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I remember, for months, Colin Powell would give secret speeches where he went political (no recordings allowed, no discussions after, etc.). And then FINALLY, the Great Unveiling, where he announced that he was a Republican.

Then, for the rest of his life, he NEVER said anything bad about Democrats, but always had nasty words for the GOP, or at least those in the GOP who tried to represent the base, saying things like “The Republican Party is a bit rough around the edges”, “they really need to lighten up on the divisive social issues”, etc., yet he still was NEVER BOTHERED by the pure hatred being spewed by the Democrats.

But, alas, the Republicans FINALLY nominate a ‘respectable’ candidate for the White House (at least in his world), named John McCain - the PERFECT candidate, with tremendous experience and hatred twoards the GOP base that rivaled Powell. So who does Powell endorse that year (2008): Obama, a person barely removed from the streets of Chicago with virtually no political or leadership experience - by far the least qualified person ever to step foot in the White House.

While many think it was simply Tribalism, and maybe it was, but perhaps, when coupled with his hatred of the GOP base and his NEVER-criticizing of Democrats (along with dropping out of sight when Democrats do stupid things, or get caught in corruption), perhaps he went to the Democrats and asked whether he could do more damage to the Republicans from the inside (claiming to be a Republican) than from the outside (being honest, and admitting he’s a Democrat). And the Democrats told him he’d be more helpful to their cause if he claimed to be a Republican.

Speculation on my part, but even most Republicans, even the worst RINOs, seem to have a tolerance limit with the Democrats, but not Colin Powell, ever. There simply was NOTHING that the Democrats could do that bothered him.