If you think race had nothing to do with it you hare naive, IMO. Why would he get emotional after Obama elected?
There are plenty of black people, particularly of his generation, for whom President Obama is a very emotional symbol. That is understood. My father is one of those people. Yet many, like my father, separate that from their endorsement. Real people are 3-dimensional in that way.
I have expressed, I believe sufficiently, how Powell's departure from the mainstream GOP views on a wide number of social issues has always been evident. His resignation from his administration position in the middle of a war where there has been documented disagreement (long before Obama) solidified his distance from the direction of the GOP.
H has expressed in great detail his reasoning and his reasons. I would no sooner begrudge someone who switches from Dem to Rep...I'm sure you wouldn't either . In fact I hope it happens with visible people in both directions, so we can get away from this notion that you have to support any one political group for life no matter how far they go away from what you believe. That is a dangerous blank check to send to Washington.
__________________
There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Chuck Norris lives in Houston.
Either the United States will destroy ignorance, or ignorance will destroy the United States. – W.E.B. DuBois
If you think race had nothing to do with it you hare naive, IMO. Why would he get emotional after Obama elected?
I would say that Colin, being African American, would get emotional at the fact that Obama is the first black man to be president of the US. Whether you support him or not it is a historical achievement that is telling of just how far our nation and the struggle for equality has come.
I would think any African American, whether pro-Obama or not, would have to take pause at the accomplishment.
But I still don't believe his endorsement is race related.
__________________ You can't reach the world with your talents. People are sick and tired of religious talents. People need a Holy Ghost annointed church with real fruits to reach out and touch their lives. ~ Pastor Burrell Crabtree
In fact I think that the insinuation of "hateful" Pentecostals is coming mostly from the fertile imaginations of bitter, backslidden ex Apostolics who are constantly trying to find a way to justify their actions. ~ strait shooter
I would say that Colin, being African American, would get emotional at the fact that Obama is the first black man to be president of the US. Whether you support him or not it is a historical achievement that is telling of just how far our nation and the struggle for equality has come.
I would think any African American, whether pro-Obama or not, would have to take pause at the accomplishment.
But I still don't believe his endorsement is race related.
Ditto.
I think sometimes we reduce what some people of he and my father's generation had to endure as either ancient history or fiction. You never know where people are speaking or thinking from, and I know that discussing the significance of this Presidency causes them to consider and relive some very emotional things.
However, like I said Powell's stated reasons are very consistent with what we have seen from him over the years. If we were talking about a hardline conservative OR ONE THAT DID NOT QUIT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WAR I could better buy the argumant that it is all about race.
__________________
There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Chuck Norris lives in Houston.
Either the United States will destroy ignorance, or ignorance will destroy the United States. – W.E.B. DuBois
If more people understood that 17 out of the 24 foreign policy advisors working for Romney worked for the Bush Administration... they'd understand this message loud and clear.
Colin Powell's open endosement of Obama is a desperate call to the American people to realize that the same Rightwing fascists that pushed Bush to drive us into an unnecessary war in Iraq are behind Romney... and will drive us into an unnecessary war with Iran. Understand... they lied to Powell and got him to sell their idea to the international community. He feels an obligation to speak out and as a result hopefully stop them.
This is a call to action. But most Americans are too stupid to see it.
The typical anti-GOP caricature: Republicans vote the way they do b/c they're stupid. Only smart folks vote liberal or vote third party.
It's amazing that one has to reiterate history over and over because the opposition continues to beat the same old tired drum about an unnecessary war with Iraq, blah, blah, blah.
Well here goes: EVERYONE, including those opposed to war with Iraq, agreed that Saddam Hussein possessed illegal weapons of mass destruction. Russia, France, Germany, Britain, Israel and others along with their intelligence services agreed on this point. NO ONE was saying it wasn't there. He had possessed them once and used chemical weapons on his own people before. When UN weapons inspectors went to Iraq, he continuously gave them the run around and certainly gave the signals that he had something to hide. Satellite photographs showed evidence of suspicious activity around inspection sights. Hussein violated UN resolutions 17 different times, violating terms of the CEASE FIRE. He was given a deadline to let the inspectors back in. All he had to do is show them they didn't exist. All he had to do was expose the Americans and the rest of the world to how stupid they all were and show them without any slight of hand that there were no WMDs anywhere. But he didn't. To the very end he conducted himself like a man who possessed them.
All of these things led the Bush administration, including Colin Powell, to deem it necessary to remove him and his reign of ruthless and barbarous terror from power. We went in with the support of a multinational coalition. In the wake of 9/11 we realized we could no longer play games with dangerous leaders and those who consistently uttered threats to us and our allies.
It's easy to cast aspersions toward the Bush admin with the hindsight that WMDs weren't found. Yet, Iraqis live in greater freedom and hope than they ever did under Hussein, who is estimated to have been responsible for deaths of millions of those he was supposed to serve and protect. Iraqis have a democratically elected government for the first time in their history. Millions of Iraqis, Arabs, Muslims, Christians, Kurds and others have more freedom now than ever in their nation's history. There are problems there still, but not near the level of the evil days of Saddam, Uday and Qusay Hussein.
It was the right thing to do then and the world and the Middle East are better off and safer because of it.
__________________
When a newspaper posed the question, "What's Wrong with the World?" G. K. Chesterton reputedly wrote a brief letter in response: "Dear Sirs: I am. Sincerely Yours, G. K. Chesterton." That is the attitude of someone who has grasped the message of Jesus.
The moment you say "black "man, race has now entered in!
Sigh. One can discuss race, recognize historical racial significance, and not be controlled by it. I see it in the real world all the time.
Powell was always left of the GOP on social issues and that has always been known. As a military man when he strongly, and I believe rightfully, opposed the global policies of the GOP, there was no where else to go. His resignation speaks so loudly and clearly that you would have to be deaf or blind to not recognize it. IMO. I didn't see him as endorsing anyone who would continue the policies that he so strongly opposed. You factor in the fact that he personally disagrees with the base on most social issues and it all adds up.
If you tell me Clarence Thomas has endorsed President Obama and he has no real compelling explanation for such a dramatic reversal, I'll buy that race is the likely reason.
__________________
There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Chuck Norris lives in Houston.
Either the United States will destroy ignorance, or ignorance will destroy the United States. – W.E.B. DuBois
The typical anti-GOP caricature: Republicans vote the way they do b/c they're stupid. Only smart folks vote liberal or vote third party.
It's amazing that one has to reiterate history over and over because the opposition continues to beat the same old tired drum about an unnecessary war with Iraq, blah, blah, blah.
Well here goes: EVERYONE, including those opposed to war with Iraq, agreed that Saddam Hussein possessed illegal weapons of mass destruction. Russia, France, Germany, Britain, Israel and others along with their intelligence services agreed on this point. NO ONE was saying it wasn't there. He had possessed them once and used chemical weapons on his own people before. When UN weapons inspectors went to Iraq, he continuously gave them the run around and certainly gave the signals that he had something to hide. Satellite photographs showed evidence of suspicious activity around inspection sights. Hussein violated UN resolutions 17 different times, violating terms of the CEASE FIRE. He was given a deadline to let the inspectors back in. All he had to do is show them they didn't exist. All he had to do was expose the Americans and the rest of the world to how stupid they all were and show them without any slight of hand that there were no WMDs anywhere. But he didn't. To the very end he conducted himself like a man who possessed them.
All of these things led the Bush administration, including Colin Powell, to deem it necessary to remove him and his reign of ruthless and barbarous terror from power. We went in with the support of a multinational coalition. In the wake of 9/11 we realized we could no longer play games with dangerous leaders and those who consistently uttered threats to us and our allies.
It's easy to cast aspersions toward the Bush admin with the hindsight that WMDs weren't found. Yet, Iraqis live in greater freedom and hope than they ever did under Hussein, who is estimated to have been responsible for deaths of millions of those he was supposed to serve and protect. Iraqis have a democratically elected government for the first time in their history. Millions of Iraqis, Arabs, Muslims, Christians, Kurds and others have more freedom now than ever in their nation's history. There are problems there still, but not near the level of the evil days of Saddam, Uday and Qusay Hussein.
It was the right thing to do then and the world and the Middle East are better off and safer because of it.
Inside information suggests that Colin Powell was fighting to have his appearance and speech to the UN be postponed as he was not comfortable with where we were in the process. Some of the stuff related to all of this makes for interesting reading. He is known to have had strong misgivings about Iraq from the beginning and seems to resent the situation the nation and he, personally, were placed in.
__________________
There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Chuck Norris lives in Houston.
Either the United States will destroy ignorance, or ignorance will destroy the United States. – W.E.B. DuBois
The typical anti-GOP caricature: Republicans vote the way they do b/c they're stupid. Only smart folks vote liberal or vote third party.
It's amazing that one has to reiterate history over and over because the opposition continues to beat the same old tired drum about an unnecessary war with Iraq, blah, blah, blah.
Well here goes: EVERYONE, including those opposed to war with Iraq, agreed that Saddam Hussein possessed illegal weapons of mass destruction. Russia, France, Germany, Britain, Israel and others along with their intelligence services agreed on this point. NO ONE was saying it wasn't there. He had possessed them once and used chemical weapons on his own people before. When UN weapons inspectors went to Iraq, he continuously gave them the run around and certainly gave the signals that he had something to hide. Satellite photographs showed evidence of suspicious activity around inspection sights. Hussein violated UN resolutions 17 different times, violating terms of the CEASE FIRE. He was given a deadline to let the inspectors back in. All he had to do is show them they didn't exist. All he had to do was expose the Americans and the rest of the world to how stupid they all were and show them without any slight of hand that there were no WMDs anywhere. But he didn't. To the very end he conducted himself like a man who possessed them.
All of these things led the Bush administration, including Colin Powell, to deem it necessary to remove him and his reign of ruthless and barbarous terror from power. We went in with the support of a multinational coalition. In the wake of 9/11 we realized we could no longer play games with dangerous leaders and those who consistently uttered threats to us and our allies.
It's easy to cast aspersions toward the Bush admin with the hindsight that WMDs weren't found. Yet, Iraqis live in greater freedom and hope than they ever did under Hussein, who is estimated to have been responsible for deaths of millions of those he was supposed to serve and protect. Iraqis have a democratically elected government for the first time in their history. Millions of Iraqis, Arabs, Muslims, Christians, Kurds and others have more freedom now than ever in their nation's history. There are problems there still, but not near the level of the evil days of Saddam, Uday and Qusay Hussein.
It was the right thing to do then and the world and the Middle East are better off and safer because of it.
Yep... this one drank the coolaid.
Here's the deal... Saddam was a Sunni Socialist dictator, largely secular. Women even served in government positions and as court justices in Saddam's Iraq. As of right now, women are increasingly not permitted to hold any of the positions they did previously. There is even a growing movement within Iraqi politics to deny women education because of the number of religious extremists that want an "Islamic Iraq". In a part of the world where the population is largely moved by religious extremism... do you want Democracy??? Democracy is the WORST thing you could give them.
Iraq will be a failed Islamic fundamentalist state in 15 years or less.
. In fact I hope it happens with visible people in both directions, so we can get away from this notion that you have to support any one political group for life no matter how far they go away from what you believe. That is a dangerous blank check to send to Washington.
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