Sunday, October 19, 2008
A lesson in Putting Country First
I hope Mr. McCain was watching "Meet The Press" this morning. He and is running mate have campaigned on the platform of "putting country first" but I think this morning former Secretary of State Colin Powell taught us all a lesson on the topic.
Colin Powell, General in the United States Army, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under George H.W. Bush during the first Gulf War, former Secretary of State for George W. Bush, by all accounts a committed Republican, today endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President.
The reasons Mr. Powell gives for his decision:
On the economic crisis: "[McCain] was a little unsure as to how to deal with the economic problems that we were having, and almost every day there was a different approach to the problem.... He didn't have a complete grasp of the economic problems that we had."
On Mr. McCain's choice of running mate: "I don't believe she's ready to be president of the United States, which is the job of vice president... that raised some question in mind mind as to the judgment that Sen. McCain made."
On the whole William Ayers issue: "I think this goes too far, and I think it has made the McCain campaign look a little narrow. It's not what the American people are looking for."
On the insinuations Mr. Obama is a Muslim: "What if he is [a Muslim]? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is no, that's not America."
On where the Republican party is going: "It has moved more to the right more than I would like to see it." "Over the last seven weeks, the approach of the Republican Party and Mr. McCain has become narrower and narrower." " ... the party has moved even further to the right, and Governor Palin has indicated a further rightward shift. I would have difficulty with two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court, but that's what we'd be looking at in a McCain administration."
Here is the segment in his own words:
#posted by Rob Roschewsk @ 6:14 PM