Posted on 10/19/2008 7:56:13 AM PDT by JustTheTruth
WASHINGTON - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for president on Sunday, criticizing his own Republican Party for what he called its narrow focus on irrelevant personal attacks over a serious approach to challenges he called unprecedented.
Powell, who for many years was considered the most likely candidate to become the first African-American president, said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he was not supporting Obama because of his race. He said he had watched both Obama and his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, for many months and thought “either one of them would be a good president.”
But he said McCain’s choices in the last few weeks — especially his selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his vice presidential running mate — had raised questions in his mind about McCain’s judgment.
“I don’t believe [Palin] is ready to be president of the United States,” Powell said flatly. By contrast, Obama’s running mate, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, “is ready to be president on day one.”
Powell also said he was “troubled” by Republican personal attacks on Obama, especially false intimations that Obama was Muslim and Republicans’ recent focus on Obama’s alleged connections to William Ayers, the founder of the radical ’60 Weather Underground.
Stressing that Obama was a lifelong Christian, Powell denounced Republican tactics that he said were insulting not only to to Obama but also to Muslims.
“The really right answer is what if he is?” Powell said, praising the contributions of millions of Muslim citizens to American society.
“I look at these kind of approaches to the campaign, and they trouble me,” Powell said. “Over the last seven weeks, the approach of the Republican Party has become narrower and narrower.”
In an interview Sunday on Fox News, McCain said he was not surprised by the announcement.
“I’ve always admired and respected General Powell,” said McCain, who cited the endorsements he had received from former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger, Alexander Haig, James Baker and Lawrence Eagleburger. “We have a respectful disagreement.”
Powell, a retired Army general who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under the first President Bush before becoming secretary of state in the current administration, is one of the most highly decorated military officers of modern times and an admired figure in both parties. The Obama campaign is likely to cite the endorsement as an answer to critics and undecided voters who have questioned the foreign policy credential of Obama, a first-term senator whose national experience amounts to four years in the Senate.
Powell said a major part of his decision to turn his back on his own party was his conclusion that Obama was the better option to repair frayed U.S. relations with allies overseas.
“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, he 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.
“I think that [Obama] has a definite way of doing business that will serve us well,” Powell said.
He doesn’t believe Palin is qualified to be president but he thinks Obama is? Powell, I never though you were qualified to be sec of state.
Again, why do so called intelligent people not see through this guy? Because there are scales on their eyes.
Karl Marx was a tranformational figure.
Ayatollah Khomenei was a transformational figure.
Fidel Castro was/is a transformational figure.
Barrack Obama is a....
Just sayin’.
“will never again be accepted as a Republican”
-——I like the idea of a website which enumerates
, takes to task, and proves just who “deserves to have
their medals stripped”, as in the time-honored military
way, done in a public ceremony. These days it would be
a cyber-ceremony, but would have to go further than what
we have now, which is just flinging around the word “RINO”. Notice how many RINOs there are, and maybe one
“DINO” , who I guess would have to be Joe Leiberman.
At the end of the Revolutionary War, the traitor Benedict Arnold was hated by both countries. Such is the fate for this traitor.
Has General Powell carefully reviewed Senator Obama’s background records—much like he would have had to do if he was promoting someone in the Military?
Public statements come with a great responsibility.
“transformational figure”
____________________________
Now I’m totally confused. Was he endorsing Michael Jackson?
Socialism? Powell is in for cronyism. To get his and his family in on the ground floor of our coming years of tyranny.
Of course not. Powell is supporting Obama because of his impressive resume & obvious love for his country.
What I wanna know is how did we survive the years Powell was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs?
Is Baraq Hussein a lifelong American citizen?
Powell's weak justification for his endorsement of obama is nothing more that a man playing the race card. PERIOD!
Powell is a racial SELLOUT and NOTHING MORE!
If Joe the Plumber hadn't shown up he never would have blown his cover.
Hitler was a transformational figure too, wasn’t he? And Stalin...hell, he transformed Russia into a nation which murdered millions of its own citizens. Of course, with the Obamessiahs resume, it’s a little difficult to come up with good things of actual substance. But transformational??!!
Transform the military into a fourth rate outfit
Transform the economy into a Soviet type failure
Transform national security into a social welfare social engineering outfit
Transform the middle east into a bloodbath for Israel.
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