There are rumors that General Colin Powell will endorse Barack Obama for President when he appears on Meet the Press Sunday morning. Read about it below and see a video of the show.
Politics makes strange bedfellows and none may be stranger than an endorsement of Barack Obama by former Secretary of State Colin Powell. No one knows what Powell will actually do, but the rumors are running rampant that he will throw his significant support behind the first term Senator from Illinois, long time presidential candidate and former Community Organizer and attorney for ACORN.
Powell is the not the stereotypical Obama supporter. He is a career military man. He is a long time Republican who rose to positions of power and prestige within the Republican Party. He is a man of great accomplishment who has had a successful and distinguished career. Many hoped he would run for the Republican nomination for the Presidency himself in 1996.
He was a National Security Adviser and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Ronald Reagan. He served as Secretary of State in the first term of the George W. Bush administration. He presented the case for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein to the United Nations. He rose to the rank of four star General in the United States Army through his accomplishments. His military decorations, medals and awards are numerous, including a Purple Heart, Distinguished Service Medals and Silver Star just to name a very few.
On the surface, there is nothing that is readily evident that would link the two men. Colin Powell is a warrior. Barack Obama is not. Powell worked his way through the R.O.T.C. in college to the highest positions in the nation that his military career could take him. He earned his positions through hard work and ability. Obama was selected, courted and groomed through Chicago politics and then onto the national political stage. Powell has honorably and courageously fought enemies of our nation and performed the most noble of duties, commanded men on the field of battle. Obama’s hair turned gray debating Hillary Clinton.
Its truly perplexing that a man like Colin Powell would find Obama’s politics anything he could support.
Apparently, we will find out on Meet the Press Sunday morning what the truth of it will be. We will find out if Powell endorses Obama or if this is just another internet rumor. If he does endorse Obama, it will be interesting to hear what his reasons are for doing so.
If he does endorse Obama, it will be the liberals dream come true.
Colin Powell on Meet the Press – Video
This is a placeholder video that will be replaced
with the video of his 10/19/2008 appearance on
Meet the Press as soon as it is available.
October 18th, 2008 at 4:48 am
What significant support? I cannot see him pulling any significant voting block with him. The military? Nope. I’m former Air Force and I can tell you for a fact that the military is not waiting on Powell to lead them. He’s old news there. The final 1% of blacks who don’t vote Democrat? Hardly.
He will be good for a news cycle though which will take the heat off of Obama’s Joe the Plumber problem
October 18th, 2008 at 5:07 am
[...] Colin Powell to endorse Obama? This is surprising? What help will he be? Is he going to bring any voting block with him that [...]
October 18th, 2008 at 8:39 am
this sounds like hype to get people to watch. I doubt he will support Obama.
October 18th, 2008 at 9:43 am
So what I am understanding from your blog post is that you don’t understand why someone can support a candidate’s policies without having person reasons for doing so.
October 18th, 2008 at 9:56 am
I just find it curious Joe. It seems like an odd coupling. Do you have any insights about it?
October 18th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
An endorsment from Mr. Powell would sway many undecided supporters into voting for Obama, because of his stature in the military. Even though (unlike Obama) he was for the invasion of Iraq, at least Powell’s plan of an overwhelming force would have worked and we’d be out of there victoriously. The Bush administration chose instead the way of Rumsfeld which was totally the wrong approach.
October 18th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
“An endorsment from Mr. Powell would sway many undecided supporters into voting for Obama, because of his stature in the military.”
Nope, I don’t see it. Most undecideds probably don’t even know who he is anymore.
October 18th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Colin powell rose to the highest ranks for some reasons, would make an interesting story to read. But he only had two combat tours up to the captain’s level in Vietnam, and outside of that he had a beaurcratic career. He worked with bush sr. who by nature was much more cautious and diplomatic and at a time we had a bigger army with a first rate general and all the administrations advisors said to not march on bagdag but to get out. So he was really part of a machine that did pretty well for its time, but I don’t think he was really the one calling the shots. He has an interest in promoting black issues of a more conservative nature and he doesn’t see obama as some crazy ayer’s radical, but more a left of center centrist of the times with black and white credentials. I don’t think either of the bush administrations were fond at all of mccain and must have complained a lot privately of having to deal with the senator. Its no surpirse that powell woould not be a mccain supporter, and no surpise either for him to now be tired of the same old republican burn politics(as in the UN anthrax speech,(that ruined his career) so he’s going obama’s way.
October 18th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
If he endorses, the main value is that it takes over the news cycle for a day or two and forces McCain to react, so it helps Obama, which isn’t what McCain needs with about 3 weeks left in the race.
WRT to why he’d do it, look at why Conservative newspapers, columnists, and radio hosts are coming out for Obama – Sarah Palin.
October 18th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
My husband is career military, and I can tell you the only ones in the military who will go for Obama are already counted in the black voting block. No one else we know would ever vote Obama–not when they are putting their necks out there on the battlefield. No one is going to give a crap about Powell in the military. The real conservatives already think he’s not one of them, and many people will see it as a race based move. Most of the thinking people will be vote based on issues not endorsements, and most of the non-thinking people have already committed to Obama.
October 18th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Everything that Colin Powell did his entire career was negated when he got up in front of the UN and lied. This is how history will remember Colin Powell. As a cheap hack. As a liar.
Read his speech.
October 18th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
I see this site spurns free speech..what happen to my post?
Jamie.. I am sure if he he supports McCain your words would be different.. funny how you would disrespect a hero and say only reason military voters voting for Obama is because they are black. Way to push the sterotype there Jamie..
I know few older vets, and younger military (home from Iraq) and of course the military leans republican but to say only blacks in the military will vote for Obama is ignorant..
if you would of read my post..before it was erased (must have Cheaney rep working on this site) I said if Powell does back Obama it would not help carry any big block..
but could help with some undecided military voters who might not be sure about McCain..
but Powell does not sway any voters to turn from McCain.. just a reinforcer for Obama
October 18th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
what if you really don’t believe in the iraq war and want a way to get our army out of that desert? That doesn’t make you nonthinking. It was bush who wasn’t doing the thinking unless your one of those who subscribe to the theory they used it as an al queda black hole so suck them in so they could kill them. To me that’s the only theory that makes iraq work, but its proabably a stretch. But I am very concerned about our army being trapped in the middle of the middle east. I would like to see it come safely home, of course Iraq stabilize and work as the country we theorized it could be, but either way we need to rebuild our forces and capability for a dangerous world. For myself I would enlarge our combat army by 100,000 and the marines by 20,000 more and rebuild our aging airforce and develop more lighter quick ships for our navy with better cruise missle defenses. In addition better compensation for our miltiary people, their families, and a serious leap in their after service health care. I do mean spending some real money here and to upgrade all their insurances and disabilities. We can afford to spend another 1-2 percent of our gnp on our military as we were at about 4 percent before all this hit, and in the cold war build up we were at about 6 percent. Also we need to develop our recovery capability in case of wmd’s much beyond the little we did after 911 and get the general population much more involved. I don’t know what if anything obama plans to do on this, but biden must be well aware of the foreign threats we face.
October 18th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Colonitis Powel is the Jerk who advised Bush-the first to stop Gulf War-the first before capturing Saddam, thereby making Gulf War-the second possible. After that I lost any respect for him, and my opinion of him has only been going down since them.
October 19th, 2008 at 1:06 am
TRO Hellew….TRO…where have you been?….joe the plumber is a fake, unlicensed, contractor…who owes on his taxes….a failed attempt and ploy from the repubs….looks like it backfired,buddy….where have you been?? duh….try again.
October 19th, 2008 at 2:02 am
yeah the whole joe the plummer thing is a real phoney disapointment. how can the candidates dangle this piece of malarkie to the american people and just walk away like nothing happened? disappointing plus.
October 19th, 2008 at 2:54 am
be-un-n-formed. How can you participate in smearing a guy who just had the temerity to ask a candidate for the Presidency a question? Its despicable what the left is doing to this guy. If Obama is threatened by a ‘regular Joe’ who asked him a question and has to try to destroy him for it – he hasn’t got any business being President.
October 19th, 2008 at 5:09 am
BTW, Barry down to a three point lead in the new Reuters poll. Joe the Plumber is having an impact. Bet on it.
October 19th, 2008 at 5:24 am
Powell endorsed Obama just now. It was honest, direct, insightful and passionately to the point.
12 days to a new morning in America….
October 19th, 2008 at 5:31 am
You guys are blaming the left.. but McCain is the one that brought him up 21 times, and made him the new centerpiece of his campaign…
Again McCian did not vet a person which is key to his campaign..
so not blame the media for the bum not paying taxes, I am sure he will be covered..
Joe would of gone on with his normal life if it was not for McCain..
I thought polls do not matter LOL.. funny how you guys only look at polls when it helps you.. Rueters has been close ever since they came out with it last week.. 3-5 points all week.. so it has been consistent, but this race was always going to be close nationally, it is the states wher it matters..
October 19th, 2008 at 5:33 am
Speaking of Meet the Press.. I miss Tim Russert, he just had a way of asking questions.. Brokaw can not hold Russert’s jock strap….
October 19th, 2008 at 6:02 am
The floodgates are open. First 150 million in new donations, a combined 175,000 spectators at rallies in Missouri and Kansas City, now this endorsement. I’m sensing a landslide.
October 19th, 2008 at 6:06 am
Saying that, either President will not have a panacea against the problems America will have to surmount in the coming years. It will take a lot of dedication and sacrifice. There is a strong likelyhood that this is going to be a one-term presidency.
October 19th, 2008 at 6:56 am
I arrived late to my american legion post meeting yesterday and noticed about half the cars had Obama stickers, about a third had mccain. the rest had nothing.
I believe there was a report out recently showing that Obama had far more donations from military personnel than McCain.
And now that Bush has proposed giving Iraq the ability to prosecute US troops, you can expect McCain to lose even more GOP support unless he strongly comes out against the agreement.
October 19th, 2008 at 6:57 am
BTW, Barry down to a three point lead in the new Reuters poll. Joe the Plumber is having an impact. Bet on it.
Rasmussen has him widening his lead to 6 this morning.