Posted on 05/25/2009 6:56:50 AM PDT by NoPrisoners
In the latest round of the increasingly heated intra-GOP feud, former Secretary of State Colin Powell Sunday defended his Republican credentials and fired back at radio host Rush Limbaugh and former Vice President Dick Cheney, saying the party had to expand beyond its conservative base.
“Rush will not get his wish and Mr. Cheney was misinformed – I am still a Republican,” Powell said in a much-anticipated interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation” two weeks after Cheney suggested on the same show that the retired general had left the party by endorsing Barack Obama last fall.
Powell outlined his party bona fides, noting his votes for and services under a string of Republican presidents, and said it was not up to Cheney and Limbaugh – the radio host has kept up a steady drumbeat of criticism since Powell's cross-party endorsement last year – to determine who belonged in the GOP.
“Neither [Cheney] nor Rush Limbaugh are members of the membership committee of the Republican Party,” Powell said...
[Tom] Ridge also split with Cheney on the vice president's claim that Obama's policies were making Americans less safe. "I do not" agree with that, Ridge plainly told CNN's John King, adding, "Yeah, I disagree with Dick Cheney."
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Remember Colin Powell is now ‘the titular head of the Republican party’. When he speaks, everyone should listen and acquiesce to his grand judgment of voting for a man who means to destroy America. That General Powell will be your enduring legacy to America if Obama is successful in destroying the American way of life. Sir, you sold your country out for 30 minutes of air time on MTP.
Has anybody bothered to ask Powell why he thinks he can call himself a Republican when he publicly endorsed Obama? Seems like a pretty simple question, but I haven’t heard powell answer it.
Amen. I had my doubts about him ever since he was instrumental in putting the brakes on Schwarzkopf at the gates of Baghdad. I see more Reverend Wright in him than George Patton.
I really think it's because he is not strong enough to withstand the "Uncle Tom" insults from his own race. I am not blaming him too much, because it would be unpleasant for anyone.
He could not really have believed Obama would have made a good President, could he?
I recall a military man on a talk show calling Powell a Perfumed Prince. I thought that fit him so well.
Then there was the Tim Russert interview with the Palm Tree. Apparently Powell got bored and walked off the set and all Tim had was the Palm Tree. LOL.
Check it out: http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=33229&D=2004-05-17&SO=&HC=2
Colin strives for gravitas. He thinks he is a modern day Kissinger. Ha! He’s a moron, and lacks character to boot.
Especially since John McCain is the absolute embodiment of everything Powell says he wants the Republican party to be. In short, he got his ideal candidate in McCain, but still endorsed the other guy.
The only logical conclusion that any fair-minded person could draw is that Powell isn't a Republican, regardless of what he chooses to call himself.
It's reminiscent of what Nelson Rockefeller did at the 1964 convention, when he shanked Barry Goldwater on national television in prime time, by calling the Goldwater delegates "fascists" and comparing them to the Nazis.
That's like my saying I want a conservative Republican on the ticket, and then throwing a tantrum and going off to vote for former Exalted Cyclops Bob Byrd of W. Virginia, because the Republicans had nominated J.C. Watts or Tom Sowell. What should people conclude about my actual behavior?
It's even worse than that -- he's a RINO-in-name-only.
Cheers!
Powell didn't want to take out the *first* Hussein, and he voted for the second one!
Cheers!
They would conclude the same thing that many have concluded about Powell - you chose race of principle.
If Powell had endorsed McCain, perhaps then he would have some kind of honest point to make. I wouldn't agree with him, but I wouldn't be calling him a bold-face liar, as I am now.
Secondly, I understand "moderate" Republicans that perhaps want the party to have some kind of modified position on either abortion or gay rights or the environment or whatever. Again, I may not agree with them, but I respect their ability to speak out during the primary or the convention season - after all, that's what the primaries and the conventions are for.
But, when Powell says that he wants bigger, more intrusive government into the lives of the country's citizen, there's no way that could be a Republican position, let alone a conservative position. Powell didn't just endorse a Democrat. He endorsed (in my opinion unarguably) the most liberal Presidential candidate in the history of the country - much more liberal than Dukakis, McGovern, Humphry or Carter.
Colin Powell is a racist - plain and simple.
Pandering to wafflers? Zero promised him a sweet deal? Dunno, but Powell never does anything unless he profits in some way.
Perhaps Powell is engaging in a little bit of NewSpeak, to put the “publicly acceptable” representation of a Republican in the media and general public. After a while, real conservatives will seem to be so extreme by comparison that the burgeoning Tea Party American would also be seen as extreme.
Perhaps...
Powell needs to leave.
FWIW, “Limbaugh supported Obama” OR “Cheney supported Obama” just doesn’t work. “Powell supported Obama” does.
Isn’t there some way to tell him he voted to kill babies, humans, Has he not seen a sono gram?
He gamed the system, Never was a Republican, played it till it got tough & bailed.
powell never wd of got rank in the kkk. He joined their party. C - ya
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.