The Colin Powell Factor
Lawrence O’Donnell speculates today that Colin Powell is ready to endorse. O’Donnell claims that Powell is going to endorse Obama.
There has been speculation about this for many weeks — often spoken of as either a game changer for Obama (this would be more than 3 weeks ago) or as an inoculation for some new river of slime coming from the McCain camp.
Frankly, I’ve always doubted that Powell would get into this enough to actually endorse. He seems content to do whatever it is he is doing (including throwing bombs at BushCo) via proxy which is Colonel Wilkerson. He hasn’t really wanted to get back out and play in the big arena again, and for good reason, I think. But there are alot of people talking about this, so I want to hear what you think. Do you believe that Powell will endorse and if he does, who does he align with and how does that change the next 20 days?
Tags: 2008 Presidential
Tricky question. I’m leaning towards thinking Powell will endorse when he has to – read: a week or so if Obama needs the endorsement. I think Powell is the ace up Obama’s sleeve (to counter an October surprise?), and McCain knows it.
At first I thought “Screw Powell, not jumping in until Obama is ahead.”
But on second thought, if he had endorsed early, Powell would have had to endure some kind of shitstorm/swiftboating from the right wing that would have diluted the impact of the endorsement over time.
But if he endorses late, there will not be enough time to crank up the smear machine. And if they do start hating on Powell, it will only feed into the now-established negativity of the McCain campaign, and drag McCain down even more.
These guys (the Obama campaign) are good.
If there is going to be an excellent time for Powell to endorse it would be when the Reverend Wright crap comes back again. It would definitely change the news cycle for 24 – 48 hours.
A tad late from where I sit.
Better late than never I guess.
As a war criminal and a chief Bush propagandist, Colin Powell (Liar, UN) should slink off in shame for the rest of his life. Obama doesn’t need his endorsement.
We should be careful not to cut our nose off to spite our face. Obama has his base locked up, he’s playing to the middle now. If a Powell endorsement leads to a wider margin of victory I’m all for it.
I think Obama has the Powell and Hagel endorsements as aces up his sleeve. A nuclear option that will be only used when needed. And yes, I think both Powell and Hagel have offered to endorse and Obama said hold off, until it is necessary.
I have stayed out for awhile–but if Colin Powell endorses–it would be the endorsement either side would love to have…but guess who loses? Colin Powell. As a man fiercely protective of his family at this stage in his life, I don’t think he wants to put them in the line of shrapnel that befalls either way. This would be a Holy Grail to capture, and a Holy Hell to endure. I think he would be smart to reap the esteem and deference he already has from all sides. His combat days, he has respectfully retired to being a civil civilian, and my bet is he and Alma would prefer to be under the radar. And don’t we all just love him! However, I am intrigued by an 11th hour “ace up the sleeve”, described earlier..but only if necessary, and truly at the 11th hour. Battle ready–Surprise attack–he’s poised to strike–soldier that he is/was. Just my read.
Curious to all you Powell endorsement seekers – would you like Rove’s endorsement? Rumsfeld’s? Cheney’s? Rice’s?
By the way, JC, there are many who hold him in utter contempt for helping Bush lie us into Iraq.
A1—
I feel Powell was lied to, and used. And he knows it and is angry about it. Does it excuse him? No. He needs to make amends, but he is not ultimately responsible. Rove, Cheney, Bush, Rice, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, etc. are. I can forgive Powell. And endorsing Obama will go a long way towards doing that.
Colin Powell’s endorsement would be very powerful, but Obama has won this election without it.
I can’t stand Powell, but for some reason he is still respected. I think Obama is saving it for a perfect time, assuming Powell is planning to endorse. I actually think Obama has two things up his sleeve – his unbelievable Sept. fundraising haul and perhaps Hagel & Powell.
Hagel is an extreme social conservative – dunno why he’d endorse Obama. You might see him running in 4 years.
Mrs. Hagel endorsed Obama.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/10/07/mrs_hagel_to_endorse_obama.html
A1,
Hagel might not want to belong to this Republican party anymore.
Maybe, and I don’t blame him for that, but I hope that conservative repubs don’t start abandoning their ship and to become Democrats, thus pushing the party to the right. We have too many blue dogs as it is.
I think Powell will endorse McCain. He telegraphed this move by supporting Ted Stevens in court last week. This is McCain’s latest game-changer, as Powell will fit the “reluctant warrior” image that McCain so desperately want to project to independent voters. Powell would then have a good shot at a second chance to clear his reputation as McCain’s Secretary of State. Powell would not be offered SoS in an Obama administration because Powell’s Iraq-War supporting speech before the UN – it would ruin the credibility that Obama wants to establish.
Powell donated the maximum amount to McCain in the summer of 2007. If Powell doesn’t see the corruption in Ted Stevens, he won’t see it in his good friend John McCain either.