Comments on: Colin Powell Endorsing Barack Obama…Not Quite Yet

By: jeannine_bay

jeannine_bay — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 22:29:36 +0000

I'd like to agree with you Polimom, but from my point-of-view, if Powell does decide to endorse Obama, he will be vilified by Obama detractors as another scary half-black dude who's in the Marxist's back pocket.

Powell has been a useful tool for the modern Republican party as a 'black' person of prominence. But he is still used as a tool. Should he venture to independently operate as his own person, the Furies will demonize him without second thought.

By: DWSUWF

DWSUWF — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 20:48:33 +0000

I expect he'll endorse Obama, but I don't know why that is a good thing. For that matter, I don't think his endorsement would be good for McCain either.

Maybe it is just me, but I’ve had a Ireal problem with this guy since his performance at the UN.

I am glad that he finally backpedaled a few years too late, but in my mind, he was still the primary salesman and enabler of the occupation in Iraq. Without his credibility thrown in support of the war, I doubt we would have gone in. If he stood up and made a strong statement against the occupation based on the IPowell Doctrine, I am certain that the American people would not have supported the Iraq war. Instead, he was a good soldier, and publicly supported a disastrous policy that he did not believe in.

He was against the first gulf war and then sold the Bush/Cheney view of the Iraq war to the American people and the world. Wrong on both counts. Great general, but very bad political decision maker. I count his endorsement as a negative.

By: D. E.Rodriguez

D. E.Rodriguez — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 19:23:11 +0000

As a retred military I had an awful lot of respect for the General. That respect has been somewhat eroded because of Gen. Powell's acquiensence with Bush's false pretenses for the Iraq war, and his failure to speak up in a timely manner about the unconscionable policy of torture on the part of the Bush administration.

However, I still have enough respect for the General to believe that he is not into worrying about hurting "either (McCain' or Obama's] feelings."

I think that the General, on this one, will do the right thing.

Dorian de Wind

By: rfyork

rfyork — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 19:22:23 +0000

I hate to say it, but Powell's position on Obama, characterized by indecision and lack of conviction (at least in public), has been the hallmark of Powell's post-military career.

He has decided, for whatever reasons, to be the "good soldier". This was most clearly visible in the run-up to and the conduct of the Iraq war. It is interesting to watch Powell in light of what many of his former peers and colleagues have been willing to say about the insanity of the Bush foreign policy.

Loyalty and caution are fine character traits as long as they are subordinated to the more important human qualities; to wit, honesty, honor and integrity.

I once admired Powell, but his current actions - or inactions - demonstrate a man who seems to have lost his bearing. In doing so, Powell has tainted his legacy, rather than burnishing it.

I can only hope that he will endorse Obama, but it would be quite uncharacteristic of the Powell we have seen the recent past.

Rick York

By: Polimom

Polimom — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:37:36 +0000

I don't know if I agree with you, George. I think that either this weekend or next might go a long ways toward off-setting this enormous, final push toward the demonization of Obama as Scary Marxist Dude.

By: GeorgeSorwell

GeorgeSorwell — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:06:20 +0000

It seems to me that it's way past the time when a Powell endorsement would have had any impact at all.