Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama

One thing that sorta sucks about being in freak-state Hawaii is that by the time you wake up, all the news has already happened on the East Coast (the East Coast of the Mainland, that is; here in Oahu, if we talk about the east coast we be talkin' 'bout hittin' waves at Waimanalo or Bellows, yeah?). 

Well, maybe that's a good thing. If I catch the 4 p.m. Eastern news roundup on NPR (through iTunes) it's only 10 a.m. Here in Paradise™ so it's a little like seeing into the future. And we don't have to get up at ridiculous times to watch the Sunday morning news shows (yeah, I'm a news junkie). 

Speaking of which, former General Colin Powell, who was President George W. Bush's first secretary of state, has endorsed Senator Obama for president. On NBC's "Meet The Press" with Tom Brokaw he praised Obama as a "transformational figure" and criticized the negative tone of Senator John McCain's campaign (that's the Republican candidate, Obama's opponent, for my readers living in the Magadan Oblast).


The 71-year-old former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (the top position in the US military other than the commander-in-chief him/herself) had some not so nice things to say about Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's qualifications to be president, which helped him make this decision. From the Los Angeles Times:

The retired Army general said that both Obama and McCain were qualified to serve as commander in chief, but not Palin. He also suggested that Obama was better suited to handle the nation's economic problems and build its stature around the world.

"We need a president that will not just continue, even with a new face and some changes and with some maverick aspects, will not just continue basically the policies that we have been following in recent years," said Powell, a longtime Republican who briefly considered seeking his party's presidential nomination in 1996.

Obama himself wasted no time mentioning the endorsement at a rally near Fort Bragg, North Carolina:

Before we begin, I'd like to acknowledge some news that we learned this morning. With so many brave men and women from Fayetteville who are serving in our military, this is a city and a state that knows something about great soldiers. And this morning, a great soldier, a great statesman, a great American has endorsed our campaign for president. I have been honored to have the benefit of his wisdom and his counsel from time to time over the last few years, but today, I am beyond honored -- I am deeply humbled to have the support of Gen. Colin Powell.

General Powell's "unassailable national security credentials" (that's the LAT's description, though I would say his grudging support for Bush-43's ill-fated Iraq war is certainly a smudge on his record, though he really had no choice) help shore up Obama's image as a capable and ready commander-in-chief. 

Powell has made it clear that his support for Obama has nothing to do with both of them being Black. And it is doubtful to me that he is expecting to be included in an Obama-Biden administration (wow, does "Obama-Biden" so look like "Osama bin Laden" if you're not paying attention), given not just his age but also the fact that Obama has so many capable people to choose from. 

I am holding out hope that Obama will choose New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson for a position like Secretary of State. Governor Richardson was far and away my first choice for the Democratic Party nomination. I was an advocate of his candidacy years before he even officially declared he was running, and I voted for him even though he had dropped out of the race by the time the California primary rolled around (the media being in love with Hillary and Barack to the exclusion of all others, even those like Richardson with a much more substantial résumé). He was the only candidate to whom I donated money.

Richardson is not only a capable chief executive (who won re-election with nearly 70% of the vote in a very red state), but he is also a skilled diplomat who has been sent by both Clinton and Bush-43 to political hot spots (including North Korea) because he gets the job done. America needs a capable representative like him on the world stage right now.

Even if Richardson is not chosen for Sec of State, Hillary Clinton would be the next logical choice. She and her husband are favorite American politicos around the world (along with Obama) and with her grasp of global issues she would make a fine Secretary of State as well. My hope, though, is that Richardson is chose for State and she is picked for Health and Human Services so she can spearhead a new health care plan for the Obama administration. 

Maybe Powell or Hillary (or Bill) could serve as US Ambassador to the United Nations. That's an important position (one held by Richardson, too) worthy of someone of their skill and stature. 

Oh, look at me. I'm talking like Obama has already won. And I haven't even decided whether to vote for Obama or withhold my vote in protest against his gratuitous bashing of Korea and Japan on trade issues. 

Above is video of the endorsement. I'm actually amazed at how much I agree with Colin Powell's assessment—positives and negatives—of all the candidates, including McCain and Palin.

Another important thing to come away with from Powell's interview is the part where he talks about the rumors that Obama is a closet Muslim. The answer to the question, "Is Senator Obama a Muslim?" is no. But, Powell says, the real answer is, "So what if he is?"

He then goes on to relate the story of Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan. My description won't do it just, so here it is:

I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards—Purple Heart, Bronze Star—showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross, it didn't have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life. Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourself in this way. And John McCain is as nondiscriminatory as anyone I know. But I'm troubled about the fact that, within the party, we have these kinds of expressions.

UPATE (Tuesday, October 21, 2008):
McClatchy Newspapers offers this story detailing the life and death of Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan.