On NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday, Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama for president. The endorsement alone was enough to be worth preserving and replaying by Obama fans.
More important, however, was Powell’s explanation of why he is supporting Obama:
The best thing Colin Powell could have done for Obama would have been to not endorse him. I still cannot forgive him for lying to the entire world that Iraq had WMDs. He has lost all credibility with independent voters like myself. If Obama picks this liar to be his Secretary of State, I will be pissed. Such a disgrace.
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I disagree with you about Powell. I don’t think he lied; I think he was lied to. He worked for Bush, and Bush told him to go out there and talk to the UN and tell them A, B, and C. At that time, Powell thought what he was saying was the truth. He was lied to and misled by the Bush administration. Not long after that he resigned, an honorable man fed up with with the dirt and deceit of politics.
Whatever happens to fact checking? Powell should have done a better job to make sure all the facts were correct. He was one of the top officials in the executive branch; his actions carried a lot of weights. Based on your logic, the guy was definitely not qualified to be Secretary of State. Naivete is even worser than dishonesty.
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He has said in interviews that he was as deceived by the intelligence as everyone else in Washington. He believed what he was saying was true. Bush actually knew the truth and twisted it (lied about it, misrepresented it) because he was determined to invade Iraq and take out Hussein. He just needed an excuse, and the faulty intelligence gave it to him.
You know, I’m not a fan of either candidate. But I really admire Powell for being able to go against the grain of his party and do what he thinks is right. If Powell had run, I would have voted for him. 🙂
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I’d have voted for him in a heartbeat. But I sure can’t blame a smart, decent man for deciding NOT to run for president. He’s seen Washington from the inside and decided he’d had enough — further testament to his good sense. Also, as I recall, his wife was concerned about his safety if he ran.