Powell endorses Obama for president

Republican ex-secretary of state calls Democrat ‘transformational figure’

WASHINGTON - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for president on Sunday, criticizing his own Republican Party for what he called its narrow focus on irrelevant personal attacks over a serious approach to challenges he called unprecedented.

Powell, who for many years was considered the most likely candidate to become the first African-American president, said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he was not supporting Obama because of his race. He said he had watched both Obama and his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, for many months and thought “either one of them would be a good president.”

But he said McCain’s choices in the last few weeks — especially his selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his vice presidential running mate — had raised questions in his mind about McCain’s judgment.

“I don’t believe [Palin] is ready to be president of the United States,” Powell said flatly. By contrast, Obama’s running mate, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, “is ready to be president on day one.”

Powell also said he was “troubled” by Republican personal attacks on Obama, especially false intimations that Obama was Muslim and Republicans’ recent focus on Obama’s alleged connections to William Ayers, the founder of the radical ’60 Weather Underground.

Stressing that Obama was a lifelong Christian, Powell denounced Republican tactics that he said were insulting not only to to Obama but also to Muslims.

“The really right answer is what if he is?” Powell said, praising the contributions of millions of Muslim citizens to American society.

“I look at these kind of approaches to the campaign, and they trouble me,” Powell said. “Over the last seven weeks, the approach of the Republican Party has become narrower and narrower.”

In an interview Sunday on Fox News, McCain said he was not surprised by the announcement.

“I’ve always admired and respected General Powell,” said McCain, who cited the endorsements he had received from former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger, Alexander Haig, James Baker and Lawrence Eagleburger. “We have a respectful disagreement.”

Bolstering Obama’s international credentials
Powell, a retired Army general who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under the first President Bush before becoming secretary of state in the current administration, is one of the most highly decorated military officers of modern times and an admired figure in both parties. The Obama campaign is likely to cite the endorsement as an answer to critics and undecided voters who have questioned the foreign policy credential of Obama, a first-term senator whose national experience amounts to four years in the Senate.

Powell said a major part of his decision to turn his back on his own party was his conclusion that Obama was the better option to repair frayed U.S. relations with allies overseas.

“This is the time for outreach,” Powell said, saying the next president would have to “reach out and show the world there is a new administration that is willing to reach out.”

In particular, he said, he welcomed Obama’s president to “talk to people we haven’t talked to,” a reference to Obama’s controversial pledge to hold talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

“I think that [Obama] has a definite way of doing business that will serve us well,” Powell said.

Won’t campaign for Obama
As recently as a month ago, Powell said that electing an African-American president would be “electrifying” for the world but that he remained undecided. The unsteadiness of the Republican campaign in recent weeks, especially on the economic crisis, went a long way toward pushing him off the fence, he said.

“It isn’t easy for me to disappoint Senator McCain as I have this morning,” said Powell, who emphasized that he would not campaign for Obama because of his admiration for McCain’s long record of service in the military and in Congress.

But as he examined both campaigns in the last few weeks, he said, he became “concerned” that “in the case of Mr. McCain, he was a little unsure how to deal with the economic problems.”

“Every day, there was a different approach,” he said, adding that he also “would have difficulty with two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court.”

McCain would be a good president, Powell said, but Obama is “a transformational figure” who would be an “exceptional” leader.

“I truly believe that at this point in Amserica’s history we need a president who will not just continue ... basically the policies we have followed in recent years,” he said. “We need a president with transformational qualities.”

For that reason, he said, “I will be voting for Barack Obama.”



Want2Stay

Black liberal endorses black liberal. Wow. This is news?


Just add him to all the others endorsing Obama:

Louis Farrakhan, Moammar Khadafy, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez and Hamas just to name a few.

And all these people from around the world

http://www.iftheworldcouldvote.com/

Barack Obama 87.3% (259,562 votes)
John McCain 12.7% (37,601 votes)

Powell is a liberal? Who knew?

Also endorsing Obama:

That bastion of liberal thought, The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_10750163

Along with the Chicago Tribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-chicago-tribune-endorsement,0,1371034.story?page=1

According to the Wall Street Journal, "The Tribune’s editorial board is one of the most conservative in the nation, and the backing of Obama marks the first time in the paper’s history that they’ve endorsed the Democratic candidate for president."

and the Denver Post, the LA Times, which has not endorsed a candidate since 1972 (hint: it wasn't Eugene McCarthy), and conservatives Christopher Buckley and Michael Smerconish
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/10/in-philly-conse.html

Yeah, including people like Qadafi. :RollieEyes:

seriously, who gives a flying turd about what other faceless people around the world think about this. They will not be paying our taxes or living in our cities.
I could give two [censored] what some European liberal..or Middle Eastern terrorist wannabe thinks.

So what do you think about a former US Secretary of State/Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff endorsing Obama, then? That is, after all, the topic of this thread.

I think it is worth watching this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efv3Vr8T9MA&eurl=http://talkrational.org/showthread.php?t=7062

About 5 minutes in, Powell tells a moving story about a 20 year old US soldier who died in Iraq.

And that, folks, is the fundamental problem with Bush and McCain's "visions". The clueless and mindless ignorance of the world around us, as if we are an island all to ourselves, and nothing we do affects the world, or vice versa. This inward thinking has cost us plenty over the past 8 years, and I hope that we can turn that sad page and move on.

AGG

This is hysterical, Want2.

"Former Uncle Tom Colin" has "seen the light" and is now one of the "good guys."

Can anyone say "Democratic politics as usual?"



I don't think I'll waste my time on Gen. Powell's support for Obama's notion of "negotiating with enemies of this country with NO PRECONDITIONS," a policy that Obama still holds to this day.

Barf.

Naive.

Wishful thinking.

No wonder Barack has the support of some Middle-Eastern groups adamantly against Freedom and adamantly against that 'Great Satan America'.

Just add "Mr. Effective as Secretary of State Powell" to the list.

Do we really want to spend time examining Powell's positions?

I agree to some extent Medc. Times are different, the United States has created an enormous worldwide financial crisis. The economic summit that Bush is hosting was at the urging of the rest of the world. There are already grumblings that the United States should face sanctions for our part in this disaster. It is a delicate time. So I agree that foreign opinion should not influence our elections, but I would suggest that we still be mindful of it.

Want2Stay

I don't know if you work with people who originate from other countries around the world or not. I have quite a number of people I work with from many different countries. Most that would favor Obama have expressed in the past that The United States is too strong economically and militarily. They believe the world would be better off if we were weaker. This poll you are quoting would fall in line with that thinking as Obama will weaken us in both. Look out for Carter 2.0 if Obama gets in.

Not speaking for MEDC, but speaking for myself:

I think about them about the same as I think about the current Speaker of the House, the current Senate Majority Leader, Planned Parenthood, The NY Times, Hezbollah, the Palestians (of all stripes).

Each person can support whomever they want to support.

What *I* think about them is based upon what I think of the candidate they want to identify with and support as being "good for America. And we can toss in Wesley Clark too if you'd like.

***WARNING*** ***SNIDE OPINION ALERT!!!*** DO NOT READ IF EASILY OFFENDED. Rated: R, for mature audiences only.

I wonder what their opinions would be if they had been aborted because someone else wanted to impose their opinion on them "way back when?"

Ya, they've "picked a winner" to back alright! :RollieEyes:

He only endorsed him because of the racial pressure.

You'd have something if Newt endorsed him, but as usual you got nothin.

Well then, I guess we can expect Condi Rice to vote for Obama, too.

That is, unless you think she can take more pressure than Powell. :RollieEyes:

She can vote any way she pleases as it's her right.

A public endorsement is a political statement and his is clearly based on race.

Just keep denying it like everything else that's surrounding the messiah.

My wife is a Doctor, specifically a surgical OBGYN.
Our household makes much more than the $250K alloted under Obama's tax plan.
I anxiously await our next tax bill under the spread the wealth around Marxist regime.
If this does happen, we will retire to avoid this communistic travesty.

Your wife will then be "recruited" and shackled to the table leg to "repay" her debt to society for being too successful working for free.

It will be your turn to be a slave to see what it feels like.

You know change and all.

At least that's the murmorings here in the deep south.

I also have a co-worker that fled south Africa while fighting in Angola. He said we're screwed if obama gets into office and that's coming from a black man.

What a whiner.

Tell ya what...I'll take the $250,000 and pay %40 tax on it, & you can work for McDonald's and pay nothing.

Stop being a bad American and be happy that you are able to contribute significantly to your country, while still living better than most.