Much has been said about the "unity" ticket of Kerry-McCain. But, apart from his straight-shooting reputation (and barely concealed disdain for Shrub), he McCain has little to offer to Democratic voters who may be concerned that he a "heartbeat away" from the Oval Office (as opposed to true moderates/independents, who apparently are so swayed by McCain's persona that they fail to notice his politics, which are well to the right).
But there is another "unity ticket" possibility (if only a possibility in my own mind), and this person does truly agree with Democrats on a number of issues near and dear: affirmative action and abortion rights among them. He has a military background and impressive (to some) foreign policy credentials. In fact, some were surprised when he "came out" as a Republican 4 years ago (me included). Who is this person?
Colin Powell. Let the flaming begin. [More in extended copy]
Yes, we all hold CP partially responsible for the Iraq War fiasco, the lying to the UN, and the constant Bush cheerleading - but I for one never believed that his heart was in it. Remember when it was State vs. Defense, Powell vs. Rummy, pre-war, when it still mattered? We all loved Powell until Shrub sent him to the UN. What if Powell gave a "mea culpa" and said "Bush made me do it?" If you thought Richard Clark was bad, imagine the horror stories Powell could reveal.
Until the last year or so, Powell was probably one of the most respected politicians in Washington - and I'm willing to bet that among the citizenry he probably is still held in high esteem. Had he run for President in 2000, he would've walked all over everybody. And although his reputation has suffered (at least among us libs) by being such a Shrub-apologist, I bet he still gets high marks among independents and moderates.
I am the first to admit that the idea has flaws, but since we got to talking on the Kerry-McCain idea (such as it is), I thought I'd throw it out there.
Discuss. (Hope the poll works, this is my first one.)