Former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama for president
BY RICHARD SISK
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU

Updated Monday, October 20th 2008, 12:26 AM

WASHINGTON - Colin Powell, the former Bush administration secretary of state and first African-American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, endorsed Barack Obama Sunday as the "transformational" candidate best suited to reverse the failed policies of President Bush.

"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," Powell said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

John McCain was his friend, and "it isn't easy for me" to go against him, the retired Army four-star general and Vietnam vet from the Bronx said.

But Powell said he had been turned off by McCain's negative ads and attempts to tie Obama to former Weather Underground radical William Ayers.

ANALYSIS: POWELL'S ENDORSEMENT OF OBAMA IS VOTE AGAINST GOP
"I understand what politics is about - I know how you can go after one another, and that's good," Powell said. "But I think this goes too far, and I think it has made the McCain campaign look a little narrow. It's not what the American people are looking for."

"Sen. McCain says he [Ayers] is a washed-up old terrorist," Powell said. "Then why does he keep talking about him?"

Powell said race was not a factor in his choice of Obama.

"If I had only had that in mind, I could have done this six, eight, 10 months ago," Powell said, but, "I can't deny that it will be a historic event when an African-American becomes President."

LUPICA: POWELL STANDS UP, DOES THE RIGHT THING
Powell also questioned McCain's judgment in picking Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) as his running mate.

"I don't believe she's ready to be President of the United States, which is the job of the vice president," Powell said. "And so that raised some question in my mind as to the judgment that Sen. McCain made."

But after long consideration, and a max contribution of $2,300 to McCain last year, Powell said he went with Obama as the best hope for restoring America's world image - which he said had been damaged by the "unilateral" policies of Bush.

"I think what the President has to do is to start using the power of the Oval Office and the power of his personality to convince the American people and to convince the world that America is solid, America is going to move forward - restoring a sense of purpose," Powell said.

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"We need a President that will not just continue - even with a new face and some changes and some maverick aspects - will not just continue basically the policies that we have been following in recent years," he added.

Powell's support came hours after the Daily News endorsed the Illinois Democrat.

Obama lauded Powell for lending his seal of approval, which appears to undercut one of McCain's core arguments that his rival lacked the experience to be commander in chief.

"I am beyond honored and deeply humbled," said Obama, who noted Powell knows "that this is a moment where we all need to come together as one nation."

McCain professed to be unconcerned, saying he had the support of four other former secretaries of state, including Henry Kissinger. "This doesn't surprise me," McCain said on on "Fox News Sunday."

Powell said the nation's economic crisis provided a "final exam" for the two candidates, and McCain had flunked.

"In the case of Mr. McCain, I found that he was a little unsure as to how to deal with the economic problems that we were having," Powell said.

rsisk@nydailynews.com


NY DailyNews

This is a significant endorsement for Obama. With 15 days to go and the McCain gang going negative, Obama needs all the help he can get to take him to the white House. I say he will get to the white House.

quote:

Originally posted by Nehru:
This is a significant endorsement for Obama. With 15 days to go and the McCain gang going negative, Obama needs all the help he can get to take him to the white House. I say he will get to the white House.

When Obama had needed him, he didn't come forward and endorsed him. It doesn't matter now..

It does matter Bhai and it will make a big difference. That is the way American Politics are done. It is more Hollywood than Academia.

quote:

Originally posted by Nehru:
It does matter Bhai and it will make a big difference. That is the way American Politics are done. It is more Hollywood than Academia.

You know! The thing is! After Obama already won by acclamation, he jumped into the ring..

Look how he bailed out from the conservatives when the tough gets going...

The Republicans goan be more careful in the future about closet Democrats taht join with them.

I tell u this election has some serious fall out after.

If 96% of blacks vote for Obama and 96% of whites vote for McCain-can it be considered as racism.

quote:

Originally posted by seignet:
The Republicans goan be more careful in the future about closet Democrats taht join with them.

I tell u this election has some serious fall out after.

If 96% of blacks vote for Obama and 96% of whites vote for McCain-can it be considered as racism.

According to caribj logics if 99% blacks in Guyana vote PNC and 99% Indians vote PPP the Indians are racest. I am not sure he would apply his logics to american politics...

Powell was a huge endorsement of Obama, but he cant take anything for granted. He has to win big.

quote:

Originally posted by Ramakant_p:


You know! The thing is! After Obama already won by acclamation, he jumped into the ring..

Look how he bailed out from the conservatives when the tough gets going...

Uncle Rama,

That is what one should and could expect from principled folks - not just tow the line and follow party dictates & leaders blindly. In fact this endorsement by Powell may in fact have an unexpected but positive & rehabilitative effect on his sullied image for misleading the UN & the world Re. WMD & The Iraqi Invasion.

quote:

Originally posted by Alexander:
Powell was a huge endorsement of Obama, but he cant take anything for granted. He has to win big.

Powell endorsement came a little too late for Obama. He (Obama) have to strive hard on his own and maintain a huge lead to win this election.

quote:

Originally posted by Mara:

quote:

Originally posted by Ramakant_p:


You know! The thing is! After Obama already won by acclamation, he jumped into the ring..

Look how he bailed out from the conservatives when the tough gets going...

Uncle Rama,

That is what one should and could expect from principled folks - not just tow the line and follow party dictates & leaders blindly . In fact this endorsement by Powell may in fact have an unexpected but positive & rehabilitative effect on his sullied image for misleading the UN & the world Re. WMD & The Iraqi Invasion.

Well said Pandit Mara

Rama you should seriously reflect on the above words.

quote:

Originally posted by Prince Juno:

quote:

Originally posted by Alexander:
Powell was a huge endorsement of Obama, but he cant take anything for granted. He has to win big.

Powell endorsement came a little too late for Obama. He (Obama) have to strive hard on his own and maintain a huge lead to win this election.

carr yu rass PJ...Obama gat this tnig lack dung bro..no one can stop him now...iz which country yu live in...Alaska???.McCain trying fe win some states that was know as republican states...this time in the game he still trying fe pump up the republican base...bolwz in his ole a$$. Obvama changing the colla ah dem states rass

this house negro only endorse barack after it was obvious that he was going to win. where was he at the beginning of the campaign when obama needed his help? same with yall indian who only jump on the bandwagon when barack's campaign pick up steam.

quote:

Originally posted by Benford:
this house negro only endorse barack after it was obvious that he was going to win. where was he at the beginning of the campaign when obama needed his help? same with yall indian who only jump on the bandwagon when barack's campaign pick up steam.

It was obvious since Obama started this race...iz wa rass yu alking now

quote:

Originally posted by Prince Juno:

quote:

Originally posted by Alexander:
Powell was a huge endorsement of Obama, but he cant take anything for granted. He has to win big.

Powell endorsement came a little too late for Obama. He (Obama) have to strive hard on his own and maintain a huge lead to win this election.

Actually , it came at the right time . Timing is everything . He will encourage veterans to switch support for Obama .

But let me make one thing clear , Obama knows Powell cannot do anything esle for his campaign .

Personally , I have no respect for Powell , he was a 5 star general , a man who led a war , was Chief of Staff of the world's still most powerful military and he made a bad , poor , judgement call when he submitted to GWB . People may give Condo Rice flack but as a conservative republican and brilliant woman she gave GWB more opposition than all of GW's cabinet . Chaney wanted her gone but GW given his stupidity at least knew she was the brightest start in his firmanent and kept her . Powell on the other hand showed lack of backbone , spine , courage , balz if you will to accept the spoon fed intel that there were WMDs in Iraq . For god's sake this moron was COS and general at that .

quote:

Originally posted by kidmost:

Actually , it came at the right time . Timing is everything . He will encourage veterans to switch support for Obama .

But let me make one thing clear , Obama knows Powell cannot do anything esle for his campaign .

Personally , I have no respect for Powell , he was a 5 star general , a man who led a war , was Chief of Staff of the world's still most powerful military and he made a bad , poor , judgement call when he submitted to GWB . People may give Condo Rice flack but as a conservative republican and brilliant woman she gave GWB more opposition than all of GW's cabinet . Chaney wanted her gone but GW given his stupidity at least knew she was the brightest start in his firmanent and kept her . Powell on the other hand showed lack of backbone , spine , courage , balz if you will to accept the spoon fed intel that there were WMDs in Iraq . For god's sake this moron was COS and general at that .

General Kiddo,

I believe the rank of Five Stars General in the US Military is long passe - the last being the late General Omar Bradley (of the famed Bradley Tanks) who died in the 80s. Powell was a Four Star General, who without a doubt made a bad call when he caved in under enormous pressure from the President and the Pentagon War Hawks. As the first African American in such high office, it most certainly was not an easy call. Have you ever pause to consider the consequence of his refusal to be a team player, if the outcome of the war was different? So, ease up with the balz busting! Countless others have acquised and crumbled under far less pressure. The American people will forgive, and history will be kind to the good General.

quote:

Originally posted by BLACKBEARD:


Well said Pandit Mara

Rama you should seriously reflect on the above words.

Pandit Mara? Whaderas me do fu deserve da now? Well if you offering some dakshna, i guess its ok

cant agree with you on this one Mara.
Kidmost is on the button.
I still admire Powell but he erred

Nippy,

No doubt the good General erred, and he admitted to those errors. His presentation before the UN Security Council would always remain a blot on his record. All I am saying is to err is human, to admit to those errors is courageous and to forgive is golden.



Powell calls pre-Iraq U.N. speech a 'blot' on his record
WASHINGTON (AP) "” Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday his prewar speech to the United Nations accusing Iraq of harboring weapons of mass destruction was a "blot" on his record.

Ex-Secretary of State Colin Powell said he was a "reluctant warrior" even when illustrating Iraq's threat to the U.N.
By Mario Tama, AFP/Getty Images
"I'm the one who presented it to the world, and (it) will always be a part of my record. It was painful. It is painful now," Powell said in an interview with Barbara Walters on ABC-News. (Related story: The story of WMDs that weren't)

The presentation by the soldier-diplomat to the world body in February 2003 lent considerable credibility to President Bush's case against Iraq and for going to war to remove President Saddam Hussein.

In the speech, Powell said he had relied on information he received at Central Intelligence Agency briefings. He said Thursday that then-director George Tenet "believed what he was giving to me was accurate."

But, Powell said, "the intelligence system did not work well."

"There were some people in the intelligence community who knew at the time that some of those sources were not good, and shouldn't be relied upon, and they didn't speak up," Powell said.

"That devastated me," he said.

Powell in the TV interview also disputed the Bush administration's linking of Saddam's regime with terrorists.

He said he had never seen a connection between Baghdad and the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington in 2001. "I can't think otherwise, because I'd never seen evidence to suggest there was one," he said.

Still, Powell said that while he has always been a "reluctant warrior" he supported Bush on going to war the month after his U.N. speech. "When the president decided that it was not tolerable for this regime to remain in violation of all those U.N. resolutions I am right there with him with the use of force," Powell said.

Colon's endorsement shouldn't even be in the news, his credibilty just ain't there, might as well throw in endorsements by Chainey and Garge Brush too.

Maybe he's got a book in the making.

His endorsement came at the right time, it further undermines Mc Cain now that his campaign in sinking. This is a hard blow especially at a time when Mc Cain needs all the endorsement he can get to rally his base.Powell is a well respected man and the world already forgives him for his part is selling this war, they know his hands were tied and he had to do this. He will surely be an asset to Obama as far as foreign policy and fighting the two wars the republicans rushed us into.

quote:

Originally posted by SuperMike:
His endorsement came at the right time, it further undermines Mc Cain now that his campaign in sinking. This is a hard blow especially at a time when Mc Cain needs all the endorsement he can get to rally his base.Powell is a well respected man and the world already forgives him for his part is selling this war, they know his hands were tied and he had to do this. He will surely be an asset to Obama as far as foreign policy and fighting the two wars the republicans rushed us into.

Maybe, exactly what are his positions on the wars, he was part of the admin and the person who stood on the podium of the UN and made the case for war. Furthermore, I saw him in some interveiws in Europe, and he sure as hell has never admitted it was a mistake. All he said, well Sadaam was a bad man anyway.

I do believe he gave good reasons for endorsing Obama however, I still question his character and principles, which seem to blow with the wind. He waited until the almost end to take a position, seems he is fishing and hoping for the next job.

Colin Powell would have done better than McCain if he had decided to run. Then again anyone would have done better than McCain.