stage, and for that reason I’ll be voting for Senator Barack Obama,” Powell, who also served as President George H.W. Bush’s Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

    Obama’s campaign announced that Obama called Powell after the endorsement and said he looked forward to taking advantage of his advice over the next two weeks and possibly over the next four years.

    “I am beyond honored and deeply humbled to have the support of Gen. Colin Powell,” Obama said in remarks at a rally in Fayetteville, N.C. “Gen. Powell has defended this nation bravely, and he has embodied our highest ideals through his long and distinguished public service. … And he knows, as we do, that this is a moment where we all need to come together as one nation — young and old, rich and poor, black and white, Republican and Democrat.”

    Powell said with two weeks left until the election, he will not campaign for the Democratic presidential candidate.

    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.

    “I thought it was over the top. It was beyond just good political fighting back and forth. … We can’t judge our people and we can’t hold our elections on that kind of basis,” he added.

    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.

    While saying he doesn’t want to see his taxes go up, Powell said he also doesn’t want to see a $12 trillion debt and $500 billion annual deficit.

  2. Moon-howler

    Colin Powell certainly makes a good argument for voting for Obama. I particularly honed in on his concern for Governor Palin’s qualifications.

    McCain’s mistake was catering to the Religious Right rather that trying to pull in the moderates and independents, and yes, Republicans in his own party. People have had enough of that nonsense.

  3. ShellyB

    What I said this morning:

    It was jaw dropping. They showed Powell at the Republican National Convention enthusiastically embracing the Bush/Cheney ticket in 2000. It’s hard to believe he was the same man. His very cautious, painstakingly thought out transformation from a Bush Republican to a proud supporter of Barack Obama is symbollic, to me, of what millions of ordinary conservative, perhaps Republican, Americans have gone through over the past several years. I think this interview will go down in history as the single most coherent summation of the shifting tide and shifting spirit of America in the early 21st century. It was just an incredible interview.

  4. Moon-howler

    Someone sent me an interesting write up. I don’t quite know what to make of it. Has the financial crisis finger pointing been aimed in the wrong direction.

    WASHINGTON – Freddie Mac secretly paid a Republican consulting firm $2 million to kill legislation that would have regulated and trimmed the mortgage finance giant and its sister company, Fannie Mae, three years before the government took control to prevent their collapse.

    In the cross hairs of the campaign carried out by DCI of Washington were Republican senators and a regulatory overhaul bill sponsored by Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. DCI’s chief executive is Doug Goodyear, whom John McCain’s campaign later hired to manage the GOP convention in September.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081019/ap_on_bi_ge/the_influence_game_housing

  5. Michael

    Shelly B you are so right, and so is Colin Powell. I too am a Republican who feels my party has been stolen out from under me by religious fanatics. I too will vote for Obama as the lessor of evils. I saw both Obama’s and McCain’s lifetime BIOs, I trust Obama more than McCain, who has a circle of cronies who got us to where we are now. I was sold out also by McCain’s support for “illegal” immigrants, and that is when he lost my vote. Obama actually has a more ethical perspective (meaning he cares about constitutional and individual law, so I will still advocate for him to support law and to stop “illegal” immigration.

    When we get new Republican leadership (by ousting the religious fanatics from government in the next series of elections) that can focus on individuals and fundamental financial ethics and government, rather than ethnic and religious political groups, then I will vote Republican again.

    Religion is a private matter of individuals. I do not trust religious fanatics involved in government, as they are typically oppressive, and hate more than tolerate others than those religious people who are not involved in government. A non-fanatical and loving religious person does not typically get involved in government, and if they do they are not typically oppressive and angry at those who are different. The Republican party is dominated by Christians who are angry and hate others not like themselves.

  6. Elena

    OMG……Michael, I totally agree with your summation of where the Republicans have failed their party. Let’s put this one on the calender, we agree Michael 🙂

  7. ShellyB

    Michael, I hear you and I agree with much of what you say. I don’t think we should blame what’s happened to the Republican party on people of faith, nor should we confuse fantacism with religiosity. Let’s remember the majority of the country is Christian, and the majority of the country is voting for a Democrat this year. People of all faiths can belong to either of the major parties.

    I think the people who stole the Republican party are heads of corporations and the lobbiests they hire to rig the system. Especially the ones who sell war planes and aircraft carriers. I think they use religion as part of their political strategy, but that doesn’t mean everyone who votes for them is responsible for what happened. Some voted for Bush for secular reasons. Others, who may have voted for religious reasons, were not being told the truth. You can’t blame them for trusting what Bush was telling them at the time. I trusted him for a time myself!

    As Colin Powell said, the first “W” campaign was called Compassionate Conservative. Powell believed in it. Now he feels differently. But you can’t blame him for believing it once. At least he has the courage to change his perspective after events do not unfold as he expected.

  8. Moon-howler

    Well, Elena and Michael, today is definitely a red letter day. I also agree with what Michael said. Get the calendars out.

    I very much feel that religious fanatics have high jacked the Republican party. There is a huge difference in people of faith and religious zealots. People of faith want to help those less fortunate than themselves. Religious zealots want to tell everyone else how to live their lives. For them, religion is another 12 step program.

  9. Wow, Michael, great post. It was hard for me to watch these past 8 years of one disaster after another. But for a Republican it must have been doubly painful.

    It is interesting that so many Americans from the left and the right are consolidating around one candidate and one vision of the America we need to become. Did you see all the right wing newspapers and right wing pundits who are endorsing Obama? It’s crazy to think that Bush called himself a “uniter not a divider,” and he managed to do just that by screwing up the country so badly that we began to see past our differences and unite for the common good.

    Michael, you often lament the divisions we face — race, creed, etc.

    Well, who better to unite us than a man who is two different races, coming from five different cultures (midwest, Hawai’i, African, African American, and Indonesian), who is Christian but has a funny sounding name?

  10. DiversityGal

    Feelin’ the love, people! Michael and friends…I am in agreement, too:)

  11. ShellyB

    Moon Howler, I don’t dispute your distinction between people of faith and religious fanatics. Here let me quote what Michael said, which I also do not dispute:

    “A non-fanatical and loving religious person does not typically get involved in government, and if they do they are not typically oppressive and angry at those who are different. The Republican party is dominated by Christians who are angry and hate others not like themselves.”

    It is true that a lot of the people still with the Republican party are probably Christians. But the majority of Americans are Christians. I just don’t think it’s religion that sets these people apart. If you watch these horrible videos of them practically foaming at the mouth with hatred, that is the opposite of Christianity. Religion is not supposed to involve hate at all!

    I don’t blame the people who feel into the trap so much as I blame the politicians who SET the trap. People like Karl Rove and Dick Cheney are not even religious. They prey on people’s faith to try to turn them into votes.

    Any faith could be abused in that way. In Afghanistan it was exactly the same only they abused the Muslim faith.

  12. Michael

    Christians call that difference between those that hate and those that love, Obligation Keepers (religious oppressors through law and anger, tyranny and terrorism) and Liberators (freedom of individuals to Love God and not be oppressed). Christ was a Liberator. This nation is a liberating nation. We have the wrong type of people running the Republican Party, therefore we are where we are today, a declining nation of (ethnic, racial, gender and religious) segregated people who hate each other. It needs to change.

  13. Again, well said Michael, bravo.

    This video made me really sad. I don’t know what is happening to John McCain. I almost don’t want to show this to you all since you are such good people and you’re all finally getting along. But it is part of history now:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsLocenvNB0

  14. DiversityGal

    Fort Knocks,

    That is amazing and it is true denial. The scary part is there are some people out there who will believe there is a difference between the 2000 and the 2008 robocalls. The scariest part is that John is believing his own BS.

  15. Starryflights

    Colin Powell is a great American. His endorsement of Obama will carry great weight not only among military veterans, but also among people of all persuasions, liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans.

    It’s very sad to see John McCain debase himself to get votes. He has become a tragic and pathetic figure who will go down to a humiliating, ignoble defeat.

  16. Moon-howler

    Too bad John McCain didn’t grasp the meaning of Congressman Lewis’s words. He really missed the point. How can Obama repudiate something that is basically true?

    Inflamatory speech can lead to heinous acts. End of story.

    McCain really is turning sort of nasty. I hate to see that. I have always liked him.

  17. Moon-howler

    Michael, You have ended up being the pet of this thread. UFB! Keep up the good work there guy!

    Shelly, the RR was around long before George Bush. Jerry Falwell had the Moral Majority going strong back in the 80’s. If memory serves me correctly, they were working elections back then.

    I get very energized against a candidate if I think they want to legislate morality.
    People of faith also do not go all exclusive about who is Christian and who isn’t. Zealots have a check list.

  18. Not Me, Bubba

    Michael:

    “The Republican party is dominated by Christians who are angry and hate others not like themselves.”

    Trust me, they are NOT Christian.

  19. If you saw the entire Gen. Powell interview, the most relevant exchange was when Tom Brokaw reminded Powell that he had been against time tables for withdrawal from Iraq. Powell announced that the United States, with President Bush’s approval, is nearly finished negotiating a withdrawal from Iraq that includes time tables based on conditions on the ground — precisely the position that Barack Obama has been advocating for more than a year.

    Once again, what begins as Barack Obama’s announced approach to foreign policy is angrily dismissed by John McCain as reckless and anti-American. And, once again, the people who are actually doing the job of forming U.S. foreign policy end up following Obama’s vision rather than McCain’s. Remember that idea Obama had about talking to our enemies instead of thumbing our noses at them? McCain said “reckless,” and presto, Bush changes course to follow the practical and reality-based diplomatic philosophy articulated by Obama.

    McCain is trying to do the impossible. He is trying to run to the right of Bush, and yet claim that he is running to the center. I never thought I’d say this, but McCain is running to the right of Bush on foreign policy.

    Not the change we need.

  20. Not Me, Bubba

    “I get very energized against a candidate if I think they want to legislate morality.
    People of faith also do not go all exclusive about who is Christian and who isn’t. Zealots have a check list.”

    Ditto.

  21. NotGregLetiecq

    I saw the interview late last night and I have to admit, I really deeply respect former Secretary of State Powell. I can’t describe how much it hurt me when he made that infamous speech to the U.N. He almost had me, no, he had me believing that there really were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Bush exploited my respect an my pride in Secretary of State Powell to silence me when we foolishly and greedily invaded Iraq for no other reason than to profit from its resources. A lot of people died from that decision. I agree that Powell could not have stopped it, but he didn’t have to participate in the sell job.

    Ugh. This started out as an attempt to praise Powell and make amends with myself on how I feel about Powell. He is certainly the most admirable member of the Bush Administration, probably both Bush administrations. And no one on earth could listen to him talk and not respect his opinion.

    I found myself wondering how this interview was received by Freedom Fry Voters, and voters who are against Barack Obama because of his skin color. I’m sure the same people were cheering on Powell when he spoke at the 2000 GOP Convention. The same people probably love that fundamentalist weirdo who ran against Obama for U.S. Senate (can’t recall his name right now). It seems like Black people in high office are okay to them, but only if they are Republican.

    The difference to me is clear: a Black man in high office who is NOT Republican might be expected to help Black people. Obama wants to help all Americans and all people, he’s made that clear. But what I’m saying is that the “boogie man” freak out show that we see at the Palin rallies is really about the “community organizer” thing. Obama is not just Black, he is the kind of person who might help poor people and people of color, and close the gap between rich and poor. That’s the threat he really poses. There are very few Freedom Fry Voters left who actually believe there is anything to this Ayres business.

  22. NotGregLetiecq

    So in reality, those freaky Palin supporters don’t have a problem with Black people. They don’t even have a problem with Black people in positions of power.

    Their problem is with a Black man holding a position of power and doing something to lift other people of color out of poverty.

    I think they don’t mind having people of color in America, as long as the are separate and unequal (in their eyes).

    Otherwise, how could you be for Allan Keyes (remembered his name) and yet flip out about Obama based on race?

  23. Censored bybvbl

    Well said, Michael.

    FortKnocks, it’s good to see McCain take some heat from Fox News.

    Moon-howler, I always associate Jerry Falwell with the beginning of the country’s backslide into religious zealotry too. Even growing up in the South, I never experienced the dogmatic, stringent, holier-than-thou extremism that has come to be associated with the Republican Party of today. We all knew that some Baptists didn’t dance or drink, but no one was in your face telling you how to live your personal life. There was more respect for individual choice. Hell, there was more respect in general.

  24. Mando

    Powell made it clear that he wasn’t endorsing Obama – just voting for him. This topic title is blatantly wrong. You won’t see him campaigning for Obama.

    I respect Powell and I think in the back of his mind he probably feels the way alot of Americans feel in that both candidates suck.

    @ Michael – you have a choice other then the lesser of two evils – the Libertarian party.

    http://www.lp.org/

  25. info

    Lawsuit Filed Against Obama-Does Not Qualify For President
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOzFl-Gm_Kc

  26. Jason

    I listened to the whole Powell interview on the radio yesterday and was really moved by what he had to say.

  27. Information Only..

    Info,
    Well, at least the clip is more current than your usual postings. Furthermore, this story has been around for quite sometime. It was featured on bvbl months ago.

  28. Moon-howler

    Mando, if you would like to write a guest rebuttal, I will post it for you and attach your name. It would have to give the REAL story though and call all the major networks liars.

    If a public figure says I am going to vote for Mr.X then that generally means an endorsement. No one says they have to go out and stump for them. Nancy Reagan endorsed John McCain. Surely you don’t expect that poor elderly woman to go out and stump for him?

  29. Moon-howler

    Mando, Lou Dobbs just this minute said Colin Powell endorsed Obama. Do you doubt Lou Dobbs? {cough-sputter-choke}

  30. ShellyB

    Try googling “Powell Endorses Obama,” Mando. You’ll find your work cut out for you. You will have to correct Fox News, CNN, NBC, the New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and just about ever other publication in the world.

    I hope you won’t be too busy to chat with us here. We will miss you otherwise.

  31. NotGregLetiecq

    Okay, so Mando so I googled it for you and… well, it’s bad news.

    I used the words “Powell Endorses Obama” in quotations so that google would only pull up web page where those three words were used in that particular order.

    There were 543 web pages that were as “blantantly wrong” as Moon-Howler.

    Sometimes the best way to deal with news you don’t like is to ignore it. Trying to convince people it isn’t true doesn’t do much good, as far as I can tell, unless you convince yourself in the process. Did you?

  32. El Guapo

    The body count of former Bush supporters just continues to pile up. Powell is even being called “racist” now by some conservatives. Kathleen Parker’s body was still breathing when the mob left it to attack Powell.

  33. Mando

    Let me reiterate:

    “Powell made it clear that he wasn’t endorsing Obama – just voting for him.”

    Then he gave reasons why. Powell DID endorse Bush/Cheney and made that clear on the campaign trail.

    Powell has been mulling over this for a while (he met with Obama over 6 months ago face to face). The man measures and weighs his words very carefully. He was very clear that Obama had his vote and gave some good reasons as to why. He also made it clear that there would be no further word on the matter from him. To say that Powell was endorsing Obama is really a disservice to the message he was trying to convey.

    Spin it however you want. I don’t care what Lou Dobbs or any other hack says. I’ll take the man for what comes out of his own mouth.

  34. Mando

    “Sometimes the best way to deal with news you don’t like is to ignore it. Trying to convince people it isn’t true doesn’t do much good, as far as I can tell, unless you convince yourself in the process. Did you?”

    Google ’till you fingers can no longer google. If you find 1 million sites stating Powell endorsed Obama doesn’t make it so.

    I never said I like the news or that I didn’t like it. I like neither candidate. I KNEW Powell was going to vote for Obama.

    The only news I would’ve liked if Powell threw up his arms in disgust, said both candidates suck, and that he was voting Libertarian.

  35. Leila

    Mando, what a bizarre thing to say. Did you even listen to the MTP interview? Powell made it very clear he thought Obama would be the better president for the times we are in now. He elaborated on that every which way because he wanted to make it crystal clear his endorsement was linked to an appreciation of how Obama is as a man and a politician and how those qualities were, he thought, useful for addressing the economic and other crises we are in. He responded to Brokaw’s initial question, which was clearly about whether he would be making an endorsement on the show that morning.

    Endorsing someone is not identical to going out on the campaign trail. I guess now you will say that the editorial boards of newspapers also don’t endorse candidates because those editors aren’t then seen out on the stump. Why are you being so bizarre on this? Someone phone the Boston Herald and tell them they didn’t just endorse McCain because Mando says they couldn’t have. They aren’t campaigning. Someone call the Post and tell them the same thing about Obama.

    I was very moved by all that Powell had to say. He said it in the most measured possible way. If you object to what he said (assuming you listened to the whole thing), rebut each of his points with the same sort of cogent arguments. Don’t lie about his clear intention.

  36. Leila

    PS to Mando: It is clear to me that Powell was endorsing. If he was not endorsing, I assume he would have demanded a retraction of the language of endorsement from every media outlet. Oh, by the way, McCain also referred to Powell’s actions as an endorsement. But he’s wrong too right?

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