Colin Cleanse

Will Colin Powell ever “come clean”?

On Meet the Press this Sunday, former Secretary of State, and former army General, Colin Powell endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president. Democrats are loving this. Others are confused. Obama is elated.

I do respect Mr. Powell’s biography, but I must say my respect level has dropped a lot—a whole lot. Not only because he is supporting Barack Obama, but because his reasons are shallow and…well…stupid, quite frankly. I would expect a lot more from a man of his stature. Had he given more compelling reasons, substantial insight, or just better information—as opposed to the same status quo stuff we have been hearing for months—I could respect that, and possibly even look forward to it. Instead I kept thinking: “You’re kidding me, right? You’re not really serious? What are you getting for this bull load?”

Let’s look at some of his statements off the Meet the Press website at MSNBC. I will try my best to be reverent.

“[H]e said McCain’s choices in the last few weeks—especially his selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his vice presidential running mate—had raised questions in his mind about McCain’s judgment.” The poor judgment claim is a losing argument. Politically, as both Democrats and Republicans know, McCain’s pick of Governor Palin was brilliant. It completely revitalized his Party, excited his base (me included), angered the opposition (a sure sign of a good pick), increased his poll numbers, and has made her one of the most popular woman in the country (even Saturday Night Lives’ ratings were up 76% with her appearance last Saturday—it was SNL’s best ratings in 14 years). Interestingly, she actually parallels Obama in some ways. Here is this relative unknown bursting onto the political scene and taking the country by storm. McCain picked a young, attractive, charismatic, truly conservative, Christian, woman (hello Hillary supporters). It was a political grand slam. No bad judgment here, General. Further, she has more executive experience than Obama (or Joe Biden), who have…let’s see…NONE. Powell said, “I don’t believe [Palin] is ready to be president of the United States.” Really? Then Obama isn’t either; and neither is foot-in-mouth Joe Biden whose executive office aspirations have been marked by regularly losing elections and primaries of his own party. Obama became a US Senator in 2004. By this time, Palin was already a mayor for six years. She became Governor of Alaska in 2006. She was in charge of the enormous budget of one of the country’s largest and most significant energy states and she was Commander-in-Chief of that state’s National Guard. In June 2007, Palin signed a record $6.6 billion operating budget into law. At the same time, she used her veto power to make the second-largest cuts of the construction budget in state history. How many budgets has Obama signed into law? Uh…that would be NONE. It’s amazing how Democrats rag Governor Palin on lack of experience, but when Democrat Representative Geraldine Ferraro ran for Vice-President in 1984, they flaunted a NY Times editorial about her running: “Why shouldn’t a little-known woman have the same opportunity to grow? We may even be gradually elevating our standards for choosing Vice Presidential candidates.” [http://iusbvision.wordpress.com/2008/09/05/what-did-the-new-york-times-say-about-geraldine-ferraro-in-1984-when-she-was-a-young-member-of-congress-with-three-kids/] The hypocrisy is obvious and shameful. Please Mr. Powell, don’t say John McCain lacked judgment here, he made an excellent choice.

“Powell also told NBC’s Tom Brokaw that he was “troubled” by Republicans’ personal attacks on Obama, especially false intimations that Obama was Muslim and the recent focus on Obama’s alleged connections to William Ayers, a co-founder of the radical ’60 Weather Underground.” I’m so sorry, but how biased and foolish could you be? You don’t think it’s important to scrutinize the relationship of a US Presidential candidate who is friends with someone who bombed the Pentagon, the U.S. Capitol, and a string of other government buildings? How is this a “personal attack?” Fascinatingly, criticizing Palin for not staying at home with her daughter is not personal? Did he criticize those on the left wearing tee-shirts that read: “SARAH PALIN IS A C*** (slang for vagina)!” Sorry, but this is crap! How about when Senator Obama himself alluded to Sarah Palin as a “pig?” He said, “You could put lipstick on a pig…,” in obvious reference to her hockey moms as pit-bulls with lipsticks comment during her convention speech. Both camps have implemented personal attacks and Obama has been vicious and very personal. Why isn’t Powell criticizing Obama? This is a hypocritical, unjustifiable claim, and certainly no reason to sdefend an endorsement.

“Stressing that Obama was a lifelong Christian, Powell denounced Republican tactics that he said were insulting not only to Obama but also to Muslims. “The really right answer is what if he is [a Muslim]?” What if he is? See, here’s the thing, Mr. Powell… We know that not all Muslims are bad; however, Muslims have been responsible for most of the terrorism against our country and allies in recent years, including 911. (You probably remember that day because you were secretary of state at the time.) I am not saying that Obama is a Muslim, but obviously, that would be a very big deal to the people of this country—especially if you lie about it. In fact, this is why you yourself, Mr. Powell, are stressing that he is a lifelong Christian. I too am a Christian. I know the tenets and essential doctrines of the Christian faith, and I know that simply saying that you are a Christian doesn’t cut it. It is very, very difficult to reconcile Obama’s voting past and current positions, with biblical Christianity. Obama’s abortion voting record can absolutely not reconcile with the same Bible that boasts of how God created individuals in the womb and even named and commissioned them while there. Obama feels some parts of the Bible are too extreme and not relevant for today. Oh really, Senator? That’s nice. You just pick the ones you like and you let us know. OK?

Powell is disturbed at how the Republicans are attacking Obama, “I look at these kinds of approaches to the campaign, and they trouble me.” Evidently, it was OK when Democrats Hillary and Joe Biden were running against him and disparaging him. Biden said that Obama was not ready to be President (of course, neither is he): “The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job-training.” Even Bill Clinton complained that Obama’s campaign was a “fantasy.”

Obama said, “Here is what I can say for certain: He [Powell] will have a role as one of my advisers.” It was Powell who showed video to the world proving that Iraq had WMD. It was Powell who defended going to war. Mr. Obama, I thought you said that that was “poor judgment.” Now you want to make him an “advisor” to give you bad advice? You also strongly criticized Biden for voting for the war, and now you talk about his great foreign policy experience and judgment. I have to conclude that you yourself either have poor judgment, or lie regularly as a matter of expediency.

Powell “said, he became ‘concerned’ that ‘in the case of Mr. McCain, he was a little unsure how to deal with the economic problems.’ Funny, I am reading this on the day after Chief Executive Magazine released a survey revealing that 74% of America’s top business leaders fear “an Obama presidency would be disastrous for the country.” Some CEOs worried that if implemented, “[Obama’s] programs would bankrupt the country within three years.” My point isn’t that anybody really knows what will happen. Only that the statement made by General Powell is not very significant. Why sound as if you actually know what you are talking about when it comes to the economy, General?

Powell also noted that he “would have difficulty with two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court.” This is actually a clincher for me. This is possibly the most significant reason why Christians should not support an Obama presidency. Powell may be on the Republican role, but he certainly isn’t conservative and does not adhere to conservative principles. Don’t be misled. You can continue to say how you think Obama is new, and fresh, and speaks well, but there is no way for you to reconcile Christian principles with the immorality that will be activated from an Obama presidency. If I am wrong…please advise. Don’t say you are for the biblical model of marriage and family and then contradict yourself by voting for Obama. Or at least admit that you are lying to yourself and what you really care about are other things about Obama. Like the fact that he is black or that you are simply hopping aboard the Obama bandwagon.

Powell said, “We need a president with transformational qualities.” This does not a good president make. Any well thinking, reasonable person, understands that transformational qualities in a leader may be good (see Lincoln, Kennedy, Churchill), or bad (see Hussein, Hitler, Castro). Powell knows better than this and this type of “reaching” only proves that there is little of significance that anybody is able to produce to justify having Barack Obama becoming our next president.

There are other reasons—real reasons—that Colin Powell is endorsing Obama. Some feel it’s because Obama is black. Powell has praised this fact in the past. Perhaps it’s because he wants a job in his administration. I don’t know. But I have to believe that a man as smart and informed as Colin Powell has reasons that are more genuine or significant than the “mess” he is offering. I just have to believe that. Once again, I respect you Sir General, but please come clean…please.