McCain-Powell?

McCain doesn't have the nomination yet but if he gets it there's a compelling argument for him to pick Colin Powell as his veep. The conventional wisdom is that McCain will need to secure his right flank and select an undisputed conservative. But McCain could take a page from the Clinton-Gore campaign and choose amplification over diversification. In 1992, Clinton chose a moderate southerner from a neighboring state no less who was in his age cohort. Powell would buttress McCain's national security credentials and echo his political philosophy, although I suspect that Powell is probably to the left of McCain on abortion, taxes and the like. McCain and Powell are personally close and while it's not essential to choose someone you like and respect--JFK and LBJ come to mind--it's not a bad thing either and it has the air of authenticity which is supposed to be John McCain's claim to fame. If he were to pick someone who disagreed with him on campaign finance reform, a gay marriage amendment to the constitution and global warming it would be hard to mount the Straight Talk express in quite the same way.

Of course, Colin Powell isn't what he used to be. Like Tony Blair or Tom Friedman, he suffered from the Bush war in Iraq. Powell may have been appropriately skeptical about the war but he promoted it and didn't speak out publicly against it and so his élan isn't what it was the last time everyone talked about Powell as a veep.

Race, though, makes Powell a compelling choice. If Clinton gets the nomination, African American voters are going to feel disappointed at seeing someone of their race get so close and then be deprived of the nomination.

For more, go here.

Comments

[Rockyman]

Difficult for me to think two hawkish "warriors" running for the Repugs would stand a chance against either Dem. Of course, that is providing no additional volatile situations have been "manufactured". Can't put it past Bush to intentionally create increased tensions elsewhere--like Iran or Syria-- and then its not beyond the electorate to choose who they deem as better "protectors". The electronic voting machines also seem capable of "swinging" the elections for the Repugs. Democracy in America is now history!

[bobh]

But wouldn't this drive the Limbaugh wing of the Party batshit crazy? He has got to pick an evangelical like Huckabee.

(I personally doubt that McCain has the energy to be President, and would guess that he would not finish his term. That makes his selection of a VP especially critical for the nation).

[CatfishJohn]

...powell lacks the gut and deep- down relaizes history will remember him as the humiliated dupe of the bush lie machine after that infamous UN perfromanc­e...i think he prefers to queitly stay out of the limelight at this point...so i would propose old made Condoliar" mushroom cloud" Rice....sh­e'd certainly buy into the possibility of the excitement of being VP after 8 years on the world stage as opposed to the hum-rum monotonous chancellorship of some university where her most exciting activities would be signing off on tuition raises for todays currently extorted college students and big bucks luncheon speeches in front of the Daughters of the American Republic ....

[StillAmused]

When the farce of the GOP 'primary' has run its course and the American people focus on the dark reality of John McCain, they're gonna realize he's batshit-crazy, and it won't matter if he chooses The Living Jeebus as his running mate.

... and Powell, the LAST pumped-up GOP "our hero" figurine (before he humiliated himself at the U.N.), is dead meat. You only get to sell out once.

[DrPaulProteus]

"Powell would buttress McCain's national security credentials"

If Americans think Colin Powell has national security credentials after his performance at the UN, they're fucking stupid, and we deserve what we get.

[JXB]

The logic of this post is fairly compelling as a matter of political tactics. But given how professionally (and I believe personally) destructive Powell's role in the run up to the war has been to him, it is hard to see him agreeing to be the VP in an administration that will pursue a policy toward the war that McCain is advocating.

[SamEllison]

I can see the vid now:
McCain singing bomb Iran interspersed with Powell's false claims at the UN.
A YouTube winner. It would beat LBJ's mushroom cloud for campaign visuals.

[starboymikey]

McCain will choose Huckabee as his running mate. It's the only way to get the religious conservatives he needs to win. Live with it.

[Boadicea]

It would be unbeatable, but I can't see Powell going for it.

[racom]

The republican dream team. Two discredited liars that are in love with war. Not exactly the kind of saviors needed after 8 yrs of totally failed republican rule, I mean governance.
I expected the debate last night to be about national security, like McCain touting his 100 year war with Mitt going one better with his plan for 125 year war, then upped by Mc to 150 and then Mitt closing the deal with the winning 200 year war bid. Isn't America great?

[chefrasta]

You think Powell want to bend over for republicans again.Been there done that.I believe he would have the honor to tell Mcnutty he will not stand in the way of history.Pr­esident Obama has a nice ring to it.

[tjfxh]

Soon this campaign is going to be back to, "It's the economy, stupid." The GOP is going to have a tough time against either Democrat on the economic issue, given current perceptions of likely voters.

And as far as terrorism goes, people are also becoming much more concerned about Afghanistan, which is slipping back to Taliban control, and Pakistan, which actually has nuclear weapons and missiles to deliver them. This isn't going to be about staying in Iraq but what to do about the most serious challenges to national security, which Iraq isn't. If McCain argues it is, he's going to have a problem.

Anyway, Powell won't work. McCain has to bring in a hard-line conservative with ties to the religious right, like Huckabee, who seems to be running for the job.

[clevelandchick]

Powell has refused to run for office and when questioned about Barack Obama was quite enthusiastic about his candidacy.

I don't see Powell agreeing to be part of a John '100 More Years In Iraq' McCain.

[Jeffersonian1]

The compellingness (sic) of the argument might be lessened somewhat by the fact that Colin Powell plans to endorse Barack Obama.

[Countess]

Despite his promises of more war McCain will easily beat Mrs. Clinton with or without Powell. People realize her foreign policy will not much differ from his and will choose an authentic person over a bureaucratic robot.