Colin Powell Endorses Obama, Attacks McCain's Campaign

Jed Lewison does a devastating montage of Colin's Powell's endorsement yesterday with some of the key examples that he is talking about:



Powell is not just any Republican - he is the most popular Republican in the country. You think McCain had crossover appeal? He's nothing compared to Colin Powell. And not only is Colin Powell a four star general and former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he is also George W. Bush's first Secretary of State. He stained his reputation by helping Bush lead us into the Iraq War, but his endorsement of Obama is a step in the right direction towards redeeming himself.

Obviously, Republican hacks like Rush Limbaugh are now claiming that Colin Powell is a black power militant who only endorsed Obama because he is black. Ridiculous. If Colin Powell was determined to see a black president, he could have run himself in 1996 or 2000, and probably won. He could have endorsed Alan Keyes in 2000, instead of backing McCain and then Bush.

We also have word that Obama is cleaning up on newspaper endorsements, 112-39. Some of the most conservative papers in the country have endorsed Obama, including the Chicago Tribune and the Houston Chronicle.

I think this election is really coming down to the smart people vs. the stupid people. No one in their right mind can think that John McCain and Sarah Palin are the right choice for this moment in our country. Sure, there are loyal Republicans who are holding their nose and voting for McCain simply because of party loyalty, but I have yet to hear a Republican make a convincing case for McCain. And if the Chicago Tribune and the Houston Chronicle and Colin Powell can't bring themselves to support McCain, you know there is something very toxic about his candidacy.

In 2000, plenty of smart people supported George W. Bush because they thought he'd be surrounded with smart people and would govern as a moderate. The Clintons had eight years, now let's let a Republican moderate have a few years. Four years later, in 2004, it was pretty clear that Bush was not a moderate and his policies were damaging the country. Most smart people, including some principled conservatives, tried their best to get John Kerry elected. But plenty of intelligent people either weren't paying enough attention, or engaged in some cognitive dissonance that allowed them to vote for Bush again. He won by the narrowest margin of any incumbent in 100 years.

This year, there is no way to deny the obvious. If you are a smart person, and if you given at least a sliver of attention to the campaign, you know that Barack Obama is the smarter and safer choice. Bush and the Republicans have brought the economy from record surpluses to the brink of ruin. We have two wars with no end in sight. John McCain is a horrible manager running an incompetent smear-based campaign with zero fresh ideas. Barack Obama has inspired millions both here and abroad, he has run a flawless campaign, and he has been steady and calm where McCain has been erratic and reckless.

Barack Obama is young, healthy, energetic. John McCain is old, tired, angry and doesn't look particularly healthy. Obama picked an extremely well-versed policy expert as his VP. John McCain picked a corrupt know-nothing imbecile as his VP. And yes, this last difference is probably the one that could decide the election. Even some of the most rock-ribbed Republicans can't stomach the idea of Sarah Palin becoming president in the midst of this current crisis.

Add it all up, and the choice is obvious. Obama is clearly the person we need as President, while John McCain is a trainwreck and his VP is a nightmare waiting to happen. This election really will come down to whether the smart folks outnumber the dumb ones. Colin Powell and most conservative newspapers are setting aside partisanship and going with the smart choice. It has yet to be seen what the American people will decide, but it bodes poorly for our future if we blow this one.