Colin Powell's endorsement

my first reaction to the news this was coming down was to remember his shameful action at the UN with scarey tubes and cartoon drawings.

and the image of him with john negroponte and robert mueller sitting behind him, as he lied to the UN and the world, will always be with me.


he is one of many responsible for the horror of an unnecessary, illegal and immoral war. over 1,000,000 human lives have been ended, over 4,000,000 humans have become refugees. millions of humans suffer physical and mental anguish as a result of this horror. their lives have been changed forever. i hold colin powell partially responsible. i've heard he disagreed with the administration. if this was so he should never have shilled for them at the UN. he could have resigned and spoken out. he didn't. he participated in the criminal activity of preemptive war perpetrated in our name.

all that stands in my mind, but the fact he came out to be trashed and thrown under the bus by his buddies on the right and the eloquence he expressed in calling us to end the "us and them" rhetoric that is poisoning our public discourse helps me not feel completely negative about him. i know there are many who still respect him and will be moved by his endorsement.

David Sirota sums it up here for me.....

..............As a journalist, it sickens me that our power-worshiping press corps refuses to report the basic facts of Powell's record (though I give CNN's John Roberts credit - he made this point explicitly this morning). Really - once the Establishment graces a figure with the aura of "credibility," is there anything that figure can do (say, lead us into a war based on lies) to have that "credibility" revoked?

That said, as a progressive, I don't fault Obama for trying to capitalize on those fabricated memes about Powell, and use them in the context of the campaign. He's got 15 days until the election, and any short-term boost is a good thing.

What I worry about is the day after the election. I am concerned about a President Obama internalizing that Establishment fantasy about Colin Powell the Serious and Credible Voice - and ignoring the actual fact-based story about Colin Powell, the Most Discredited Foreign Policy Voice In Contemporary American History. We don't need another president who refuses to live in the "reality-based world" - we need a president who matches his campaign promises on critical issues like the Iraq War with an understanding of which voices will be the most reliable in making those promises a reality. full post

i liked Mary Shaw's characterization ......i would like to be able to feel as positive as she.

Powell's Endorsement: Redemption, Race, or Revenge?
by Mary Shaw

her conclusion......
I maintain hope that many in this country will see Powell's endorsement as I do -- a non-racial, no-agenda attempt to now do the right thing for this nation. And I sincerely hope that Powell will find peace with himself.
full post