Powell Endorses Obama (New Worldview vs. Experience)

This is from the article I wrote on Thursday:

Well, now it is time for Powell to make his move. I expect this decision to be made public in time for the Sunday talk show circuit this weekend. Powell’s endorsement will clear the Independents and moderate Republicans from the fence post that they have been sitting on for the last six weeks.

As I listened to Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama this morning, one recurring thought came to mind: you can only have new leadership if you have a new view of the world.

From the “Meet the Press” interview with Tom Brokaw:

“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, Powell 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.

Powell said several times that a generational change was needed. However, it is not simply defined by the age difference between the two candidates. The difference is how John McCain and Barack Obama view the world. McCain sees the world as a continuation of the “us v. them” type of foreign policy. The only change is the substitution of Terrorists for Communists. Instead of seeing enemies, Obama sees opportunity to dialogue with these nations to find common areas of understanding and cooperation.

History has a way of repeating itself. In 1969, a new U.S. President had the audacity to deal strongly with civil unrest, strengthening a struggling economy, ending an unpopular war in Vietnam while attempting to wage diplomacy through detente with both the Soviet Union and China, all at the same time. Powell stated that he believed Obama has “the intellectual curiosity and vigor” to handle any issues that may come up during his administration.

I believe Colin Powell is correct in his assessment.