Colin Powell to Endorse Obama?

Immediate news coverage...
http://news.google.com/news?q=powell&rls=com.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7DKUS_en&um=1&sa=N&tab=wn

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@blatham,

I'm glad too he said what needed saying: why shouldn't a muslim be president?

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I wonder how the McCain terror machine will turn on Powell. Maybe they can use the maverick approach and state that Powell was a pawn in the Bush marxch to war.

maybe not.

We'll see how ceej and others get their borg transmissions direct to their brains.

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@farmerman,

Yes. There are two interesting things to now watch, I think. How will the rightwing propaganda machine proceed (they knew it was coming and will have been prepped to launch a countering or negating message and that would have been in the in-boxes at Fox, Limbaugh et al before the announcement). Second, how will this announcement be reflected in polls over the next while.

One point that a number of writers mention is the simple advantage that accrues for Obama in having media attention predictably focus on this announcement over the next few days rather than on McCain campaign talking points. That's a smart observation.

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@blatham,

McCain may opt to ignore Powell, leaving it to the smear machine to carry the message.

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@farmerman,

here's your answer..

http://able2know.org/topic/124235-1

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@blatham,

mccain will laud Powell while Palin will (mysteriously) infer some defective genetic link of powell to ACORN.

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@dyslexia,

Predictably, Fox looks to have had McCain in interview as the announcement came in...

Quote:

Appearing on "FOX News Sunday," McCain responded to the news of Powell's endorsement by saying he still admires and respects his old friend.

"Well, I have always admired and respected General Powell. We are longtime friends. This doesn't come as a surprise. But I am also very pleased to have the endorsement of four former secretaries of state ... and I am proud to have the endorsement of well over 200 retired army generals and admirals," McCain said, noting the support offered by Henry Kissinger, James Baker, Lawrence Eagleburger and Alexander Haig.

Powell, who has been critical of the war in Iraq despite repeatedly saying he supported the decision to go in, said he is more concerned with the future than the past.

"We now see that things are a lot better in Iraq. Maybe if we had put a surge in in the beginning, it would've been a lot better," he said.

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This election is over except for the voting, Powell waiting till now to support Obama shows that he has yet to grow a set of balls. He had the option of supporting Obama when it would have made a difference with those few Americans who care anymore what he thinks . He was the same as a Army Officer, if he could not go into battle with "overwhelming force" then he did not want to go.

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@hawkeye10,

I think this may have been a strategic deployment from the Obama campaign. This is actually really good timing. (I'm writing a blog post on it at the moment -- basically that polls are tightening which is to be expected but it leaves things vulnerable to a big "McCain comeback!" narrative emerging [Drudge gave it the ol' college try already] and this just kinda squashes that at the perfect time.)

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@hawkeye10,

hawkeye10 wrote:

He was the same as a Army Officer, if he could not go into battle with "overwhelming force" then he did not want to go.

Well that doesnt look too bad a concept in hindsight, does it?

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@sozobe,

it is good timing because the party is freaking about about a racist backlash. They really need blacks to show up to the polls, they think, because they expect some whites who say tthat they will vote for Obama to at the last minute not be able to vote for a black man. This is about providing comfort, soothing the soul of the party.

The press is all over the claim of the existence of white racists who hate obama because he is "black". I personally doubt that racism will deflate the Obama vote total by more than 1%, which is not enough to matter, but if the Obama campaign feels better with a Powell endorsement then fine. My point is that the rest of us should not give a ****, Powell does not matter.

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@blatham,

My point was that he might as well go ahead with it as Fox had already started smearing him in anticipation. I can't honestly see any benefit to Powell's endorsement. I think he's one of yesterday's men - no honour, no respect left for him - at least at this keyboard.

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@nimh,

Quote:

Well that doesn't look too bad a concept in hindsight, does it?

Officers know that rarely are they afforded the luxury of going into battle with overwhelming force. That is why the quality of the officers matter, they need to win with tactical superiority because Brit force is not obtainable. Powell would sit a tell his bosses that any plan that does not start the battle with overwhelming force in his possession should not be adopted. This tells me that Powell is a weenie who has no faith in his own tactical abilities. That he is a weenie as further demonstrated when he refused to run for office, again with his complete ineffectiveness to have any positive effect on the Bush foreign policy, and again when he was ineffective in keeping Bush from using the Army in a reckless manor....coming very close to breaking the Army in Iraq.

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funny how this politics thing contains so many shades of grey... I too have little respect for Powell because I feel he, not unlike McCain, presented his balls in a jar as a sacrifice to bush and they're probably on a little altar somewhere in cheney's undisclosed location and yet I thought his speech today when he offered his endorsement was 100% spot on and I felt at least a better late than never feeling. I also tend to gravitate towards people who can speak the Kings English with skill.

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@Bi-Polar Bear,

Don't forget aplomb.

It will bite you in your nethers.

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@nimh,

Interesting that hawkeye tried to put a negative spin on Powell's decision of "overwhelming force" that worked. They try and try, but fail miserably. LOL

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@LionTamerX,

he is one poised mofo... not unlike the candidate he has endorsed... I would think that a black man who wished to rise above the racial ceilings of the past and pull his entire race up with him.... and I do not mean to attach any negative connotations this statement... would wisely consider poise and aplomb a valuable tool in his arsenal...

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@Bi-Polar Bear,

He's paid the price for his decision to be a member of the Bush gang. His sacrifice for doing so is evident from many on these boards that now have negative opinions about him. As I see it, the major criminal was Bush, and all the others were "yes" men who failed their responsibility to our country.

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@cicerone imposter,

It was never Powell's decision, he worked for the civilian Army leaderhsip and the President. If you are going to try to speak on military matters you should first learn how the military chain of command works.

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Colin Powell to Endorse Obama?

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