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Powell Endorsing Obama?
Colin Powell might endorse Obama
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By MIKE ALLEN |
10/17/08 10:07 AM EDT
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Retired
Gen. Colin Powell, once considered a potential running mate for Sen.
John McCain (R-Ariz.), now may endorse his opponent, Sen. Barack Obama
(D-Ill.), according to Republican sources. But an air of mystery
surrounds Powell's planned live appearance Sunday on NBC's "Meet the
Press," and no one is sure what he will say.
Powell?s unassailable national security credentials could sway voters
who are vacillating about whether Obama is ready to be commander in
chief, and his endorsement of the Illinois senator would make a
national security emphasis by McCain in the election's closing days
extremely difficult.
Powell, 71, a professional soldier for 35 years, has advised the last three Republican presidents.
The general?s camp is being coy about what he might or might not say on
Sunday. But some McCain advisers suspect, without being sure, that
Powell will endorse Obama.
?It?s going to make a lot of news, and certainly be personally
embarrassing for McCain," a McCain official said. "It comes at a time
when we need momentum, and it would create momentum against us.?
See Also
Powell, a four-star Army general, was national security adviser to
President Ronald Reagan; chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during
the 1991 Persian Gulf war, when George H.W. Bush was president; and
President George W. Bush?s first secretary of State,
Powell has consulted with both Obama and McCain, and the general?s camp has indicated in the past that he would not endorse.
On ?Meet the Press? in June 2007, Powell said: ?I?ve met with Sen.
Obama twice. I?ve been around this town a long time, and I know
everybody who is running for office, and I make myself available to
talk about foreign policy matters and military matters with whoever
wishes to chat with me."
Asked by moderator Tim Russert if he would come back into
government, Powell said: ?I would not rule it out. I?m not at all
interested in political life, if you mean elected political life. That
is unchanged. But I always keep my, my eyes open and my ears open to
requests for service.?
Asked about an endorsement, he said: ?It?s too early.?
NBC?s ?Andrea Mitchell broke the news of Powell?s surprise ?Meet the Press? appearance on the ?Today? show Friday.
?In what promises to be a dramatic moment Sunday, Colin Powell ? a lion
of the Republican establishment, whom McCain and Obama both have
courted for months ? will finally speak out on a variety of issues,
appearing exclusively on ?Meet the Press,?? Mitchell said. ?Of course,
years ago, he was talked about as the possible first ? African-American
nominee of a major party.?
Last week, Powell appeared as a character witness at Sen. Ted Stevens?
(R-Alaska) corruption trial, telling jurors that Stevens is someone he
trusts completely. "As we say in the infantry, this is a guy you take
on a long patrol," Powell said.
Re: Powell Endorsing Obama?
It seems like the McCain camp is the one trumping this up to be an endorsement...I wonder if there is some reverse psychology going on here...when he doesn't endorse Obama, the story will be "Powell doesn't endorse Obama."
An interesting tactic.
Fox news got the scoop on this the other day - irrefutable proof that he will:
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/15/colin-powell-fuels-speculation-possible-endorsement/
Hip-Hop-Dancing Colin Powell Fuels Speculation He'll Endorse Obama
Colin Powell has his dancing shoes on, fueling speculation that he's gearing up to do the Obama Two-Step.
The normally staid former U.S. secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff performed an impromptu hip-hop dance alongside well-known rap stars Tuesday following a speech at a festival in London celebrating African-American music and fashion.
Click here to see photos.
His address at the "Africa Rising" celebration inside London's Royal Albert Hall fueled speculation that an endorsement of Barack Obama is imminent.
Powell -- who has yet to back a candidate -- told the audience: "I stand before you as an African-American. Many people have said to me you became secretary of state of the USA, is it still necessary to say that you are an African American or that you are black? And I say yes, so that we can remind our children."
"It took a lot of people struggling to bring me to this point in history," Powell told the audience. "I didn't just drop out of the sky. People came from my continent in chains."
Powell has said in the past that he has been hesitant to make an endorsement until he hears more from both candidates.
Political pundits have speculated that his endorsement might come shortly after Wednesday night's presidential debate at Hofstra University, during which both Obama and John McCain will square off on domestic issues.
Many political analysts -- including Zbigniew Brzezinski, Robert Novak and William Kristol -- have predicted that Powell, who was secretary of state under President Bush, will back the Democrat in the race.
After Powell's address to the audience, he took center stage -- dressed in a suit and tie -- to show off his hip-hop dance moves.
*****
I am a runner, knitter, scientist, DE-IVF veteran, and stage III colon cancer survivor.
Right, because all black people love hip-hop dancing!
Hmm-that is a good take on this. Could be their strategy.
Unassailable national security credentials? LMAO. This is one endorsement Obama can do without. Who wants the endorsement of a key member of the Bush administration that mislead us into war? Stay home, Powell.
That is odd. Even more odd is the pic of Powell dancing (it looks more like Saturday Night Fever to me---maybe he was channeling his inner Travolta?).
71 is not too much younger than my grandparents and I am trying to put their face on his and it makes me giggle.
While I get that his character can be called into question due to his role in the lead up to Iraq, I don't see how this endorsement would be a net loss for either candidate.
my read shelf:
I agree LMW about the strategery here. I haven't heard anything that indicates he'll give an endorsement at all, and I think they're trying to control expectations.
About the value of an endorsement - Powell has expressed regret about his involvement, and refused to stay on because of it. While I personally think he's a big coward, I don't think the public in general holds him responsible for leading us to war.
Yeah, there are others that I lay more responsibilty on. Like slimy George "It's a slam dunk" Tennant.