Colin "Mr. Foreign Policy" Powell is a Republican and longtime friend of John McCain, but he feels Obama is better suited to handle our economic problems as well as improve our standing in the world. I'm not sure how many people actually pay attention to the endorsements of famous figures, but this one is a biggie I would think.
I'm not sure if this will affect it in a major way. Maybe, maybe not. We'll just have to wait for the polls to come out. But it can't hurt Obama obviously. I wonder how many voters remember his role in invading Iraq?
Aside from that, the best thing about this was that someone finally stood up and repudiated the idea that it is a bad thing to be Muslim or Arab (Ben Affleck did on Real Time with Bill Maher, but does he count?). The comment about why can't a 7 year old Muslim child dream of being President struck a chord with me.
Originally posted by MUTigermaskI'm not sure if this will affect it in a major way. Maybe, maybe not. We'll just have to wait for the polls to come out. But it can't hurt Obama obviously. I wonder how many voters remember his role in invading Iraq?
Aside from that, the best thing about this was that someone finally stood up and repudiated the idea that it is a bad thing to be Muslim or Arab (Ben Affleck did on Real Time with Bill Maher, but does he count?). The comment about why can't a 7 year old Muslim child dream of being President struck a chord with me.
(edited by MUTigermask on 20.10.08 0914)
One thing it does is provide cover for Republicans who are less rabid to bail in good conscience. It isn't just Powell but the plethora of conservatives bailing.
The real import of Powell is that with his background, he cited the economy, not foreign policy/the military as his overriding concern.
There are a couple of military guys here at work that were undecided until Powell made his endorsement. I never really though endorsements meant a whole lot, but according to them, Powell's opinion still carries a lot of weight with current and former military. They especially like how he didn't just endorse Obama, but listed his reasons for doing so.
According to the pundits, his endorsement will have an impact in states like VA where there are alot of current and former military personnel. We will see but I would assume having a four star say he wants Obama carries some weight with them.
Thread ahead: A quick thought about one party rule Next thread: Bush To Congress: "Hey guys, I'm going to ignore the law." Previous thread: Online Murder is now Illegal?