Quote:
Originally Posted by myboynoah
Then why no endorsement when Palin was all the rage? If he believes as you say, then that would have had some impact, undercutting the momentum McCain got from Palin. He could have finally taken on those social conservatives. This thing could have been over back then and that $150 million Obama got last month could have been better spent simulating the economy.
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Like I said, he was clearly holding his cards til the very end.
As far as Palin goes, when she was "all the rage" it wasn't yet clear just how woefully unprepared she was. If you believe Powell (and it's hard to take anything straight when it's coming from a politician), he wasn't concerned
only because she represents the aspect of the party that he finds most reprehensible. He was concerned because of that
and her spectacular implosion over the last month, as well as what those together imply about McCain's judgment and capacity for decision making.
But the truth is, Powell has been riding the fence for a year now. As Y pointed out months ago, Powell donated the maximum to McCain's campaign. At the same time, he was serving as an advisor to Obama. Powell clearly wanted to bet on the winning horse. He held out and only now is he placing all his money on Obama just as the windows are closing. Or more accurately, just as Obama is coming around the final turn ahead by several lengths with McCain fading fast.
I'm not trying to suggest Powell has done anything bold or daring here. It's pretty clearly rather the opposite. But what is being much overlooked in the publicity is the extent to which the endorsement of Obama really is consistent with Powell's record.