Black People Politics : Colin Powell endorses Sen. Obama

jamesfrmphilly

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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 to 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.”

Powell, a retired Army general who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Bill Clinton before becoming secretary of state under President Bush, is one of the most 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 readiness of Obama, whose a first-term senator whose national experience amounts to four years in the Senate.

Powell said a major part of his decision to abandon 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 intention 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.


URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27265369/
 
lol, them conservative white folks is flippin over in their chairs this morning, hahaha.....To be honest although Powell gets the "house" label (and rightfully so), he actually seemed sort of sincere when he resigned from secretary of state, because of misinformation. He probably doesn't appreciate the republican party using him, and what better way to get back at them, than to support a democratic nominee for president.....still doesn't mean that much to me personally, but I get it....
 
the most prominent white republican around philly endorses obama

By Michael Smerconish

I've decided.

My conclusion comes after reading the candidates' memoirs and campaign
platforms, attending both party conventions, interviewing both men multiple
times, and watching all primary and general-election debates.

John McCain is an honorable man who has served his country well. But he will
not get my vote. For the first time since registering as a Republican 28
years ago, I'm voting for a Democrat for president
. I may have been an
appointee in the George H.W. Bush administration, and master of ceremonies
for George W. Bush in 2004, but last Saturday I stood amid the crowd at an
Obama event in North Philadelphia.

Five considerations have moved me:

Terrorism. The candidates disagree as to where to prosecute the war against
Islamic fundamentalists. Barack Obama is correct in saying the front line in
that battle is not Iraq, it's the Afghan-Pakistan border. Osama bin Laden
crossed that border from Tora Bora in December 2001, and we stopped pursuit.
The Bush administration outsourced the hunt for bin Laden and instead
invaded Iraq.

No one in Iraq caused the death of 3,000 Americans on 9/11. Our invasion was
based on a false predicate, so we have no business being there, regardless
of whether the surge is working. Our focus must be the tribal-ruled FATA
region in Pakistan. Only recently has our military engaged al-Qaeda there in
operations that mirror those Obama was ridiculed for recommending in August
2007.

Last spring, Obama told me: "It's not that I was opposed to war [in Iraq].
It's that I felt we had a war that we had not finished." Even Sen. Joe
Lieberman conceded to me last Friday that "the headquarters of our
opposition, our enemies today" is the FATA.

Economy. We face economic problems that are incomprehensible to most
Americans, certainly they are to me. This is a time to covet intellect, and
that begins at the top. Jack Bogle, the legendary founder of the Vanguard
Group, told me recently that McCain's assertion that the fundamentals of the
economy were "strong" was the "stupidest statement of 2008." In light of the
unprecedented volatility in the market, who can dispute Bogle's
characterization and the lack of understanding that McCain's assessment
portends?

VP. I opined here that Sarah Palin demonstrated the capacity to be president
in her speech to the Republican convention. Sadly, there has been no further
exhibition of her abilities, and she remains an unknown quantity. We are
left questioning the judgment of a candidate who bypassed his reported
preferred choices, Lieberman and former Gov. Tom Ridge, and instead yielded
to the whims of the periphery of his party. With two wars and a crumbling
economy, Palin is too big of a risk to be a heartbeat away from a presidency
held by a 72-year-old man who has battled melanoma. Advantage Joe Biden.

Opportunity. In a speech delivered on Father's Day, Obama lamented that too
many fathers are missing from the lives of too many children and mothers.
Look no further than Philadelphia for proof that the nation has a fatherhood
problem at the root of its firearms crisis. And no demographic is affected
by this confluence of factors like the black community. Among the many
elements needed to address this crisis are role models, individuals whom
urban youth can aspire to emulate. Little more than a year ago, Charles
Barkley told me: "I want young black kids to see Barack on television every
day. . . . We need to see more blacks who are intelligent, articulate, and
who carry themselves with great dignity." Obama can be that man.

Hope. Wednesday morning will come and an Obama presidency holds the greatest
chance for unifying us here at home and restoring our prestige around the
globe. The campaigns have foretold the kind of presidency we can expect from
each candidate. Last Friday in Lakeville, Minn., McCain himself had to
explain to a supporter who was "scared" of an Obama presidency that those
fears were unfounded. Another told McCain that Obama was untrustworthy
because he is an "Arab." Those exchanges were a predictable byproduct of ads
against Obama featuring tag lines such as "Too Risky for America" and
"Dangerous," and a failure to rein in individuals at McCain events who
highlighted Obama's middle name, all against a background of Internet lore.

Last Saturday at Progress Plaza, I heard Obama say:
"The American people aren't looking for somebody to divide this country; the American people are looking for someone to lead this country."


http://www.philly.com/inquirer/currents/31242619.html
 

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