Possible Powell endorsement on this Sunday's Meet The Press

[ArcturusMengsk]

This is from DailyKos, but it's written by a journalist with WaPo flying with the Obama campaign:

Today Obama spokesperson Linda Douglas said she has no news on the Powell front, but the campaign would obviously love an endorsement. "We would welcome the support of somebody with such a distinguished and honorable career as General Powell," she told me this morning, as Obama's plane flew to Virginia for a rally. Obama has previously cited Powell as a potential member of his administration, and the two have been in touch before. "I know they talk from time to time about foreign policy matters," Douglas said, though she did not know the last time they spoke.

Powell is widely viewed as a thoughtful public servant who carries credibility (and experience) in both parties. Since leaving the Bush administration, he has also been cast as a cautious conservative who sounded alarms about the President approach to Iraq, in both journalistic accounts and, perhaps more saliently, in the new movie "W.," where Powell is the only voice of reason in a bunker packed with incompetent neocons. Private warnings cannot cancel out Powell's hawkish presentation to the U.N., but unlike so many war cheerleaders in politics and the media, he owned up to his mistakes. On national television, Powell called the U.N. address a "blot" on his record.

In a tough period for the G.O.P., Powell remains the party's most beloved national figure. During his tenure as Secretary of State, Powell's unfavorable rating held to a remarkable five percent -- more in line with Santa Claus than a Bush administration official -- while 60 percent of Americans viewed him favorably. (The rest had not heard of him or were undecided, according to the CBS/NYT poll.) His favorables are even higher among registered voters (67%), who tend to follow the news more. Finally, in polls like Gallup, which leave out the "undecided" option, Powell's favorables hit the 80s. "He's one of the most respected people in this country," Douglas added during our conversation, and the numbers back that up.

I don't know what to make of it. I don't trust Powell as far as I could throw him - it's entirely possible that the G.O.P. is pulling the same stunt they did in 2004, when Karl Rove leaked word to the press that Tommy Franks would endorse Kerry, only for him to turn to Bush in front of the assembled cameras. I hope not, but there's no way to tell at this early a stage.

[Cairber]

I am thinking the same thing. He gave money to McCain's campaign in the primaries but nothing since. But he also said some good things about Obama last I saw him in the news.

[The Romulan Republic]

I hope he does, but could it put off some of Obama's base, given that he was part of the Bush Administration and helped lead the charge into Iraq?

[Noble Ire]

I hope he does, but could it put off some of Obama's base, given that he was part of the Bush Administration and helped lead the charge into Iraq?

I seriously doubt that any member of Obama's "base" would be put off voting because of a Powell endorsement, or indeed, have their enthusiasm markedly diminished. And even if such individuals exist, the loss of their support would be significantly outweighed by the positive consequences of the endorsement among independants and "weak" Republicans.

[SirNitram]

Better than Fox's 'He'll likely endorse'. Reason's given? He hip-hop danced a bit and gave a speech about being an African American.

[Mr Bean]

This could be if handled correctly by Powell, not only salved the man's legacy but crush McCain's last hopes for the Presidency.


Now image that this Sunday if Powell comes out and admits what's real.
"In 2002 in the run up to the war I helped perpetuate one of the greatest lies in American history. I went before the UN, put my reputation on the line, and lent my creditability to a cause that was totally unworthy of a single American life. I went before the American people and I went before the world and I lied to them. And while I did not know at the time that the presentation I made to the UN was based on an utter pack of lies I KNEW, I knew some of what I said was questionable, I knew some of the statements I made that day were not verified by outside sources. And I hope and pray that one day the families of those four thousand dead and thirty thousand wounded can forgive me, not this year, not next, but perhaps some-day. I was wrong and I have come to realize exactly how wrong I was and the fact that Senator John McCain still has not realized to this day, what a massive error the second Iraq War was can not be excused. I supported him in the primary, I donated money to his campaign but now I wish I had not, I donated money because I believed in the John McCain of 2000, not this John McCain of 2008"

Then fill in the rest with details about how McCain refuses to define victory as anything other than victory! And the 100 years, and the fact the Iraq's have agreed to 2011 as the get the fudge out date.

[The Spartan]

While that would be nice, I think we all know that it's not going to happen. Powell is too loyal to the Bushites to do something like that.

[Slacker]

While that would be nice, I think we all know that it's not going to happen. Powell is too loyal to the Bushites to do something like that.

How do you figure? Powell's always been known as someone who follows his own path, legitimately (unlike McCain)...so where's the logic there?

[Phantasee]

While that would be nice, I think we all know that it's not going to happen. Powell is too loyal to the Bushites to do something like that.

He's loyal to them because they're the only reason his ass isn't roasting right now for doing exactly what Bean's fake-apology said he did. But this is his chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the public, and get in with the new good guys. The smart move for him would be to make the jump sooner, so it shows a little bit of risk on his part (thus implying it's honest and not a ploy to get forgiveness by joining up with the clear winner). Of course, with what electoral-vote tells me, that might be too late.

[Aratech]

I'm being told that Powell just came out on CNN and announced that he endorsed Obama, can anyone confirm this?

[Teebs]

I'm being told that Powell just came out on CNN and announced that he endorsed Obama, can anyone confirm this?

The CNN website says that Powell has said he'll vote for Obama.

[ArcturusMengsk]

I'm being told that Powell just came out on CNN and announced that he endorsed Obama, can anyone confirm this?

Powell just announced his support of Obama's candidacy in fairly strong language on Meet The Press.

[Aratech]

Thanks guys. Wonder how McSame and Palin are reacting to this news.

[FSTargetDrone]

I'm being told that Powell just came out on CNN and announced that he endorsed Obama, can anyone confirm this?

The CNN website says that Powell has said he'll vote for Obama.

Here's some more:

updated 12 minutes ago

Colin Powell endorses Obama

CNN) -- Former Secretary of State Colin Powell announced Sunday that he will be voting for Sen. Barack Obama, citing the Democrat's "ability to inspire" and the "inclusive nature of his campaign."
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says he is voting for 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, a retired U.S. general and a Republican, was once seen as a possible presidential candidate himself.

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.

Powell served as secretary of state under President Bush from 2001 to 2005.

The notion of a Powell endorsement has been rumored for several months.

On August 13, Powell's office denied a report on Fox by commentator Bill Kristol that Powell had decided to publicly back Obama at the Democratic National Convention.

Several sources said at the time that Powell had not made a decision about a possible endorsement.

"As always, he is holding his cards close and waiting for more information," one adviser told CNN's John King in August.

Powell himself brushed off queries on any potential presidential nod but told ABC News on August 13 that he would not be going to Denver, Colorado, for the convention.

"I do not have time to waste on Bill Kristol's musings," he said. "I am not going to the convention. I have made this clear."

In February, Powell told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he was weighing an endorsement of a Democratic or independent candidate.

"I am keeping my options open at the moment," Powell said.

"I have voted for members of both parties in the course of my adult life. And as I said earlier, I will vote for the candidate I think can do the best job for America, whether that candidate is a Republican, a Democrat or an independent," he added.

Powell has offered praise for Obama, calling him an "exciting person on the political stage."

"He has energized a lot of people in America," said Powell, who briefly weighed his own run for the White House in the mid-1990s. "He has energized a lot of people around the world. And so I think he is worth listening to and seeing what he stands for."

Powell's adviser has said that "he likes and admires John McCain, and that would be a factor in anything he does if he decides to get more involved."

Another source close to Powell said he has known the Republican nominee for more than three decades "and likes him and is looking for a reason to vote for him. He hasn't found it yet."

The former general, who has largely steered clear of politics since leaving the Bush administration, noted that the next president will need to work to restore America's standing in the world.

Powell gave the keynote address at the Republican National Convention in support of George W. Bush in 2000.

"I will ultimately vote for the person I believe brings to the American people the kind of vision the American people want to see for the next four years," he said. "A vision that reaches out to the rest of the world, that starts to restore confidence in America, that starts to restore favorable ratings to America. Frankly, we've lost a lot in recent years."

Powell's adviser also said at the time that the vice presidential picks for both candidates would be a major factor in his decision, both for the quality of each man's running mate and for what sort of "signal that choice sends about the character and judgment of the candidate."

He also said that a Powell decision to back Obama would not be a surprise.

[Big Phil]

I wonder if Powell is kicking himself for not having run eight years ago? Had he been able to make it through the Republican primaries (a very real possibility), I think he would have beaten Gore handily. A black Republican war hero who supports abortion rights; the only people who would have hated him are the rabid righties who hate all black people.

[Fire Fly]

I saw a video of Powell's interview and it was a pretty scathing critique of the current state of affairs in the Republican party and of McCain. Video

Its nice that someone is addressing:

1. Palin's fitness as president
2. the guilt by association with Ayers
3. the continued Muslim smear
4. the uncertain economic answers presented by McCain

[RedImperator]

I wonder if Powell is kicking himself for not having run eight years ago? Had he been able to make it through the Republican primaries (a very real possibility), I think he would have beaten Gore handily. A black Republican war hero who supports abortion rights; the only people who would have hated him are the rabid righties who hate all black people.

From what I understand, his wife suffers from depression and would not have been able to handle a campaign. So he put her ahead of his personal ambitions and didn't run.

[Lord Poe]

Powell made me believe in WsMD in Iraq, even though I wanted the job done in Afghanistan first. I think he believed the reports with reservations, but did his job. I always thought he'd be a strong President, Repub or not.

[CarsonPalmer]

This could be the breaking point, I think. A lot of people, especially those who are still undecided, have a lot of respect for Colin Powell, and that was a very strong endorsement.

[Netko]

Its interesting to note how the CNN article completely ignored Powell's point about Muslims, while it was a pretty big part of his statement (I encourage everyone to see it).

Is the political atmosphere in the US so toxic to Muslims that even reporting such a strong rebuke against McCain's hate tactics of perpetuating the Muslim=terrorist meme would be unadvisable from a viewership point for CNN?

So far, at least from what I've seen reported, only Powell and that one female reporter brought up this issue, and, surprisingly, even the actual liberal media like Rachel Maddow or Olberman have kept clear of it - is the hate really that strong?

[Slacker]

You know, I really don't know. I would've expect Olberman, if noone else, to make the point, and I'm sort of surprised he hasn't already. Now that Powell's gone and outed the six hundred pound gorilla in the room, maybe the media will pick it up as the day goes on. I hope that he does.

[FSTargetDrone]

Its interesting to note how the CNN article completely ignored Powell's point about Muslims, while it was a pretty big part of his statement (I encourage everyone to see it).

Is the political atmosphere in the US so toxic to Muslims that even reporting such a strong rebuke against McCain's hate tactics of perpetuating the Muslim=terrorist meme would be unadvisable from a viewership point for CNN?

So far, at least from what I've seen reported, only Powell and that one female reporter brought up this issue, and, surprisingly, even the actual liberal media like Rachel Maddow or Olberman have kept clear of it - is the hate really that strong?

More on this specific point you raised from Salon.com (video available at this link):

Colin Powell condemns the ugliness of the Republican Party

A potentially critical endorsement of Barack Obama includes a poignant and stinging attack on the vile anti-Muslim tactics of "senior" Republicans.

Glenn Greenwald

Oct. 19, 2008

I'm anything but a fan of Colin Powell, and have no idea what impact (if any) his Meet the Press endorsement of Obama will have (full video is below), but I was really glad to see him make the following point in explaining why he has rejected McCain's candidacy:

I'm also troubled by, not what Sen. McCain says, but what members of the party say, and it is permitted to be said such things as: "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is: he is not a Muslim. He's a Christian. He's always been a Christian.

But the really right answer is: What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is: No, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim-American kid believing he or she can be President?

Yet I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion: he's a Muslim, and he might be associated with terrorists. This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

Powell went on to say that he "feels strongly" about that point, and cited a photo essay he saw regarding U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan which included a photograph of a mother in Arlington National Cemetary with her head on the tombstone of her 20-year-old son, who was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star and was killed in Iraq, and the photograph showed the headstone adorned with the "crescent and star of the Islamic faith," and his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, a Muslim-American (I believe this is the soldier to whom Powell was referring).

There has been much condemnation over the "Obama-is-a-Muslim" line of GOP attack, but almost all of it has been on the ground that the attack is factually false as applied to the Christian Obama, not on the ground that it is a reprehensible and dangerous line of attack even if it were factually true. Powell bears much of the responsibility, and always will, for the horrific U.S. attack on Iraq (one which, just by the way, resulted in the deaths of at least hundreds of thousands of innocent Muslims), but he deserves credit for using the platform he had this morning to go out of his way to make this vital point when doing so was not necessary (and perhaps not even helpful) in advancing the cause of his endorsement of Obama.

That being Muslim or Arab is a mark against someone's character is now so ingrained in our political culture that it is hardly noticed any longer. When John McCain, at that rally in Minnesota last week, sought to chide his supporter for asserting that Obama is an "Arab," McCain did so by pointing out that, in fact, Obama is a "decent family man" -- as though that proves that he's not "an Arab because "decent family man" is the opposite of "Arab":

Later, another supporter told McCain, "I don't trust Obama...He's an Arab."

McCain stood shaking his head as she spoke, then quickly took the microphone from her.

"No, ma'am," he said. "He's a decent, family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with." '

It's debatable whether McCain actually intended to express the point that way -- whether he intended to imply that the opposite of "Arab" is "decent family man" and "citizen" -- but regardless of McCain's intent, that was how the point was expressed, and it received little attention.

A major enabling factor in convincing the population to support unnecessary and brutal wars -- and to perceive the "need" for endless expansions of federal surveillance and other police powers -- is the demonization of large groups of people both inside and out of the country. The Right's ongoing, intense obsession with demonizing Muslims and Arabs is, for that reason, not only repulsive but also quite destructive. The core of the Republican Party has degenerated into the unrestrained id of its worst impulses, and it was good to see Powell specifically cite (and condemn) those elements as a principal reason why he is turning away from the party he has served for so long, and instead supporting the Democratic nominee.

Again, there is video of this is at the link I included within this post.

[Gil Hamilton]

General Powell gave a good well reasoned response for why he's backing Sen. Obama for President. Good on him and good on him for condemning the Muslim Manchurian Candidate BS that the Republican party has been shilling, both ways (pointing out that Obama isn't a Muslim and even if he was, it's repugnant to say he isn't qualified because of it).

[Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi]

I'm not sure what effect the endorsement itself will have on voters, but I'm thinking that it will open the door for more moderate Republicans to break ranks and endorse Obama if that's what they believe. Eventally, the far-right won't be able to write off those that do so as being motivated by race (like will inevitably happen with Powell), or not actually being a "Real Republican".

[Ypoknons]

NYT Article

October 19, 2008, 11:13 am
More on the Soldier Kareem R. Khan

By The New York Times

On “Meet the Press” today, Colin L. Powell concluded his endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama by referring to the death of a Muslim soldier, Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan of Manahawkin, N.J., who was killed in Iraq on Aug. 6, 2007, and whose remains were buried in Arlington.
Kareem Rashad Sultan KhanKareem Rashad Sultan Khan

He and three other soldiers, including a corporal from Washington Heights, were killed in Baquba after a bomb detonated while they were checking abandoned houses for explosives. They served in the Stryker Brigade combat team of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, based in Ft. Lewis, Washington.

Mr. Khan graduated from Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin in 2005, and enlisted in the Army a few months later, spurred by his memories of the 9/11 terror attacks. “His Muslim faith did not make him not want to go. It never stopped him,” his father, Feroze Khan, told the Gannett News Service in a story printed shortly after his death. “He looked at it that he’s American and he has a job to do.”

Mr. Powell mentioned Mr. Khan’s death to underscore why he was deeply troubled by Republican personal attacks on Mr. Obama, especially false intimations that he was Muslim.

Mr. Obama is a lifelong Christian, not a Muslim, he said. But, he added, “The really right answer is, what if he is?”

“Is there something wrong with being Muslim in this country? No, that’s not America,” he said.

Mr. Khan’s death came to his attention, Mr. Powell said, when he saw a photo essay in a magazine about the deaths of American soldiers in Iraq. One picture showed a mother pressing her head against the gravestone of her fallen son in Arlington cemetery. It was the grave of 20-year-old Mr. Khan, engraved with his name, his military awards, and the Muslim symbol of the crescent and star.

“He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he could go serve his country, and he gave his life,” Mr. Powell said. “Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourselves in this way.”

Mr. Powell said that he had heard senior members of the Republican Party “drop this suggestion that he [Obama] is a Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists.”

“Now, John McCain is as nondiscriminatory as anyone I know. But I’m troubled about the fact that within the party we have these kinds of expressions.”

Mr. Khan had served in Iraq for just over a year, arriving in July 2006. He had sent home pictures to his family of him playing soccer with Iraqi children and hugging a smiling young Iraqi boy in Baghdad, according to his obituary in the Newark Star-Ledger.

He loved rooting for the Dallas Cowboys with his father, and challenging his 12-year old stepsister, Aliya, to video games. He last saw his family during a two-week visit in September 2006.

Mr. Powell finally said the overdue quote: So what if Obama was Muslim? Very kickass.