Colin Powell Officially Endorses Obama (political)

[freshface]

I think Powell would make a good Sec Def. He might get eh Air Force to quite hogging the Defense Budget and rebuild the Army after the debacle in Iraq.
I think the guys will be fragging thier offircers soon.

We had a real good Army then That Idiot Rummy decided that 'we can't have an insurgancy on my watch' and the fertilizer started getting into the ventelation system.

I don't know what your experience is, but I think that morale is too high and the force too professional for "the guys to start fragging their officers."

I think Gates is doing a good job there now, but Powell would also be a good SecDef.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

There's an article in the English language version of Der Spiegel that expresses just how most of us feel about Colin Powell, especially those who served under him.

 

[Lee Chambers]

Powell will have role in Obama administration...

Did I miss the story? The link I followed was about Obama updating Reagan's economics critique. Didn't see anything in it about Powell being a part of his administration.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Did I miss the story? The link I followed was about Obama updating Reagan's economics critique. Didn't see anything in it about Powell being a part of his administration.

Weird... NOW it's about Obama, Clinton campaign together to clinch Florida... lemme look for original...



Okay, I changed it to a different source. That was really really strange.

 

[shereads]

"Fatwahed by the conservative movement"

Another prominent Republican who recently defected is Christopher Buckley, son of William F. Buckley, whose decision forced his resignation as a columnist for the conservative paper founded by his father. Buckley says he was "effectively fatwahed by the conservative movement." Watch your back, Sec. Powell.

From the (UK) Telegraph:

Republican intellectuals turn on John McCain

The Republican Party's intellectual elite is tearing itself apart over John McCain's campaign amid a series of high-profile defections to Barack Obama.

By Tom Leonard in New York
Last Updated: 9:12PM BST 20 Oct 2008

The decision by Colin Powell, a former Republican Secretary of State, to endorse the Democratic contender at the weekend was a serious but not entirely unexpected blow to the McCain cause. Conservative commentators and other party heavyweights have either been jumping ship in recent weeks or at least damaging Republican chances with pointed criticism in print.

Many of them, like Mr Powell, have cited unease over Sarah Palin, Mr McCain's running mate, but pundits say other issues, such as evangelism and the collapse of Wall Street, have fractured unity between moderates and Right-wingers in the party.

Last week alone saw two prominent media conservatives endorse Senator Obama: Michael Smerconish, a radio talk show host, and the novelist Christopher Buckley.
The defection by the son of William Buckley, one of the intellectual founders of modern conservatism, was a particularly embarrassing blow for the Republicans and forced his resignation as a columnist from his father's old magazine, the National Review.

Mr Buckley Jnr, a former speechwriter for President George HW Bush, complained that he had been "effectively fatwahed by the conservative movement". "It's an odd situation, when the founder's son has suddenly become the turd in the punch bowl," he said.

Other conservatives have not gone so far as to endorse Mr Obama outright but have still made their unhappiness plain.

Although it remains a moot point how much notice rank-and-file voters will take of their attacks, the criticism from Republican thinkers has been coming thick and fast.

Peggy Noonan, a former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan, was the first of several conservative pundits to say publicly that she felt betrayed by the choice of Sarah Palin.

Overheard saying "it's over" during a cable news broadcast just after Mrs Palin's selection, she later described the Palin candidacy as a "symptom and expression of a new vulgarisation of American politics ... yes, it is a mark against John McCain".

Kathleen Parker, another National Review columnist, wrote that Mrs Palin was "clearly out of her league" and should step down as the vice-presidential candidate.
Days later, George Will, another influential conservative writer, compared the "Palin bubble" to the dotcom and housing bubbles.

He witheringly compared Mr McCain's stance in the financial crisis to a "flustered rookie playing in a league too high".

Charles Krauthammer, a Washington Post columnist and a leading member of the next generation of neo-conservatives, recently lauded Mr Obama's "first class intellect and a first class temperament". Such qualities "will likely be enough to make him president", he added.

Newspapers have also switched sides, including the Chicago Tribune, which endorsed Mr Obama last week, the first time the paper has backed a Democrat in its 161-year history.

Michael Barone, a conservative political analyst, admitted that Gen Powell's defection could help bolster Mr Obama's foreign policy credentials. But he questioned whether any of the other defections and attacks would have much impact on the election.

He admitted that they did signal significant rifts in the Republican party, adding: "Even if John McCain wins, the Republican party and the conservative movement are obviously open for some reappraisal."

"Clearly, there's some re-thinking to do. The Republican party is not in good shape."

 

[sr71plt]

Recently Nancy Reagan was heard to say she liked Obama (said he reminded him of "her Ronnie"--politically, I assume). And after that she fell down and broke her pelvis. Do you suppose that maybe she was pushed? (Just kidding.)

 

[shereads]

Recently Nancy Reagan was heard to say she liked Obama (said he reminded him of "her Ronnie"--politically, I assume). And after that she fell down and broke her pelvis. Do you suppose that maybe she was pushed? (Just kidding.)

Shot from a helicopter with a tranquilizer dart.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Colin Powell is another Messiah no one remembers.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Colin Powell is another Messiah no one remembers.

Better that than a false Messiah that people do remember, like Hitler.

Both men do have a certain self-induced Messianic complex.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Colin Powell is another Messiah no one remembers.

Spoken like a true civilian . . .

 

[Safe_Bet]

Spoken like a true civilian . . .

Proposed correction: "Spoken like a true troll. . ."

 

[shereads]

Latest conservative Republican to endorse Obama: the family of Barry Goldwater.

Yes, that Barry Goldwater. Seriously.

Why McCain Has Lost Our Vote

"Being Barry Goldwater's granddaughter and living in Arizona, one would assume that I would be voting for our state's senator, John McCain. I am still struck by certain 'dyed in the wool' Republicans who are on the fence this election, as it seems like a no-brainer to me.

"Myself, along with my siblings and a few cousins, will not be supporting the Republican presidential candidates this year. We believe strongly in what our grandfather stood for: honesty, integrity, and personal freedom, free from political maneuvering and fear tactics. I learned a lot about my grandfather while producing the documentary, Mr. Conservative Goldwater on Goldwater. Our generation of Goldwaters expects government to provide for constitutional protections. We reject the constant intrusion into our personal lives, along with other crucial policy issues of the McCain/Palin ticket.

"My grandfather (Paka) would never suggest denying a woman's right to choose. My grandmother co-founded Planned Parenthood in Arizona in the 1930's, a cause my grandfather supported. I'm not sure about how he would feel about marriage rights based on same-sex orientation. I think he would feel that love and respect for ones privacy is what matters most and not the intolerance and poor judgment displayed by McCain over the years. Paka respected our civil liberties and passed on the message that that we should conduct our lives standing up for the basic freedoms we hold so dear.

"For a while, there were several candidates who aligned themselves with the Goldwater version of Conservative thought. My grandfather had undying respect for the U.S. Constitution, and an understanding of its true meanings.

"There always have been a glimmer of hope that someday, someone would "race through the gate" full steam in Goldwater style. Unfortunately, this hasn't happened, and the Republican brand has been tarnished in a shameless effort to gain votes and appeal to the lowest emotion, fear. Nothing about McCain, except for maybe a uniform, compares to the same ideology of what Goldwater stood for as a politician. The McCain/Palin plan is to appear diverse and inclusive, using women and minorities to push an agenda that makes us all financially vulnerable, fearful, and less safe.

"When you see the candidate's in political ads, you can't help but be reminded of the 1964 presidential campaign of Johnson/Goldwater, the 'origin of spin', that twists the truth and obscures what really matters. Nothing about the Republican ticket offers the hope America needs to regain it's standing in the world, that's why we're going to support Barack Obama. I think that Obama has shown his ability and integrity.

"After the last eight years, there's a lot of clean up do. Roll up your sleeves, Senators Obama and Biden, and we Goldwaters will roll ours up with you."

-- CC Goldwater

 

[Safe_Bet]

Latest conservative Republican to endorse Obama: the family of Barry Goldwater.

Yes, that Barry Goldwater. Seriously.

WOW! Hello moderate / Regan Republicans. Come on down!

 

[voluptuary_manque]

WOW! Hello moderate / Regan Republicans. Come on down!

Ah did. It happened th' way Ah allus feart. The goldernt Neo-Nazi wing done took over th' Party so Ah'm checkin' out.

 

[epiphany65]

(CNN) — Scott McClellan, the former White House press secretary who sharply criticized President Bush in his memoir last spring, told CNN Thursday he's voting for Barack Obama.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

 

[Guest]

(CNN) — Scott McClellan, the former White House press secretary who sharply criticized President Bush in his memoir last spring, told CNN Thursday he's voting for Barack Obama.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

After that book, I would have been very surprised if he'd voted for McCain.

 

[shereads]

(CNN) — Scott McClellan, the former White House press secretary who sharply criticized President Bush in his memoir last spring, told CNN Thursday he's voting for Barack Obama.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

That sucks any way you look at it.

 

[shereads]

Ah did. It happened th' way Ah allus feart. The goldernt Neo-Nazi wing done took over th' Party so Ah'm checkin' out.

Welcome to the Dark Side. In no time at all, we'll have you hating Freedom and palling around with terrorists.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Welcome to the Dark Side. In no time at all, we'll have you hating Freedom and palling around with terrorists.

Palling around with? I 'R' wun. I had a commander who used to introduce me to other officers as his terrorist-in-chief.

 

[shereads]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but you don't have to change parties to vote with us. You can join "Republican for Obama." I found this at their website. It confirmed my suspicion that there are thinking Republicans.

Republicans and Conservatives Endorsing Barack
Fri, 10/17/2008 - 12:45am — John Martin

As we wait for Hagel's endorsement, here's a recap of some of the biggest Republicans, Republicans-turned-independents, and conservatives who have come out to support Barack for President.

If you know of any we've missed, please let us know!

Elected Officials:

Jim Leach, Former Congressman from Iowa

"For me, the national interest comes before party concerns, particularly internationally. We do need a new direction in American policy, and Obama has a sense of that."

Lincoln Chafee, Former United States Senator from Rhode Island

"As I look at the candidates in order who to vote for, certainly my kind of conservatism was reflected with Senator Obama, and those points are that we're fiscally conservative, we care about revenues matching expenditures, we also care about the environment, I think it's a traditional conservative value to care about clean air and clean water."

Wayne Gilchrest, Congressman from Maryland

"We can't use four more years of the same kind of policy that's somewhat haphazard, which leads to recklessness."

Richard Riordan, Former Mayor of Los Angeles

"I'm still a Republican, but I still will always vote for the person who I think will do the best job."

Lowell Weicker, Former Governor and Senator from Connecticut

"At issue is not the partisan politics of two parties, rather the image we have of ourselves as Americans. Senator Obama brings wisdom, kindness, and common sense to what is both his and our quest for a better America."

Jim Whitaker, Fairbanks, Alaska Mayor

"If we are as a nation concerned with energy, then our consideration should be a national energy policy that is not predicated on crude oil 50 years into the future. We need to get to it, and I think Barack Obama is very clear in that regard."

Linwood Holton, Former Governor of Virginia

"Obama has a brain, and he isn't afraid to use it."

Government Officials:

Colin Powell, Secretary of State under Bush 43

"...he has met the standard of being a sucessful president, being an exceptional president. I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming into the world-- onto the world state, onto the American stage, and for that reason I'll be voting for Senator Barack Obama."

Douglas Kmiec, Head of the Office of Legal Counsel under Reagan & Bush 41

"I was first attracted to government by Ronald Reagan, who lives in our national memory as a great leader and an inspiring communicator. Senator Obama has these gifts as well, but of course, more rhetorical flourish without substance would be worth little. Is there more to Senator Obama? I believe there is."

Jackson M. Andrews, Republican Counsel to the U.S. Senate

"Barack Obama is a thoughtful visionary leader who as President will end the decline of American law, liberty, and fiscal responsibility that are the hallmarks of the extremist policies of the current Administration, now adopted by John McCain."

Susan Eisenhower, Granddaughter of President Eisenhower & President of the Eisenhower Group

"Given Obama's support among young people, I believe that he will be most invested in defending the interests of these rising generations and, therefore, the long-term interests of this nation as a whole."

Francis Fukuyama, Advisor to President Reagan

"...Obama probably has the greatest promise of delivering a different kind of politics."

Rita Hauser, Former White House intelligence advisor under George W. Bush

"McCain will continue the wrong-headed foreign policy decisions of Bush, while Obama will take us in a new direction."

Larry Hunter, Former President Reagan Policy Advisor

"I suspect Obama is more free-market friendly than he lets on. He taught at the University of Chicago, a hotbed of right-of-center thought. His economic advisers, notably Austan Goolsbee, recognize that ordinary citizens stand to gain more from open markets than from government meddling."

Bill Ruckelshaus, served in the Nixon and Reagan administrations

"I'm not against McCain, I'm for Obama."

Ken Adelman, served in the Ford administration

"The most important decision John McCain made in his long campaign was deciding on a running mate. That decision showed appalling lack of judgment... that selection contradicted McCain's main two, and best two, themes for his campaign-- Country First, and experience counts. Neither can he credibly claim, post-Palin pick."

Lilibet Hagel, Wife of Republican Senator Chuck Hagel

"This election is not about fighting phantom issues churned out by a top-notch slander machine. Most important, it is not about distracting the public-- you and me-- with whatever slurs someone thinks will stick."

Columnists and Academics:

Jeffrey Hart, National Review Senior Editor

"It turns out that these political parties are not always either liberal or conservative, Democratic or Republican. The Democrat, under certain conditions, can be the conservative."

Andrew Bacevich, Professor of International Relations at Boston University

"For conservatives, Obama represents a sliver of hope. McCain represents none at all. The choice turns out to be an easy one."

David Friedman, Economist and son of Milton and Rose Friedman

"I hope Obama wins. President Bush has clearly been a disaster from the standpoint of libertarians and conservatives because he has presided over an astonishing rise in government spending."

Christopher Buckley, Son of National Review founder William F. Buckley & former NR columnist

"Obama has in him-- I think, despite his sometimes airy-fairy 'We are the people we have been waiting for' silly rehtoric-- the potential to be a good, perhaps even great leader. He is, it seems clear enough, what the historical moment seems to be calling for."

Andrew Sullivan, Columnist for the Atlantic Monthly

"Obama's legislative record, speeches, and the way he has run his campaign reveal, I think, a very even temperament, a very sound judgment, and an intelligent pragmatism. Prudence is a word that is not inappropriate to him."

Wick Alison, Former publisher of the National Review

"I made the maximum donation to John McCain during the primaries, when there was still hope he might come to his senses. But I now see that Obama is almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history."

Michael Smerconish, Columnist for the Philadelphia Enquirer

"...an Obama presidency holds the greatest chance for unifying us here at home and restoring our prestige around the globe."

 

[Stella_Omega]

And in smaller venues...
Minnesota congresswoman's McCarthyite comments raise money for her Democrat opponent

 

[slyc_willie]

And in smaller venues...
Minnesota congresswoman's McCarthyite comments raise money for her Democrat opponent

I wonder if comments like this -- and there have been similar, though less notable, versions in local Texas elections -- are spurred by a misguided presumption of what Conservative America really wants to say, or by an accurate one?

Prejudice is just under the skin, as they say. And, no, I'm not talking racial prejudice in this instance. Just prejudice against established belief.

Hell, what could be more American than to disagree with the government?

 

[JackLuis]

Too Professional?

I don't know what your experience is, but I think that morale is too high and the force too professional for "the guys to start fragging their officers."

I think Gates is doing a good job there now, but Powell would also be a good SecDef.

---------------------------
Read the other day of a "Fragging" case being court martialed in ? Ft. Hood/Benning or Bragg. The Professional Army is getting pretty weak now with all the marginal people they are letting in just to keep the ranks filled. Recruiting has been down for a long time.

It took four years in Nam for the grunts to start reacting to the ring knockers who were out to 'get thier tickets punched' and make the next promotion list. The guys now are a lot better than the draftee's of 1969, but it is just a matter of time for the Army to react to the hopless task of liberating Iraq for the oil concession. If McSame comes in there will be a lot of fragging.

 

[rgraham666]

Sigh. I was afraid that would start happening.

I'm surprised it took this long.

 

[freshface]

---------------------------
Read the other day of a "Fragging" case being court martialed in ? Ft. Hood/Benning or Bragg. The Professional Army is getting pretty weak now with all the marginal people they are letting in just to keep the ranks filled. Recruiting has been down for a long time.

It took four years in Nam for the grunts to start reacting to the ring knockers who were out to 'get thier tickets punched' and make the next promotion list. The guys now are a lot better than the draftee's of 1969, but it is just a matter of time for the Army to react to the hopless task of liberating Iraq for the oil concession. If McSame comes in there will be a lot of fragging.

Only four soldiers have been charged with killing a fellow soldier since 2003. Out of the hundreds of thousands who have been over there, that's not exactly a trend. Fragging such as they had in Vietnam is simply not happening in this war.

You really can't compare the two wars when it comes to the troops. In Vietnam you had draftees who were forced to serve and you had an Army system that rotated officers into a unit for six months at a time. The units were more permanently deployed, so you had people rotating in and out all the time. And most of those draftees were very well aware that they were there because they didn't have the money/connections necessary to get a deferment from the draft.

In Iraq today, the Army has moved to a lifecycle deployment system. The goal is to have all of the people in place a year before the deployment happens and then to deploy them as a unit. This means that by the time they hit Iraq, they've been together for a year of training. This is not at all the same as the 2LT showing up in Vietnam two weeks after Officer school and trying to lead battle hardened troops. In today's system, the new officers either learn what they need to know while in garrison or they get fired as leaders before they arrive in Iraq. The more senior officers and NCOs have been there multiple times.

While it's true that the Army is permitting more people to enlist with waivers, that doesn't change the fact that we have a professional force. Everyone who has enlisted since 9/11 has gone in with the certain knowledge that they are going to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan during their time in service. The people who were in in 2003 have all been given the choice since then to get out. Those that are still here are here because they choose to be. Rates of reenlistment are high across the service. Even the heavily deployed units are meeting or exceeding their goals.

The Army is under a great deal of strain right now with the repeat deployments. But the troops on the ground are currently seeing some progress. Iraq is safer for us than it was a year ago. It is no longer routine for US bases to be mortared. Eighteen months ago it was unusual to go a day without multiple attacks. Now an attack is newsworthy. That's not to say that the situation won't change in the future, especially if the Iraqi government continues to behave as it has, but right now, I simply don't see fragging as a problem.

You say "it is just a matter of time for the Army to react to the hopless task of liberating Iraq for the oil concession. If McSame comes in there will be a lot of fragging." I simply don't make the connection. You frag your officer because you really don't like him and/or he's so incompetent he's going to get you killed. For individuals in battle, it's all about who you have around you versus what's happening at the top. No telling what might happen to morale as this drags on, but the people in Iraq are volunteers. There might be some who become disillusioned before their enlistments expire, but they are a small percentage of the whole.