Powell Whacks Limbaugh And Republicans For Calling Sotomayor Racist

Colin Powell, who hails from the same Bronx neighborhood as Sonia Sotomayor, said on Sunday that the Supreme Court nominee was of a "liberal bent of mind," but not so much that it would be "disqualifying" to her confirmation prospects.

In his appearance on CNN's "State of the Union," the former Secretary of State saved his sharpest jabs for the Republicans who have painted Sotomayor as a racist.

"She ought to be asked about everything from both the left and the right," said Powell, who endorsed Barack Obama towards the end of the presidential campaign. "What we can't continue to have is to have somebody like a Judge Sotomayor, who is announced, and based on one simple, tricky, but nonetheless case that the Supreme Court has now decided, have her called a racist, a reverse racist, and she ought to withdraw her nomination because we're mad at her."

Powell expressed relief that the GOP senators who sit on the Judiciary Committee, "after a few days of this kind of nonsense," decided to drop the Sotomayor-as-racist frame. But he would go on to argue that the Republican Party still had a major problem when it came to reaching out to minority voters. In the process, Powell took what seemed clear to be a jab at radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh for some of his more inflammatory rhetoric.

"If you look at the results of the election last fall, and make a judgment on the basis of how the party did with respect to the Hispanic vote and the African-American vote, realizing that President Obama, candidate Obama had a significant advantage with those constituencies, we haven't done well enough," he said. "And when you have non-elected officials, such as we have in our party, who immediately shout racism, or somebody who is quite prominent in the media says that the only basis upon which I could possibly have supported Obama was because he was black and I was black, even though I laid out my judgment on the candidates, then we still have a problem."

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Comments

[Afolabi70]

Colin Powell is a RINO. A Republican in name only. He is for affirmative action, he is for public education and he is against military adventurism, most of the time. He needs to figure out which side he sits on. He was smart to bail out of the Bush administration when he did. His main problem is he is trying to reason why a party run by raving lunatics. The party is taking orders from Rush Limbaugh, a man who blamed Mark Sanford's affair on President Obama.

[hhayden]

Why would anyone take orders from a radio commontater? You are giving him way too much credence. He just reflects what's going on. Does the left get it's marching orders from Oberman?

[ibsteve2u]

Ironic, isn't it, that the Republicans are incapable of accepting the idea of differing life experiences among differing peoples, when their every move is coldly calculated to exclude the many and limit the wealth that America can provide to the few - the few who happen to be, predominantly, mighty white?

And what limits and modifies life experiences in America more than the presence or absence of wealth?

[patcoghm]

Powell also stated this about those white firefighte­r.........­...

Colin Powell attacks critics of Sotomayor.........
But he said the federal appeals court judge, who would be the first Hispanic justice, shouldn't be condemned for ruling against white firefighters who contended they suffered reverse discrimination.

The words, WHITE and contended are spin...
The court sided with the _____ firefighters and said they suffered reverse discrimination. PERIOD. Did they use the word white firefighters or is this a spin by Colon that injects racist words into the reason for the approval or disapproval of Sonia Sotomayor for the supreme court. I'm disappointed in Powell for again flip flopping thru the political hoop, kissing both sides but joining arms with his race before joining arms with the people of this country and allowing Sotomayor to stand on her record as it should be.

[Bumpkins]

I read the article, but I did not see any reference to
white,,,where was it ????????? Sometimes bumpkins like me have to read the article many times....sorry.

[hhayden]

There is no such thing a reverse discrimination. There is just plain discrimination. If it's wrong for a white person to say something it's wrong for a black person to say it as well.

[Boron]

Republicans can't think any farther, they're mired in their own sh*t.

[hhayden]

What does that even mean?

[Bumpkins]

Hi .......do not know, do not want to know....maybe it is what it is????????­??????????­????

[Bumpkins]

General Powell did a good job in reminding the members of the Republican Party to not go the extreme Right.....that is one sure way to ailenate many many people.....

[hhayden]

Same for the exterme left who has hijacked the democrat party.

[Bardmess]

The GOP hasn't done well because the GOP ideology has brought us here. The new conservative party will probably emerge from the Blue Dogs. Maybe the time has come. The surviving GOPers sound like they love their party more than their country. Napolitano was right to warn us and wrong to apologize.

[Bumpkins]

Some good statements.....The Gop'ers always want less Govt. yet the past Administration became very powerful...with all their signing satements...the Fed. Govt. interferred with our lives to the max.......­monitoring phone calls, e-mails,stopping investigations in New York State over sub prime mortgages for a few.........Where are the States when it comes to regulating their financial institutions...do not the States charter the financial institutio­ns????????­/

[RedPower09]

That's why many Republicans didn't like Bush as a president.

[hhayden]

Sounds like you are talking about democrats. Did you get your parties mixed up? How can Obama love America when he's working so hard to destroy it? His wife was never proud of this country till they elected her meal ticket.

[victor the crab]

^ Citizen of Bizzaro America!

[hhayden]

I'm an arch conservativa and I have almost as little use for the republican party as I do the democrat party. The parties are not the people and do little to represent them on either side.

[Sunnyhorse]

It's the DEMOCRATIC Party, thanks.

[Gainsbourg69]

The problem with these moderate republicans is that they enjoyed the support of these loons and now that they're unpopular they want to distance themselves from them. They kept their mouths shut during the good times and now that the GOP is in shambles they feel the need to kick them when they're down. If I were a con I'd be mad at him too. Wasn't Powell involved in the GOP when the southern strategy was in full effect? If so why did he wait thirty plus years to speak his mind? For the same reason that he kept his mouth shut about Iraq when he knew that the invasion would be a massive blunder. The man has no guts.

[hhayden]

Saying the GOP is in shambles doesn't make it so no matter how often you mutter it. They will eventually come storming back. That's how politics works. McCain, a very weak candidate, gave Obama a run for his money with Obama having the mainstream media in his pocket.

[Richard729]

While Colin Powell criticizes Limbaugh, the best he can say is, "We still have a problem." But, this has been the history of Powell's career. First he wasn't supportive of Bush's Iraq war of choice. Then, after being browbeaten by the fawning loyalists Powell capitulated. He took Bush's snake oil to the United Nations and showed a few fuzzy satellite pictures of trucks on the ground in Iraq and declared loudly that those trucks were carrying WMD and other forbidden weapons. After he was used and exploited sufficiently, Bush decided that his prior apostasy could no longer be tolerated. Powell then resigned. Later, in a Time Magazine article, Powell expressed regret for his sorrowful performance at the UN, all but admitting that WMD claims were lies.

Last week, Powell, ever the conciliatory toady Republican, warned President Obama from taking on too many huge issues at the same time. Well, duh! Does Powell expect us all to have permanent amnesia? Prior to Bush's bombing, invasion and occupation of Iraq Powell exclaimed, "You break it, you own it." Apparently that $1 trillion dollar fiasco (and still counting) doesn't qualify as a big issue?

American taxpayers now own Iraq and the gargantuan natiional debt. If Colin Powell doesn't like the Republican Party taking their marching orders from Rush Limbaugh maybe he could do the most honorable thing he's ever done in his life: Quit the GOP and begin backing President Barack Obama in our nation's worst economic collapse in history.

[hhayden]

It is far from the worst collapse in history. Most of that rhetoric came from the Obama fear campaign to clean out the treasury and put us in eternal debt. We are already recovering with only 6% of that money squandered so far. Money he had to have immediately to keep the economy from self destructing with no possibility of recovery.

[Richard729]

No, you got it wrong. This is by all measure in dollars the worst collapse in history. It started in 2007 (though belatedly admitted) and will not ease until 2010. Then, you'll get another chance to put your borrow-and-spend GOP back in congress and see how gullible the American people are.

Personally, I don't think we'll get rolled again, especially after 12 years of Republican incompetence and corruption and 8 years of Bush-Cheney war-mongers and accomplices of the Wall Street swindlers.

[asta1968]

Colin Powell is an island of sanity in a big ocean of crazy!

[hhayden]

If that's true, we are surely doomed as a Nation. What a chilling incitement.

[ladyearth]

Colin Powell, being a statesman, recognized that Barack Obama is also a statesman. Powell also recognized that there are no statesmen (with the possible exception of Jon Huntsman) in the Republican party. The Republicans are politicians. A statesman "is a person who shows wisdom, skill and vision in conducting state affairs and treating public issues ... ." (Webster's). A politician is "a person actively engaged in politics, esp. party politics, professionally or otherwise ... frequently used in a derogatory sense with implications of seeking personal or partisan gain, scheming, opportunism, etc." (Webster's).

[hhayden]

Obama is a snake oil salesmen - but he's good at it. There are no Statesmen in either party. It's like calling a reporter a "journalist" or a lawyer a "barrister".

[WillieLynch]

Rush Limbaugh has a problem with black men it stems from his extreme jealousy of the black male.
For example:
Donavan McNabb
Colin Powell
Michael Steele
Barack Obama

They intensify his feelings of inadequacy, masculinity and his blatant unattractiveness.

[RedPower09]

Keith Olbermann has a problem with women it stems from his extreme jealousy of the woman.
For example:
Ann Coulter
Sarah Palin
Laura Bush

They intensify his feelings of inadequacy, maculinity and his blatant unattractiveness.

But that's different, right?

[WillieLynch]

http://bootynovelbill.blogspot.com/2009/03/rush-limbaugh-on-black-men.html

[Bumpkins]

Yoo hoo bumpkins have to work sometimes, but I am back.....Yes that 70 + plus figure includes all present and retired workers of Gm.....average pay for the auto worker is about 25$ a hour look it up......Oh, I thought aftwer the deductions business can take ...what is left is what is taxed on...like I can take ductions too right, on my taxes Business can take like....right offs for machinery, certain improvments etc.....yes - no????????????????

[Bumpkins]

I do not know..I do not have a degree in that field...so what do Bumpkins know anyway....show me the right path....pl­ease??????­?????

[rinpochet]

Keith Olbermann jealous if these sill inadequate women???? Thanks for the comic relief.

[Grunty1]

[But that's different, right?]

Indeed, since Ann and Sarah are pathetic caricatures of women.

[starkcr31]

This guy should be ashamed to call himself a republican. Seriously, he voted for and endorsed Obama and don't give me that crap that he didn't do it because of the guy's race because that's BS. Why else would he do it? Obama is the most liberal president ever. There's no good reason for Powell to vote or endorse him.

[angrified]

Maybe because he saw Obama as being more capable than McCain with Sarah "quitter" Palin. god knows what things they would've screwed up had they won

[starkcr31]

Obama is less capable for this job than my cat.

[hhayden]

It takes a big person to step down for the good of others. Can't see a democrat doing it.

[nuclearmonkeys]

Amazing how every democratic president is the most liberal one ever.

[starkcr31]

No, not every one, just this one.

[hhayden]

They haven't been. Obama is extraordinary in this regard. Kennedy and Clinton didn't hold a candle to FDR. Only Carter would have given Obama a run for his money in that department and he was a disaster.

[Heru1]

you got one thing right. he should be ashamed to call himself a Republican

[starkcr31]

Yeah, because he isn't one.

[greguva]

"There's no good reason for Powell to vote or endorse him."

You might want to actually view the video of Powell's announcement about his endorsement of Obama to learn the MANY good reasons for his endorsement. Or, you can fall back on your groundless assumptions, since that's a lot less work.

[starkcr31]

If he wants to endorse Obama, more power to him, but don't claim to be a republican if you aren't.

[Harlemnite]

Great point and Powell actually spoke about it for 20 minutes. It wasn't just I endorse Obama it was very eloquent.

[deneufeldt]

No he endorsed Obama because he was smart. The better candidate. Beside Obama is not only a black man. Did you forget his mother is white? He was raised by her and his white grandparents. Color had nothing to do with Collin Powell's choice.

[starkcr31]

BS. It had everything to do with it. Powell claimed during the 2004 convention how conservative he was but he endorsed a liberal. No one does that for no reason.

[WillieLynch]

Rush Limbaugh seems to have a problem with black men

Donovan McNabb
Michael Steele
Barack Obama
Colin Powell
even MLK
On MLK

"You know who deserves a posthumous Medal of Honor? James Earl Ray [MLK's assassin]. We miss you, James. Godspeed." - Rush Limbaugh

http://bootynovelbill.blogspot.com/2009/03/rush-limbaugh-on-black-men.html

[liveinhope23]

Mr. Powell's appeal to the GOP's better selves will fall on deaf ears. The great GOP/RNC publicity machine has decided that the only true path to success lies in hyperbole, villification, invective - and opposition to the President and all things Democratic - regardless of how it affects the country, the economy, or the lives of their constituents.
Although this worked quite well for them in the 90s, I believe that we have passed a kind of tipping point and that the majority of voters have seen through this empty approach. It now remains for Boehner, Cantor (ugh) and the rest of their whiny, petulant mob to realize that the country has had enough of their nonsense and, while this type of political posturing may attract the support of the rabid right, that's not going to be anywhere near enough support to get them elected or effective. They may have to start governing intelligently and actually putting country first instead of just talking about it.. However, this is clearly not apparent to them at this point. They are bound and determined to dig the hole deeper. Have at it.
As far as Rush, let's accept that he is the mouthpiece of the failing past who becomes more irrelevant and ridiculous with each passing day. Let him rant. He is of no consequence.

[dteg]

Powell and the rest of Bush Administration cabinet needs to come clean on the torture before I listen to them.

[RedPower09]

What about Pelosi?

[Grunty1]

Pelosi cannot have done anything unless Ch3n3y t0rtured first.

IF AND ONLY IF.

[Bumpkins]

I did not know that Representative Pelosi was part of President Bush's cabinet??????

[hhayden]

She reminds me of that little German lady in the Bond films with the knife in her boot.

[Bardmess]

Powell also has a past in VietNam.

[hhayden]

Too bad you can't be captured by radical Islamists - you'd understand what torture really is.

[dax49]

no matter how hard he tries to change his image- thanks to bush, et al, he still has blood on his hands