While I believe that Colin Powell would best spend the rest of his life living his amends for his UN performance which played such an enormous role in leading America into a pre-emptive war with - and the current occupation of -Iraq, I personally found in this speech some genuine redemptive action to lead America in the direction of transformation, hope, and peace. I am grateful for anyone who truthfully addresses and exposes the dark forces at work in this country today while also pointing to the great opportunities to choose another direction. May we all work toward opening our hearts big enough to move into greater and greater inclusivity and caring for all. Peace ~ Molly
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Video:
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Transcript: Colin Powell's "Meet the Press"
endorsement of Barack Obama
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Powell, a Republican, endorsed the Democrat on NBC News' "Meet the Press" program by calling Obama "a transformational figure." During the show, Powell also talked about:
John McCain: "In the case of Mr. McCain, I found that he was a little unsure as to [how to] deal with the economic problems that we were having, and almost every day there was a different approach to the problem. And that concerned me, sensing that he didn't have a complete grasp of the economic problems that we had."
Sarah Palin: "I was also concerned at the selection of Governor Palin. She's a very distinguished woman, and she's to be admired; but at the same time, now that we have had a chance to watch her for some seven weeks, I don't believe she's ready to be president of the United States, which is the job of the vice president. And so that raised some question in my mind as to the judgment that Senator McCain made."
Sarah Palin: "I was also concerned at the selection of Governor Palin. She's a very distinguished woman, and she's to be admired; but at the same time, now that we have had a chance to watch her for some seven weeks, I don't believe she's ready to be president of the United States, which is the job of the vice president. And so that raised some question in my mind as to the judgment that Senator McCain made."
Republicans: "The approach of the Republican Party and Mr. McCain has become narrower and narrower. Mr. Obama, at the same time, has given us a more inclusive, broader reach into the needs and aspirations of our people. He's crossing lines - ethnic lines, racial lines, generational lines. He's thinking about (how) all villages have values, all towns have values, not just small towns have values.""I have some concerns about the direction that the party has taken in recent years. It has moved more to the right than I would like to see it ..." And "Governor Palin has indicated a further rightward shift," Powell said.
Supreme Court appointments: "I would have difficulty with two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court, but that's what we'd be looking at in a McCain administration."
William Ayers: "I've also been disappointed, frankly, by some of the approaches that Senator McCain has taken recently, or his campaign ads, on issues that are not really central to the problems that the American people are worried about. This Bill Ayers situation that's been going on for weeks became something of a central point of the campaign. But Mr. McCain says that he's a washed-out terrorist. Well, then, why do we keep talking about him?" Powell said it's "demagoguery" to keep trying to associate Obama with Ayers.
Religious innuendo: Some in the GOP, not McCain, have incorrectly tried to paint Obama as a Muslim. Powell said Obama's a Christian and always has been. But, "What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president?"
Being African-American: Powell denied he was just endorsing a fellow African-American by saying that "if I only had that in mind, I could have done this six, eight, 10 months ago. I can't deny that it will be a historic event for an African-American to become president. And should that happen, all Americans should be proud - not just African-Americans, but all Americans - that we have reached this point in our national history where such a thing could happen. It will also not only electrify our country, I think it'll electrify the world."
While this endorsement is politically important to Obama, it also says something to the Republican Party and future GOP candidates: The party simply must re-examine what it stands for and the campaign tactics it uses if it wants to be successful.
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