A Land Far Away

dergon darkhelm wrote:So will he be Secretary of State or Defense?

Mulu wrote:Then again what might have pushed him over the edge is all the overt racism and hate mongering in the past few weeks by McCain and the GOP, which really no longer deserves the "G."

Vaelahr wrote:As for Powell... I'm sure as a former soldier he'll love seeing our military turned back into a Meals on Wheels program for Africa, and the resulting retreat when one of our SF gets dragged through the streets by khat-junkies.

Vaelahr wrote:Yes, Kate. War's expensive.

Vaelahr wrote:Then why remind me, toots?

Vaelahr wrote:Yes, Kate. War's expensive.

Mayhem wrote:Especially an unnecessary one.

MorbidKate wrote: Besides the fact Powell is a moderate Republican he's rep got torched when he sold his soul in front of the UN on behalf of Bush. I always liked Powell (until then) but suspect he won't be approached for any cabinet positions no matter who wins in November. Besides, he way late to the endorsement party.

Powell is unlikely to return to the cabinet after the mauling he received over the Iraq war, but could serve as a special envoy abroad. He is regularly consulted by Obama on foreign policy and military matters, and said last year: “I always keep my eyes open and my ears open to requests for service.”

Politico wrote:Norman J. Ornstein, Resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute:
My first instinct was that the endorsement should have come earlier, when Obama was not so far ahead. but I was wrong. The hardest task in a presidential campaign for a non-incumbent is closing the sale. A Powell endorsement now is a huge step to close that sale, to make Obama seem even safer and more attractive as a president.

Samuel J. Brannen, Deputy Dir., CSIS International Security Program:
This was a careful revolution. On Meet the Press, Powell underlined the need to turn power over to a new generation. In my opinion that was the basis of his decision. He comes from one of the few professions that really understands the importance of building a next generation of leaders and of changing command when the current strategy isn't working. He has judged Obama ready to be a Commander in Chief and believes there is a need to change not the Party in the White House, but the generation.

Akram Baker (guest), Organizational Development Consultant:
Gen. Powell's endorsement of Sen. Obama's candidacy was probably the most eloquent, truthful, and credible statement for an Obama presidency to date. His systematic (yet somehow wistful) dress-down of the right-wing of his own party, in addition to his sagely take on the positive ripple effects that such a presidency would have on the entire world, reached levels of heartfelt sophistication sorely missed in this campaign season. One very remarkable point he made which has so far been skipped over by the press (as far as I can see), is his answer to the false accusations that Obama is Muslim. When he said, "the right answer (to those claims) would be 'so what if he was a Muslim?'" is not only spot on, but is something which needs to be heard much more often in this great country of ours. True icing on the proverbial cake.