Powell endorses Obama: financial crisis, the final exam; McCain appears fickle, Obama a steady hand
Tiny URL: http://tinyurl.com/57lz3v
General Colin Powell, the secretary of state for the Bush Administration from 2001 - 2005, today confirmed his endorsement for Barack Obama as the next president of the United States of America.
Powell felt that the recent financial crisis was the final exam that he was looking at for the two candidates. According to the former secretary of state, McCain was unsure on how to deal with economic problem we were having. Almost every day we had a different approach to the problem. I am concerned that he did not have a complete grasp of the economic issues.
Obama on the other hand has displayed steadiness, intellectual curiosity, intellectual knowledge and picked a Vice President, Joe Biden, who is ready to be president. His approach to the finacial crisis is not jumping in and changing every day but showing intellectual vigor.
Another sore point in the McCain bid for presidency, according to Powell, has been the selection of governer Palin.
Now that we have had a chance to watch her for some 7 weeks I don’t believe she is ready to be president of the United States, which is the job of the Vice President. That raised some questions on the judgement that senator McCain made.
Powell also felt troubled by the approach of the republican party and Mr. McCain, that it has become narrower and narrower. Senator Obama at the same time, he felt, is crossing ethnic, racial and generational lines.
Disappointed by McCain and the direction of his campaign, Powell felt unamused by the Bill Ayers controversy that is becoming central in McCain’s campaign vs dealing with real issues plaguing America.
McCain campaign is looking a bit narrow. Also, the party has moved even further to the right and Gov. Palin has indicated a shift further to the right.
On Obama, members of the party have said, “You know that he is a Muslim”. The correct answer is he is not a muslim. He has always been a Christian.
The real question is what is wrong with being a Muslim. We have got to stop polarizing ourselves this way. I am troubled that within the republican party we have these kinds of expressions.
“Which is the president we need now. Which is the individual who serves the needs of the nation for the next period of time. Barack Obama, he is crossing racial and ethnic lines, his ability to inspire, the inclusive nature of the campaign, he is reaching out all across america, because of who he is, his rhetorical abilities, his style and he has both style and substance. He can be the transformational president. These are the reasons why I will be voting for senator barack obama.” - excerpts from his interview on MSNBC
Kudos, Mr. Powell. Now, that’s the kind of “country first” thinking we need to revive our credibility in the world and put America back on the right track. Sadly, McCain has been a “country first” pretender all along.
