Barack Obama welcomed the endorsement of Colin Powell at a North Carolina rally on Sunday, linking the decorated veteran to soldiers serving today.
"With so many brave men and women from Fayetteville serving in our military, this is a city and a state that knows something about great soldiers," he told the crowd, according to remarks released by the campaign. "And this morning, a great soldier, a great statesman, and a great American has endorsed our campaign to change America. I have been honored to have the benefit of his wisdom and counsel from time to time over the last few years, but today, I am beyond honored and deeply humbled to have the support of General Colin Powell," said Obama.
Obama benefited from some of Powell's wisdom on Sunday morning, when the two spoke for about ten minutes. Robert Gibbs, a senior aide to the senator, said Obama told Powell that "he looked forward to taking advantage of his advice in the next two weeks and hopefully over the next four years."
At the rally, Obama also cited Powell's leadership as an inspiration for a spirit of service and community that transcends old divisions -- which Powell discussed as one of Obama's strengths during his Meet The Press endorsement.
"General Powell has defended this nation bravely, and he has embodied our highest ideals through his long and distinguished public service. He and his wife Alma have inspired millions of young people to serve their communities and their country through their tireless commitment and trailblazing American story," said Obama. "And he knows, as we do, that this is a moment where we all need to come together as one nation - young and old, rich and poor, black and white, Republican and Democrat."
UPDATE: I must add that it is truly saddening to see some conservatives respond to Gen. Powell's endorsement by impugning his decision with baseless personal attacks, or recklessly suggesting that race helps Obama's campaign, instead of responding to the Powell news for what it is -- the bombshell of a former senior Bush national security official endorsing the opposing party's nominee. (For more, see Sam Stein's report that Rush Limbaugh and George Will took those tacks on Sunday.)
Now Powell's endorsement may get Mr. Will thinking about "race," but thankfully most of the American public sees Powell differently, on the merits, as a decorated military leader and statesman. As I wrote on Friday, Powell remains the most respected person ever to serve in the unpopular Bush administration. That is precisely because most people assess his views and character based on his record. Other major national security figures in Bush's cabinet, from Don Rumsfeld to Condi Rice, have unfavorable ratings that quadruple Powell's. Yes, voters can tell Rice and Powell apart, even though they are both Republican secretaries of state who happen to be black. By the logic of Limbaugh and Will, however, that Rice endorsement should be just around the corner.
Finally, for further reading: I assessed the role of Powell, Rice and Obama in our segregated power structure in this Nation essay. It's long, but it explores the way some observers, like Will, misunderstand the challenges facing racial minorities in politics and government.
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And yet, the only thing George Will heard was Powell saying it was great to have an African-American running for president.
What George Will did in effect was reduce his own argument to purely race. Three right wingers standing on the lawn in front of Fox "News" complaining about other people's racism just doesn't wash any more.
You know, we are watching and listening to these people speak out, having their little "Winston Smith moments". How these repubicans react to Powell is now added to how they are discussing everything else that stands before the nation this year.
Keep to your ignorance, and be left behind.
In other news, I don't understand why everyone so far has given so much respect to Pat Buchanan...every time he opens his mouth on TV, I cringe. I've had to start turning the volume down so his yelling of inanities/GOP talking points doesn't abuse my eardrums.
But he shows up on any and every show on MSNBC because they feel they have to give him a chance to speak his opinion. There are millions of people in the world whose opinions--regardless of party or ideology--are more worth listening to...I don't care how long the guy's been around.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x219590
You may need to update your article once more and add the remarks of Pat Buchanan (regarding Powell's endorsement AND RACE) that were said on Sunday's edition of Chris Matthew's Hardball show.
Things are looking up for America and the world at large.
Obama / Biden '08
Props to all the HuffPosters,(minus tr0lls) as Powell's comments are echoes of what we have been posting here for some time now. Powell's words and feelings re: this counrty carry more political weight than the pureed (sp) sloppity slip shod slop of ABC,NBC,CBS,CNN,FAUX etc.
Thank you Colin Powell, we need more public officials and elected servants (Senators,Congressshortbus Govs and Mayors to speak their minds now, Befor the election or for ever hold your peace! (or seat)
Pick your pony, elected folk.
The internet is the new news Thank the Lawd!
He worked for the Reagan campaign while keeping that work secret and acting as an "impartial" network commentator. He wrote repeatedly that the so-called Monica Lewinsky scandal was "worse than Watergate." He defended the invasion of Iraq and implied that anyone who questioned it did not know the history of warfare.
He writes well, but he's a blinkered, Georgetown elitest who has never cared for anyone but his own class -- the privileged, affluent, moneyed few.
necessarily mean). Much of the country IS 'eager to feel good', no?
George Stephanopoulos: We just found out that former Sec. of State General Colin Powell has said he's going to vote for Barack Obama. Big impact?
George Will: Some impact. And I think this adds to my calculation -- this is very hard to measure -- but it seems to me if we had the tools to measure we'd find that Barack Obama gets two votes because he's black for every one he loses because he's black because so much of this country is so eager, a, to feel good about itself by doing this, but more than that to put paid to the whole Al Sharpton/Jesse Jackson game of political rhetoric.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/22/AR2008092202583.html
The meaning, to me, is this: that GW believes many more people are voting
for Obama (for whatever reason) than are NOT voting for him because he's
black. And that's good. That's the way it ought to be.
I like it a lot.
They have to discredit Powell's well-thought out and detailed endorsement of Obama some way.
They argue that "No! McCain does all those things Obama does--only BETTER!"
Because he obviously doesn't.
What have they got left? Powell isn't a terrorist or a socialist. So he's got to be discredited with their OTHER smear reason--race.
McCain and his spokespeople are just ... pathetic. I guess they don't even realize that historians are going to write EXTENSIVELY about this election--and McCain & Cos. conduct is not going to be portrayed flaterringly at all.