Print

Please post once and this message will disappear! Introduce yourself, say hello, jump into a discussion...

[prfsr]

Wonderful speech. Excerpts

“I don’t believe [Palin] is ready to be president of the United States,” Powell said flatly. By contrast, Obama’s running mate, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, “is ready to be president on day one.”

Powell also said he was “troubled” by Republican personal attacks on Obama, especially false intimations that Obama was Muslim and Republicans’ recent focus on Obama’s alleged connections to William Ayers, the founder of the radical ’60 Weather Underground.

Stressing that Obama was a lifelong Christian, Powell denounced Republican tactics that he said were insulting not only to to Obama but also to Muslims.

“The really right answer is what if he is?” Powell said, praising the contributions of millions of Muslim citizens to American society.

“I look to these kind of approaches to the campaign, and they trouble me,” Powell said.
“O ver the last seven weeks, the approach of the Republican Party has become narrower and narrower.”

See video at
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27265369

[WicketView]

Amazing. Does this mean that there are now enough 'conservatives' to warrant a change in the thrust of the present republican party? Could we see a major shift in stance over the next few years?

[vincent]

Brilliant. In just a few minutes he has analyzed the whole situation better than most journalists in hundreds of pages and thousands of hours of TV discussions.

[prfsr]

Amazing. Does this mean that there are now enough 'conservatives' to warrant a change in the thrust of the present republican party? Could we see a major shift in stance over the next few years?

Nope. Powell was a marginal conservative as was McCain pre 2004. The military guys (these two + Wes Clark) tend to be pretty balanced guys. They do not gel with the hard right. The right is going (or trying to go) far right - they idolize Palin and similar types, apparently.

Already people are discounting Powell as racially motivated and so on.

My gut feeling is Powell is going to get a high post in an Obama administration if Obama is elected.

[vincent]

Yes. But also, I hope, Wes Clarke . just to avoid any feelings about racial bias. These two guys seem to be so good copmared to their poilitician counterparts like Palin & co.

[CLR James]

Amazing. Does this mean that there are now enough 'conservatives' to warrant a change in the thrust of the present republican party? Could we see a major shift in stance over the next few years?

Nope. Powell was a marginal conservative as was McCain pre 2004. The military guys (these two + Wes Clark) tend to be pretty balanced guys. They do not gel with the hard right. The right is going (or trying to go) far right - they idolize Palin and similar types, apparently.

Already people are discounting Powell as racially motivated and so on.

My gut feeling is Powell is going to get a high post in an Obama administration if Obama is elected.

Probably an important ambassadorship; not a cabinet post. Powell himself would perhaps want that.

[LosingNow]

Hmm.. looks like the "house nigger" is trying to atone for his past indiscretions (Bush's torchbearer at the UN and the one who made the "convincing" presentation to go to war in Iraq) and is coming home now !!

--
Before you jump on me for calling him a derogatory term .. please google "house nigger belafonte"

[prfsr]

Hmm.. looks like the "house nigger" is trying to atone for his past indiscretions (Bush's torchbearer at the UN and the one who made the "convincing" presentation to go to war in Iraq) and is coming home now !!

--
Before you jump on me for calling him a derogatory term .. please google "house nigger belafonte"

Not a nice thing to say (Belafonte, not WN).

[WicketView]

Amazing. Does this mean that there are now enough 'conservatives' to warrant a change in the thrust of the present republican party? Could we see a major shift in stance over the next few years?

Nope. Powell was a marginal conservative as was McCain pre 2004. The military guys (these two + Wes Clark) tend to be pretty balanced guys.
They do not gel with the hard right. The right is going (or trying to go) far right - they idolize Palin and similar types, apparently.

Already people are discounting Powell as racially motivated and so on.

My gut feeling is Powell is going to get a high post in an Obama administration if Obama is elected.

Powell may have been a moderate in the Bush administration. But, he did give that speech. He did choose to be a republican. And he is not the only one ... you may have noticed that changing trend in newspapers, as well as some conservatives dissing the McCain ticket. This is a turnaround.

So, if McCain can pull it off, then the current hard right stance will be continued. Otherwise, they will have reposition themselves for survival ... because it would be clear that the hard right way won't work.

[pipsqueak]

Hmm.. looks like the "house nigger" is trying to atone for his past indiscretions (Bush's torchbearer at the UN and the one who made the "convincing" presentation to go to war in Iraq) and is coming home now !!

--
Before you jump on me for calling him a derogatory term .. please google "house nigger belafonte"

how CHEAP a remark!

[dextrous]

Hmm.. looks like the "house nigger" is trying to atone for his past indiscretions (Bush's torchbearer at the UN and the one who made the "convincing" presentation to go to war in Iraq) and is coming home now !!

--
Before you jump on me for calling him a derogatory term .. please google "house nigger belafonte"

"coming home" WTF?

[LosingNow]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/3ZKoSDazgf4&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/3ZKoSDazgf4&rel=0</a>

[vincent]

As Foreign affairs Secretary we was (and he had to) represent the views of Bush and Cheney. Personally of course he was the most moderate of all the bloodhounds in the white house, the reason for which he had to go.

[LosingNow]

As Foreign affairs Secretary we was (and he had to) represent the views of Bush and Cheney.

In other words, Belafonte is right (poor choice of words and language notwithstanding).. he will not rock the boat even when he has the power to do so!

BTW, what was that about HRC's poor judgement for trusting administration's intelligence on Iraq and voting for authorizing the war .. and now the same campaign is going ga ga over the endorsement of the same man whose key evidence & presentation provided the clinching comfort to those voting for the Iraq war not only in the congress but in the UN Security council

[WicketView]

As Foreign affairs Secretary we was (and he had to) represent the views of Bush and Cheney.

In other words, Belafonte is right (poor choice of words and language notwithstanding).. he will not rock the boat even when he has the power to do so!

BTW, what was that about HRC's poor judgement for trusting administration's intelligence on Iraq and voting for authorizing the war .. and now the same campaign is going ga ga over the endorsement of the same man whose key evidence & presentation provided the clinching comfort to those voting for the Iraq war not only in the congress but in the UN Security council

You have a point, (In fact I was expecting to see McCain ask why he is thought as Bush, when the Bush administration people are joining Obama. Maybe he already has said it, but I have not come across it yet), even though these are quite different things. HRC's vote was used as an example of 'poor judgement'. Powel's endorsement is significant more as an indictment on the present republican ticket, in that a prominent person who identified himself as republican, served multiple republican administrations is now moving to the democrat side. He is however not looking at the president/VP office, so his judgement is not significant.

Personally I have a different take on the original 'poor judgement'. I think HRC voted for the war because she already knew that she would be running soon. And at that point it seemed like a necessity to stay in mainstream politics. Almost any other politician (Yeah I know about Dean) would have done the same. The tide changed since then and he used it to his advantage. Simple and clear as that.