October 22, 2008 Colin Powell
Normally, a political endorsement, even if it is a post-partisan nod for the most powerful elected position in the country, does not merit a Wings of Justice Award. But in his endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for president, former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell went beyond just telling us who he'll be voting for. On "Meet the Press" this past weekend, Powell told Tom Brokaw why he thought Obama would make the better leader: "He has both style and substance. He has met the standard of being a successful president -- being an exceptional president. I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming onto the world stage, onto the American stage, and for that reason I'll be voting for Sen. Barack Obama."As one might expect, the endorsement set off a flurry of speculation by pundits as to what kind of difference Powell's actions might make. One reader wrote us to say the endorsement could prove to be a deterrent to dirty Election Day maneuvers: "These traditional Republican stalwarts, and all the other conservatives, may be the best protection we have against this election being stolen by McCain like 2000 and 2004 were stolen by George Bush. The "establishment" is realizing and recognizing how much damage the Bush/McCain Republicans have done to the nation in the last eight years."Though any effect the endorsement may have this late in the campaign is difficult to tell, Powell's Republican bona fides may convince others who once (or even twice) voted for Bush to reconsider the GOP, at least on a federal level. After all, it seems Powell both decided upon Obama and decided against McCain. When questioned by a reporter after announcing his endorsement, Powell admitted that the negativity of the McCain campaign played a part in his decision: "We have two wars. We have economic problems. We have health problems. We have education problems. We have infrastructure problems. We have problems around the world with our allies. And so, those are the problems the American people wanted to hear about. Not about Mr. Ayers. Not about who is a Muslim and who's not a Muslim."He also said he disapproved of McCain's choice of running mate and his handling of the economic crisis. He took his own party to task for their rightward shift and dirty politics. In contrast, Powell praised Obama's inclusive, thoughtful campaign. Now, some may object to this award, still smarting from Powell's Academy Award-worthy performance in selling the Iraq war. But, as he puts it, Iraq has nothing to do with this. Powell shows that while he may have been an old Bush dog, he can learn new tricks, such as looking forward and not backward: "My concern was not my past, or what happened in Iraq, but where we're going in the future. The sole concern is where we're going after Jan. 20, 2009, not what happened in 2003. I'm well aware of the role I played."Powell's actions show that not all Republicans are built the same. Let's hope other conservatives will take note, and start looking with hope to what could be a less partisan future. Maybe then we could really put our country first. * * * Nominated by the BuzzFlash staff.
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