It's Official--Gen. Colin Powell formally endorses Barack Obama

[12voltman59]

For whatever its worth---Colin Powell appeared on NBC News' "Meet The Press" program early this morning and very clearly stated his reasons as to why he will cast his vote for Barack Obama as our next president.

Many of the reasons Gen. Powell supports Barack Obama---I have expressed myself----

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/19/colin-powell-endorses-oba_n_135895.html

[darkeyes]

.. ya reckon 'e lookin for 'is ole job bak Voltie???;):tong::bigrin:

[FalconAngel]

Some nut-job on one of the Yahoo groups that we are on says that he was hypnotized to say all that.

Of course, the guy that says that is a Dominion Christian Republican lawyer, so intelligence or wisdom are probably not very high on his list of things to obtain.

[meteast chick]

This may not seem to be a big deal to many...but...

WOW, crossing party lines is huge!

Just remember...
Barack the Kasbah,
BARACK THE VOTE
Just get out there on election day!!!

luv and kisses,
xoxoxoxoxoxox
meteast

[12voltman59]

Well--if you listen to Gen. Powell's reasoning as to why he supports and backs Obama----I have said many of the same things---but hell--I am just a backwater, sidelines bloviator-----Gen. Powell is someone who has certainly done many great things and served his country well----I was a bit dissappointed in him when he went to the UN and Congress---using what I think anyone with half a whit of sense, could tell---was "cooking the books" intell on Iraq having all those WMDs---I could smell the stench from the intell was being used as rationale for the War on Iraq--I do put it down that he was being the "good solider" in doing what his superior--the Commander in Chief wanted---something powerful even if a dud like Bush is president--he still holds the office and in the military way----"you may not respect the man, but you respect the rank."

I am glad that Colin Powell is thinking of his nation in coming out for Obama----the only thing is---while it does look like Obama has the lead in this campaign---reports are coming in some states with voters using electronic voting machines----people are hitting Democratic candidates for positions local and national--and the machines before their eyes are switching the votes to the Repbulican candidates.

If that is really the case and is widespread----we may yet have a contested election where the results of the election is very much in question---hard to believe that such is the case in "the world's foremost democracy." Hardly--if we have a third in a row national election that is questionable---we are no longer that "foremost democracy"---we are nothing more than a glorified banana republic and I do hate to say it---but I do think that those who run the modern Republican Party view politcal campaigns as an equivalent to "war"--just like they view most everything as war----and they hold to the notion that "all is fair in love and war." I think they have pretty well proven that to them--winning is everything and they are not men and women of much honor---especially since they do apparently hold the view that those who are Democrats are "the enemy," "are evil," and everything that can be done to stop the enemy--must be done irrespective of whether those efforts are beyond the bounds of the law at worst--or at best--push the bounds of what is considered to be "fair play."

[csrakate]

To expound a bit further on Powell's statement on Meet The Press, let me share something that was posted on another site...something that we all need to think about. It's a continuation of what was quoted on volty's link to the Huffington Post:

"I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards–Purple Heart, Bronze Star–showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross, it didn't have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life."

So for all of those who continue to harp on a man's middle name, think of things a bit differently. First of all, he is not a Muslim and that is just simply fanatical thinking to think otherwise. BUT also remember that there are Muslims and there are Muslim extremists...just as there are Christians and Christian extremists. But there are also Muslims in this country who are American and who have given their lives. We need to stop focusing on that issue altogether when it comes to this election.

[jamieknyc]

You people do realize, I hope, that Powell couldn't reasonably oppose Obama?

[AFTER9]

Whenever I hear about Generals and politics the song WAR PIGS by Ozzy and his Black Sabbath band comes to mind.

[MaybeSayMaybe]

It's funny about War Pigs. Every time I hear it on the radio I can't help but think how spot on it is. Maybe that's why Ozzy stayed famous while all those other rock stars wound up in the dust bin of history. Or maybe it was his Rodeo Drive haircut.

Remember Universal Soldier (Donovan)?

[hudson9]

You people do realize, I hope, that Powell couldn't reasonably oppose Obama?

What exactly are you saying? He HAD to support him because they're both black? If that's your logic, do you think that Clarence Thomas will be voting for Obama? Will Condi Rice be voting for Obama, you think?

I will give you the opportunity to clarify before I do a rant on your ass...

[csrakate]

What exactly are you saying? He HAD to support him because they're both black? If that's your logic, do you think that Clarence Thomas will be voting for Obama? Will Condi Rice be voting for Obama, you think?

I will give you the opportunity to clarify before I do a rant on your ass...

I can't speak for jamieknyc, but knowing him as I do, this isn't about race. I'll let him speak further as to what he means. Just didn't want this thread to go off on that issue before he has a chance to speak for himself.

[FalconAngel]

To expound a bit further on Powell's statement on Meet The Press, let me share something that was posted on another site...something that we all need to think about. It's a continuation of what was quoted on volty's link to the Huffington Post:

"I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards–Purple Heart, Bronze Star–showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross, it didn't have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life."

So for all of those who continue to harp on a man's middle name, think of things a bit differently. First of all, he is not a Muslim and that is just simply fanatical thinking to think otherwise. BUT also remember that there are Muslims and there are Muslim extremists...just as there are Christians and Christian extremists. But there are also Muslims in this country who are American and who have given their lives. We need to stop focusing on that issue altogether when it comes to this election.

I have said this before, in other threads as well as other forums; When one votes for a candidate, they should never think about the party that they belong to, but what the candidate actually is saying as to what they want to do. Then vote based on one's own wishes for this nation and what the Constitution means to them.

If you vote based exclusively on party or religious affiliation, then you are a fool.

As a Pagan, we have no political candidates out there. We get candidates from 2 of the major organized religions and that is pretty much it. Not a lot of choice based on religion for anyone, as far as the candidates, so religion as a whole does not play as a critical factor.

But we have political parties aplenty. Sure the Republicans and Democrats get almost all of the attention. Of course they do, because they want to hold all of the power. But we have other parties that have good ideas, too.

So, for my money, I vote with my conscience, not any party or religion. People that vote based only on one or both of those criteria, as far too many people do, are just not thinking. No one looks at the issues anymore, but we should be.

With today's quality of information technology, we can see how each politician has voted on the various laws and bills. We can even find out WHY they voted the way they did. And that is important, too.

The key point is that we need to vote for the person that will do what is best for our nation, not the one who has the best spin or the "right" religious stance or belongs to the "right" party.

This nation voted for the "right" party the last two elections and look at where we are. The Constitution has begun to be disassembled and civil rights and real equality have become dirty words. Or what the Republicans have begun to call "communist".

This election we need to vote for the candidate that has the best interest of the ENTIRE nation at heart, not just the best interest of their contributors.

We've had almost 20 years of that. It's time for real and positive change.

Colin Powell is voting his conscience, not his party. We should all do the same.

[12voltman59]

I didn't hear the latest from RUSH--his take on why Colin Powell came out to support Barack Obama---according to RUSH--it was all aout race---I don't think that the old fat man listened to one word that Gen.Powell said.

I do guess that since Gen.Powell "went off the reservation"--his Republican Party card has been pulled for good---along with those of Christopher Buckley, the editorial staff of the Chicago Tribune which endorsed Obama---the first time in the paper's nearly 150 year history for endorsing a Democratic presidential candidate, Peggy Noonan--Ronald Reagan's primary speechwriter and many other conservative stalwarts who have followed suit.

The Republican Party really is a sad shadow of its former self---it does need a really good trumping this election to case the party to fracture so it can reconfigure--hopefullly foresaking the same old tired mantras of "cut your taxes---less government while turning around and actually following policies the may keep taxes low--but we have to make up in many ways that are far more costly---like the poor health and early deaths that come from so many people not having any health care and everyone else having health care that if people suffer from any major health calamity-find they don't get anywhere near what they thought they were paying for since they get left facing most of the costs of a catastropic health situation on their own and also playing on this "game" of demonizing "the other" --the other being anyone I guess who goes for the Democrats--which is about the same percentage of hard core Republicans--around 45 percent more or less of Americans----a form of "playing the game" put in place by the late Lee Attwater, father of all this nastiness to the degree it has reached-(refined to its current state of rotteness by Karl Rove)---I hope that the devil reserved an especially nasty place for that bastard--I don't want to believe God would let him in---if Attwater is in heaven---I don't want to go there--he sure as hell is stinkin' the place up if God somehow let him in!

In terms of this current campaign and "RACE" playing a factor--- the real race card being played is that you have is a hard core of white folks who simply cannot bring themselves to vote for a person of dark skin--but you don't have old fat man RUSHBO bloviatin' 'bout that!! He has to diss a true American patriot like Colin Powell.

[AFTER9]

It's funny about War Pigs. Every time I hear it on the radio I can't help but think how spot on it is. Maybe that's why Ozzy stayed famous while all those other rock stars wound up in the dust bin of history. Or maybe it was his Rodeo Drive haircut.

Remember Universal Soldier (Donovan)?
Nope but did hear one today by Donavon called "Season Of The Witch"

[FalconAngel]

I didn't hear the latest from RUSH--his take on why Colin Powell came out to support Barack Obama---according to RUSH--it was all aout race---I don't think that the old fat man listened to one word that Gen.Powell said.

What do you expect from a drug addict? Particularly since he is the propaganda mouthpiece of the party?

And to those who would defend Herr Limbaugh, prescription drug abuse is still drug abuse.