cross-posted at Election Inspection
Colin Powell will be on Meet The Press this weekend, and speculation’s running wild that he will be endorsing Obama. As for me, I have an uneasy feeling we’ve been had.
I think Powell will endorse McCain. He telegraphed this move by supporting Senator Ted Stevens in court last week in his corrpution trial. This is McCain’s latest game-changer, as Powell will fit the "reluctant warrior" image that McCain so desperately want to project to independent voters. Powell would then have a good shot at a second chance to clear his reputation as McCain’s Secretary of State. Powell would not be offered SoS in an Obama administration because Powell’s Iraq-War supporting speech before the UN - it would ruin the credibility that Obama wants to establish. This mixed message will not be a problem for McCain, who strives to mix up his messages as much as possible; he wants conservatives to think about Palin and independents to think about his buddy Joe Lieberman. If one thing is certain, McCain needs a game-changer than will win back independent and moderate votes, and securing a Colin Powell endorsement - he’s moderate, he’s black, he’s battled with Bush/Cheney - is exactly what McCain is looking for.
Powell donated the maximum amount to McCain in the summer of 2007. If Powell doesn’t see the corruption in Ted Stevens, he won’t see it in his good friend John McCain either. This Sunday, prepare for disappointment.