Free Republic

Two weeks after President Barack Obama declared his support for gay marriage, former Secretary of State Colin Powell told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday that he has "no problem with it." [snip] "But, as I've thought about gay marriage, I know a lot of friends who are individually gay but are in partnerships with loved ones," the retired Army general said. "And they are as stable a family as my family is. And they raise children. And so I don't see any reason not to say that they should be able to get married."

Could Colin Powell run against Barack Obama as a Republican and win? The idea is more than a little fanciful. Alma Powell, Colin Powell's wife, has long opposed her husband's political forays. And of course a presidential campaign would be an ordeal for a man Powell's age, his robust health notwithstanding. It doesn't help that there is no clamor for a Powell presidential campaign. Back in 1996, he was seen as an Eisenhower-like figure who could unite Republicans and independents to defeat Bill Clinton. Since then, Powell has alienated Republicans with his sharp criticisms of social conservatives and his support...