October Non-Surprise: Powell Endorses Obama
Yesterday, the man who Tucker Carlson said, "sold us the war" endorsed the man who opposed the war. Joe Scarborough called him "the most important military figure of this age." I prefer to think of him as the only general since Eisenhower to win a war–a Bush war in Iraq.
The youtube.com clip above is Powell’s remarks outside of Meet The Press. There and on MTP he spoke eloquently, at length, without notes as to why he supports Obama and how he has grown disturbed by McCain, his friend of 25 years.
I agree with Jack Kemp who said winning is just as important as being worthy of winning. He, of course, was more of a loser than a winner on the national stage but he knew something about not forgetting who you are. John McCain has lost that or, at least, forgotten it. The ProConPundit has spent much time and energy pushing and promoting McCain and, I might add, sticking by him when few did. I’ve earned the right to honestly be disgusted with him and nearly every damn move he’s made since he was nominated.
Many of you have e-mailed me because you think I’ve been conspicuously silent in recent times. I’ll have more to say–I always do about McCain. For now, I will deal with Colin Powell.
Rush Limbaugh and others have castigated Powell today. There is only one criticism I will make with respect to Colin Powell. Had he endorsed McCain, the same liberal crowd who is hailing him today for his objectivity would have bashed the hell out of him. They would have reminded us, as they have for years, that he failed the nation when he pushed the war for the Bush Administration while personally opposing it. It's true that there is a thin line between him being a hero and a rat to the left: endorsing Obama makes him a hero. Powell never failed the nation. He served the President well and gave his advice. As a military man, you follow orders.
Many on the right will criticize him for it. I found his words compelling. Limbaugh thinks his endorsement was entirely racial in nature. I don’t think it was entirely racial but if Obama was a white, impressive, first term senator from Illinois, I can’t really picture him endorsing him. But so what? That doesn’t take away from the criticism he has of McCain’s lack of vision, lack of laying down solid and believable plans, and running a pathetic and perversely negative campaign. I think Powell’s endorsement was as much generational as racial.
So the left accepts Powell conditionally and many on the right are disgusted with him. He is a self-described moderate Republican. If he had a tad more stature, he’d be a PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE! :-) Powell’s endorsement of Obama signals to moderates and independents and to those who are skeptical of Obama’s inexperience, that he is okay and that McCain is not. Won’t mean much to those on the right but among the people who will decide the election, it may.
Republicans will lose and will lose big. Barack Obama will name the next two supreme court judges. Roe v. Wade is here to stay folks–FOREVER. All this because John McCain decided to play to the base of his party and to the base instincts of our fears. (Those are 2 different things, by the way.)
I can’t believe I am recommending an article from the LEFT LEFT Huffington Post. It’s called, The Powell Endorsement and the End of the Republican Foreign Policy Establishment. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ilan-goldenberg/the-powell-endorsement-an_b_136313.html
I like it. Powell represents the type of Republican I am. I liked Ford over Carter, Bush over Dukakis. The Republican Party is increasingly becoming what Pope Benedict said the Catholic church should be: smaller and purer. The Pope has every right to declare that his church should be smaller rather than accept things it can’t accept. Political parties, as James Carville says, exist for one and one reason only: to win elections. Republicans will become Libertarians or Green Party folks who have great principles but can’t possibly win–unless they become in reality, beyond rhetoric, a big tent party.
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