What do you think of Powell's endorsement?

[mdjgirl7]

Well well well Powell endorses Obama. Let's take it from the top Powell waits 15 days until election day. I think he got scared when he saw that McCain is being beat and he jumped ship to save his own skin.

What a shock Obama said oh he will have a position in my administration. I think Powell is a sell out looking our for #1 himself. I used to have respect for him not anymore.

So you think Powell just now came to his senses weeks before the election not hardly. Powell has sunk to a new low.

Obama says he will have a position WHEN he is in office what a arrogant jerk he has not been elected yet but you would think he had by his pretty talk. I hope he gets left at the polls wondering what happened.

Say it with me Powell is a sell out and a self serving jerk.

 

[Grismonda]

Well well well Powell endorses Obama. Let's take it from the top Powell waits 15 days until election day. I think he got scared when he saw that McCain is being beat and he jumped ship to save his own skin.

What a shock Obama said oh he will have a position in my administration. I think Powell is a sell out looking our for #1 himself. I used to have respect for him not anymore.

So you think Powell just now came to his senses weeks before the election not hardly. Powell has sunk to a new low.

Obama says he will have a position WHEN he is in office what a arrogant jerk he has not been elected yet but you would think he had by his pretty talk. I hope he gets left at the polls wondering what happened.

Say it with me Powell is a sell out and a self serving jerk.

Then by your logic, Christopher Buckley is braver than Powell...? Just curious.

 

[Modbert]

Well well well Powell endorses Obama. Let's take it from the top Powell waits 15 days until election day. I think he got scared when he saw that McCain is being beat and he jumped ship to save his own skin.

What a shock Obama said oh he will have a position in my administration. I think Powell is a sell out looking our for #1 himself. I used to have respect for him not anymore.

So you think Powell just now came to his senses weeks before the election not hardly. Powell has sunk to a new low.

Obama says he will have a position WHEN he is in office what a arrogant jerk he has not been elected yet but you would think he had by his pretty talk. I hope he gets left at the polls wondering what happened.

Say it with me Powell is a sell out and a self serving jerk.

And some Republicans here wonder why we think some of their members are a little

Say it with me now, extremist.

 

[Skeptik]

I don't really think Powell is a "political animal." I think it's why he didn't run for President.

Exactly.

I can remember him stating to the world what his stance was on the political issues of the day just before the 2000 election. I would have voted for him right then and there, but it was obvious that he wasn't going to run, and wouldn't be successful if he did run.

The way to get votes is not to state your position on controversial issues, but to tell the electorate what they want to hear. Both Obama and McCain are good at it, and would not be where they are if they weren't.

As for Powell and his reason for supporting Obama, these are his words:

“As gifted as he is,” Mr. Powell said of Mr. McCain, a friend for 25 years, “he 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 a generational change.”

That's from the NYT. I'd give a link, but this board won't let me until I make a certain number of posts. It must be an attempt to foil spammers or something? Anyway, you can google it if you want.

 

[DavidS]

I am disgusted... no no no... DISGUSTED... still not enough.... DISGUSTED with how the right has treated Colin Powell for his endorsment of John McCain. For a wing of a party that prides itself over being pro-military, pro-war and pro-veterans, to treat a former Joint Chiefs of Staff under George HW Bush, a retired 4-Star General, a former National Security Advisor to Ronald Reagan, a former Secretary of State under George W Bush like shit is absolutely repulsive. Absolutely fucking repulsive.

The Republican Party is worth nothing in my mind. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. For them to try and tarnish the record of this man is beyond repuslive. While Sean Hannity is busy talking about some stupid plumber schmuck and blasting Joe Biden for mocking Joe the Plumber, where is Hannity's equal indignation for those who blast Colin Powell?

The Republican Party has turned into a bunch of hate mongerers and disgusting sociopaths. General Colin Powell is a man that my children and your children should look up to and strive to be like one day. He has served this country with so much honor... has been a loyal servant to the Republican establishment and this is the thanks he gets for being there for the Republicans...

Ugh.

 

[frazzledgear]

A great statesman, pity he was saddled with Bush during his first term. Powell would be a great addition to Obama's cabinet.

Long and short of it, he will be an asset to Obama's campaign over the next several days. It is a pity Limbaugh, The Lord of Lard let's everyone in the Universe know Powell is black!

Let me see.

1. Powell supported removing Saddam from power. Obama says it was the worst foreign policy disaster of the century. So naturally Powell supports Obama?

2. Powell supported the surge in Iraq. To this day Obama says even knowing the success it had, he would STILL have voted against it -meaning he WANTS to see a US defeat in Iraq. So naturally Powell supports Obama?

3. Powell says he remains a Republican who holds with Republican ideals to this day. Obama, although he tried to hide it for most of this campaign, inadvertently revealed what his Illinois state senator record shows to be true and what his past associations show to be true -he is a near radical socialist. So naturally Powell supports Obama?

4. Powell says that this nation will face some of the most dangerous years in our history in the next few years. So naturally Powell supports the only guy running with zero experience dealing with ANY crisis whatsoever, with zero foreign policy experience and has never held a job in his life requiring any executive or leadership skills and whose political positions are polar opposites of his own?

Sorry, after considering what traits Obama could possibly possess that would lead Powell to endorse Obama over McCain, considering Powell's own political beliefs, military experience and political positions -as well as which candidate is actually best suited for the job on day one instead of Year Three -I personally think Powell is voting his race. It is the only thing Powell has in common with Obama.

 

[RoboSlater]

A great statesman, pity he was saddled with Bush during his first term. Powell would be a great addition to Obama's cabinet.

Long and short of it, he will be an asset to Obama's campaign over the next several days. It is a pity Limbaugh, The Lord of Lard let's everyone in the Universe know Powell is black!

Your brand of unhinged liberalism has been noted by real Americans

 

[RoboSlater]

Let me see.

1. Powell supported removing Saddam from power. Obama says it was the worst foreign policy disaster of the century. So naturally Powell supports Obama?

2. Powell supported the surge in Iraq. To this day Obama says even knowing the success it had, he would STILL have voted against it -meaning he WANTS to see a US defeat in Iraq. So naturally Powell supports Obama?

3. Powell says he remains a Republican who holds with Republican ideals to this day. Obama, although he tried to hide it for most of this campaign, inadvertently revealed what his Illinois state senator record shows to be true and what his past associations show to be true -he is a near radical socialist. So naturally Powell supports Obama?

4. Powell says that this nation will face some of the most dangerous years in our history in the next few years. So naturally Powell supports the only guy running with zero experience dealing with ANY crisis whatsoever, with zero foreign policy experience and has never held a job in his life requiring any executive or leadership skills and whose political positions are polar opposites of his own?

Sorry, after considering what traits Obama could possibly possess that would lead Powell to endorse Obama over McCain, considering Powell's own political beliefs, military experience and political positions -as well as which candidate is actually best suited for the job on day one instead of Year Three -I personally think Powell is voting his race. It is the only thing Powell has in common with Obama.

frazzledgear, don't confuse the unhinged racist liberals with facts ..its like Anne Coulter once said "Liberalism is a disease" and it is very evident in the blacks except for of course Condi Rice and Alan Keyes

 

[Striker]

Let me see.

1. Powell supported removing Saddam from power. Obama says it was the worst foreign policy disaster of the century. So naturally Powell supports Obama?

2. Powell supported the surge in Iraq. To this day Obama says even knowing the success it had, he would STILL have voted against it -meaning he WANTS to see a US defeat in Iraq. So naturally Powell supports Obama?

3. Powell says he remains a Republican who holds with Republican ideals to this day. Obama, although he tried to hide it for most of this campaign, inadvertently revealed what his Illinois state senator record shows to be true and what his past associations show to be true -he is a near radical socialist. So naturally Powell supports Obama?

4. Powell says that this nation will face some of the most dangerous years in our history in the next few years. So naturally Powell supports the only guy running with zero experience dealing with ANY crisis whatsoever, with zero foreign policy experience and has never held a job in his life requiring any executive or leadership skills and whose political positions are polar opposites of his own?

Sorry, after considering what traits Obama could possibly possess that would lead Powell to endorse Obama over McCain, considering Powell's own political beliefs, military experience and political positions -as well as which candidate is actually best suited for the job on day one instead of Year Three -I personally think Powell is voting his race. It is the only thing Powell has in common with Obama.

Haven't posted here in a long time. Been lurking.

When everyone was creaming their jeans hoping to be the 1st. Cracker to vote for a Black Man for President so they can justify their existence on the Planet as a Caucasian w/o destroying the Nation, Colin Powell disappointed them by not running. At THAT time, Colin Powell came out in favor of keeping my Grandaughter out of a good college if, all else being equal, she was white and her competitor was Black.

Ironically, now that we have a black man bent on making this a 3rd. World nation, (i.e. bringing "Joe the plumber" down until the rest "catch up" which IS his insane intent and method, I assure you) and given that we still have all of the self flaggellating, pathetic liberal white cowards out there, I am surprised at the amazment some have at the revelation that Powell isn't the Black Man some thought he was, but is, after all, nothing but a common Nig*er.

He said himself that Obama was a "transformational" figure. He's not voting his conviction at all. He's voting his COLOUR. That makes him a RACIST.

Some of you seem to be afraid to call this what it is by it's REAL name.

I lack the apparent delicacy it takes to be politically "correct" so I have no such problem. I wonder however, how much "delicacy" Powell will demonstrate when, as Secratary of Defence, he moves to carry out his orders to disarm the American (White) People. Aided by Obama's National (Black) Security Forces, will he be as adoring of us as some of you are of him? Hmm.....

 

[frazzledgear]

I am disgusted... no no no... DISGUSTED... still not enough.... DISGUSTED with how the right has treated Colin Powell for his endorsment of John McCain. For a wing of a party that prides itself over being pro-military, pro-war and pro-veterans, to treat a former Joint Chiefs of Staff under George HW Bush, a retired 4-Star General, a former National Security Advisor to Ronald Reagan, a former Secretary of State under George W Bush like shit is absolutely repulsive. Absolutely fucking repulsive.

The Republican Party is worth nothing in my mind. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. For them to try and tarnish the record of this man is beyond repuslive. While Sean Hannity is busy talking about some stupid plumber schmuck and blasting Joe Biden for mocking Joe the Plumber, where is Hannity's equal indignation for those who blast Colin Powell?

The Republican Party has turned into a bunch of hate mongerers and disgusting sociopaths. General Colin Powell is a man that my children and your children should look up to and strive to be like one day. He has served this country with so much honor... has been a loyal servant to the Republican establishment and this is the thanks he gets for being there for the Republicans...

Ugh.

And you feel SOOOO strongly about this because Democrats were just so kind and wonderful to this VERY same man when he took a position with the Bush administration, right? I need neck-high boots and some nose plugs here because the shit is really getting deep. And the sheer hypocrisy is enough to make a normal person puke.

Want to know the real difference between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to Powell? Republicans are blasting this guy because Powell claims to still be a Republican with Republican values, but is voting for THE most far leftwing liberal to have ever run for President -the same guy who opposed EVERY military position Powell has held in the last 8 years as well as all his CORE political principles as a Republican. Hard to fathom what Powell thinks he has in common with Obama here -and on THAT basis, Republicans are blasting Powell. They see him as a man who is voting for someone he can't possibly have anything in common with if he is really a Republican -as he is claiming to be RIGHT NOW! Republicans are left with realizing that Powell and Obama share nothing in common but their race -because they sure as heck don't share political, foreign policy, economic and military views. I have no more respect for someone whose real reason for voting for Obama is because he is black than I have for anyone who is not voting for him for no reason but he is black. I also have little respect for Powell's decision to wait until just 15 days before the election -because it also looks like he is hoping to hitch his wagon to whichever person he thinks is going to emerge the winner.

But when Powell took a position with the Bush administration - when Democrats blasted him, they used his RACE as the basis to do so. Democrats DEMAND that all blacks think alike and vote alike. They said he was a traitor to his RACE. Gee, do all whites and Asians all vote and think alike? Yet Democrats DEMAND that blacks MUST -or suffer the consequences they will deal out.

Republicans are only saying he is going against the Republicans values he still claims he has to this day - but every Republican knows are diametrically opposed to those of Obama! He is being criticized for going against the Republican values he claims he still has! They are NOT criticizing his military service -that is a Democrat thing, like some Democrats did questioning how McCain even got shot down in Vietnam. The only blacks Democrats (the same slave owners in the past) have EVER liked are those who stay on their plantation. But for any who desert that Democrat plantation - you watch how fast their true racist views come out. Who the heck even knows what an "Uncle Tom" is anymore, some 140+ years after the Civil War - except the slave owners of the past - Democrats. Sure isn't a phrase you hear coming from Republicans though, is it? Democrats INSIST that unlike any other race, blacks MUST vote as a block -or they are subject to the most vicious, personal and RACIST attacks intended to make the individual feel pain on a personal level. Trying to make a person feel PERSONAL pain as opposed to political pain is something Democrats have specialized in for more than a century. You see Republicans attack Joe Biden on the same personal level they have gone after Palin and her family -or go after Michelle Obama the way the NY Times went after Cindy McCain? Of course not.

Republicans want Powell, who claims to be a Republican even now - to feel political pain for deciding to support someone who has nothing in common with core Republican values. But when Powell took a job with the Bush administration -Democrats wanted him to feel personal pain in the most vicious way possible, hoping people of his own race would despise him. Much like they got so many blacks to do with Clarence Thomas. How dare a black man sit on the Supreme Court and not hold the most liberal, extremist views of the Democrat party, right?

As for the left going after Joe the plumber -are you people NUTS? What if YOU had asked McCain a question Republicans didn't like and this is how Republicans all treated YOU and if the media were as blatantly in the bag for McCain as they are for Obama, spent a fortune going after you, a private citizen -for the "crime" of daring to question someone who wants to lead this nation? Demanding to know if you were up to date on your taxes, whether you had the proper license for your city, etc. What the heck does any of that have to do with ANYTHING? He isn't running for President -he asked a question of a man who is. This guy didn't go looking for Obama -Obama was campaigning in HIS neighborhood. And he asked the man a legitimate question. The fact Obama's answer revealed his REAL socialist agenda is irrelevant. It shouldn't matter what ANYONE'S political positions are here -the idea that if a common citizen dares ask a would-be leader of the nation a question his supporters don't like, then he deserves to be ripped to shreds by the blatantly politically partisan media nationwide as a result -is something that should scare the hell out of everyone since it is a tactic much more fitting of the Soviet Union than it has ever been in this country.

 

[N4mddissent]

Colin Powell is a decent man. Anyone who is career military will tell you that the chain of command mentality is not easily set aside. This is just speculation, but it may help explain, but not justify, Powell's complicity in the Iraq war. By all accounts I have read, (including Cobra II which is an excellent read) Powell did attempt to be a moderating voice within the administration. I believe the book Fiasco was one that had some photos of Powell and Rumsfeld vehemently arguing. Powell also advised against the Iraq war from the beginning, eventually conceding with the famous "pottery barn" line.

A man with his loyalty and background of military service would find it difficult to undermine his boss(es) after he exhausted all efforts and his advice was rejected. Once the President made the decision, it would have been hard to resist carrying out the President's wishes to the best of his abilities. The same as the military commanders who felt we were undermanned going into Iraq. They set aside their personal opinions and get the job done the way the leaders say. I think Powell must accept responsibility since in his role as Secretary of State, he was no longer serving in a true military capacity and was outside the chain of command. But while labels can shift, the mentality is harder to lose. I think his decison to support Obama was an honest one. We all watched him take a political bullet for the Bush administration. I was afraid that he might support McCain if he felt the candidates were equal out of party loyalty and to avoid the perception of race being a factor. But after listening to him, I remembered how much a man of conviction he is and how thoughtful he is. He donated to McCain as recently as last year, but his reasons for deciding it wasn't the correct choice were sound.

I appreciate his courage. And Barack Obama has stated early on (and this was a big plus for me) that he wants to model his approach to presidency after Abraham Lincoln, especially in the fact that Lincoln always picked a lot of advisors that disagreed with him, including some that hated him. Obama has stated that Powell will advise him, but whether that is in an official capacity remains to be seen. I do believe they will differ on some views, but I think that's what Obama wants- someone who will be open and honest and willing to disagree. And I think it will be refreshing to Colin Powell to advise a President who actually wants to hear dissenting views. (Assuming Obama wins, of course)

 

[N4mddissent]

And you feel SOOOO strongly about this because Democrats were just so kind and wonderful to this VERY same man when he took a position with the Bush administration, right? I need neck-high boots and some nose plugs here because the shit is really getting deep. And the sheer hypocrisy is enough to make a normal person puke.

There may be some, I don't doubt, but I don't recall democrats being nasty to Powell when he was in the Bush administration. Could you provide me some examples? I personally was glad to see him there hoping he would be a voice of reason.

 

[N4mddissent]

THE most far leftwing liberal to have ever run for President -the same guy who opposed EVERY military position Powell has held in the last 8 years as well as all his CORE political principles as a Republican.

As for this, read my post about how Obama has always said he wanted people with dissenting opinions to advise him.

They see him as a man who is voting for someone he can't possibly have anything in common with if he is really a Republican -as he is claiming to be RIGHT NOW! Republicans are left with realizing that Powell and Obama share nothing in common but their race -

I'm sure Powell has nothing in common with the strawman version of Obama.

 

[elvis]

There may be some, I don't doubt, but I don't recall democrats being nasty to Powell when he was in the Bush administration. Could you provide me some examples? I personally was glad to see him there hoping he would be a voice of reason.

It comes down to this: At what point did Powell think Iraq was a bad idea. The word is he tried to talk Bush out of going to Iraq. If he did this before the speech at the UN, he's a hippocrite.

 

[N4mddissent]

I also have little respect for Powell's decision to wait until just 15 days before the election -because it also looks like he is hoping to hitch his wagon to whichever person he thinks is going to emerge the winner.

The explanation that he watched both candidates and measured them to make an informed decision based on what he felt was best for the country rather than simple-minded party loyalty would not fit into your world would it? You have to go into wild speculation because you have obviously allowed yourself to buy into political propoganda about Obama and anything that suggests he's not the far left insane socialist he has been characterized is just too much to swallow. I hope you learn to filter through the political static some day and understand that you have use your own mind rather than let others think for you.

Then perhaps the fact that Joe Biden has been a U.S. senator for over 30 years will allow you to come to the rational conclusion that his long senate service plus his time in the primaries probably means he's been vetted by the media pretty thoroughly over the years- just not all at once. Palin was a virtual unknown and her selection caught the press on their heels, and they had to do their job in a very short amount of time, so you get a lot of coverage and discoveries about things very fast. The whole troopergate thing was started before she was selected and if McCain didn't want to deal with that coverage, he should have selected someone different.

I don't think the press should be focused in any way on Cindy McCain or her past. But to say Michelle Obama had a free pass when the media in general and the conservative media were relentless on her about some overblown comments on her pride in america is just not dealing with the real world. And Joe the Plumber? The "left" didn't go after him. How many comments came from the Obama campaign? The media went after Joe. Why? Because John McCain made him a star during the debate. I thought the media was foolish to focus on something so ridiculous, but then again I thought the whole "Joe the Plumber" approach to appeal to the average American was ridiculous and frankly condescending anyway. (The press probably wanted to know what gold pipes this guy was fixing to make more as a plumber than most family physicians.)

 

[N4mddissent]

It comes down to this: At what point did Powell think Iraq was a bad idea. The word is he tried to talk Bush out of going to Iraq. If he did this before the speech at the UN, he's a hippocrite.

I would not absolve him of responsibility. But what I was trying to say earlier is (and this is based on a conversation with a family member who attended West Point) he opposed Iraq from the beginning and questioned the WMD intelligence. However the WMD intelligence was not the only factor that led him to believe we should or should not invade. However, once the President made the decision, I have speculated that the career military mindset was difficult to overcome. As a General or any officer in the U.S. military, the fact that the President is the Commander in Chief is drilled into you. One of the cornerstones of our nation is that the military will be under civilian leadership. The chain of command is paramount. That is why it is unlikely to have a military coup in America- a lot of emphasis on these points. Powell, being a military officer most of his life, probably took the president's decision like a decision from the commander in chief. And in military terms, your primary duty is to make sure you do what you're asked to support that decision, whatever your personal views. However, when Tenet showed him the "evidence" from Rumsfeld's secret little personal intelligence group, Powell remained very skeptical and asked point blank if he had Tenet's guarantee that this was solid. Tenet said yes, but Powell famously told him that he was going to have Tenet sit behind him during the UN presentation so that he would be in all the camera shots in case Tenet was lying and the evidence wasn't sound. Go look at the pictures of the presentation and you'll see Tenet sitting right behind Powell looking uncomfortable. They sort of sprung that "evidence' on Powell shorly before the presentation.

 

[frazzledgear]

There may be some, I don't doubt, but I don't recall democrats being nasty to Powell when he was in the Bush administration.

Really? Oh pulleeze, give me a break here. Either you are very, very young or you have a highly selective memory then. I don't need to supply you with any sources any more than I need to supply you with the similar kinds of attacks made on Condoleezza Rice. You were either around to have heard and read them on your own -or you are at least old enough to look it up for yourself.

If you can remember any of the vicious racial and gender-based attacks on Rice, they were just a fraction of those on Powell in the immediate aftermath of Bush's announcement of Powell's appointment. A lot of Democrats felt betrayed because Powell had been a very active General under Clinton (while forgetting it was the previous Republican President who appointed him one.) In fact, it was the viciousness of those attacks from the left that made his wife demand that Powell not run for President himself for fear he would be assassinated.

 

[N4mddissent]

Really? Oh pulleeze, give me a break here. Either you are very, very young or you have a highly selective memory then. I don't need to supply you with any sources any more than I need to supply you with the similar kinds of attacks made on Condoleezza Rice. You were either around to have heard and read them on your own -or you are at least old enough to look it up for yourself.

If you can remember any of the vicious racial and gender-based attacks on Rice, they were just a fraction of those on Powell in the immediate aftermath of Bush's announcement of Powell's appointment. A lot of Democrats felt betrayed because Powell had been a very active General under Clinton (while forgetting it was the previous Republican President who appointed him one.) In fact, it was the viciousness of those attacks from the left that made his wife demand that Powell not run for President himself for fear he would be assassinated.

That's your perogative. I don't go to a lot of fringe media on either right or left, so maybe I missed it. But since it is so easy to do a quick google search and find a couple of links for stuff these days, I reserve the right to not consider it accurate until I see something to convince me otherwise. As for the comment about Powell's wife and it being attacks from the left- that is very specific and it's no better than bullshit without evidence, so I hope you can provide at least that one from some reputable source.

 

[frazzledgear]

The explanation that he watched both candidates and measured them to make an informed decision based on what he felt was best for the country rather than simple-minded party loyalty would not fit into your world would it?

Oh give me a break. It doesn't take a full year to understand where a candidate is coming from -but especially true of those who are very politically involved.

I first heard Obama speak during the 2004 Democrat convention and was really impressed with his speech. I remember thinking that given a few years to develop a more sound resume, this guy would make a terrific Presidential candidate someday. (In my opinion, Democrats ran him 8 years too soon. He is a young man and he would have profited from 8 more years on the national level before running.)

So I did my research on this guy. And discovered his record as Illinois state senator was SO appalling, so radical, so leftwing extremist -that he was someone I could never vote for. And I did this and already knew this -way before he ever ran for the Democrat nomination. Rhetoric and political speeches are just words -a person's record (and yes, his associations) shows what he/she really is. Now I am no Colin Powell, appointed to the level of General by one Republican President, who publicly announced he was a Republican and then served as Secretary of State under another Republican President. But since Powell is much more a political creature than I am - I feel quite sure that Powell was even MORE aware of Obama's real record even before I was. And that it didn't take until just two weeks before the election for Powell to figure that out. So again, give me a break on pretending it took Powell this long to figure out who Obama really is. LOL

 

[N4mddissent]

Just for you, Elvis. Hail to the king.