Powell to the People

You've probably read excerpts from recent interviews with Colin Powell, but if you haven't seen it, the actual footage is pretty compelling.

Finally someone is actually talking about this election in a way that makes sense. Not spinning, spoofing or sneering at it, just flat out saying what disturbs him about this campaign.

Though McCain supporters may downplay it, Powell's endorsement bears great significance for voters hesitant to vote outside party lines. Over the last eight years, Powell has been the only central member of the (first) Bush administration my grandparents and I both admire. So in the Midwest at least, his words resonate.

It's also about time someone stepped in and said how ridiculous the rumors of Obama's purported Muslim heritage are -- both the accusations AND the refutation. Before mentioning the example of a young Islamic American man who died serving in the Iraq war, Powell asks why a 7-year-old Muslim kid in America shouldn't also hope to be president someday.

In a media age where we're almost literally at each other's throats (case in point: watch this Bill O'Reilly clip and its Lil O'Reilly parody and tell me which is more infantile), Powell's civility is as impressive as his candor. Though his endorsement of Obama might be a bitter pill for the McCain campaign to swallow, Republicans should see beyond the present-day political implications and recognize that Powell's words are also aimed at helping them play a respectable role in the electoral process. Republicans should also note that as much as Powell has criticized his party this week, he never once disowns it.



In the interview above, you'll notice Powell's mention of the footage going out by Al-Jazeera. In case you haven't seen it, what he's referencing is not the Middle East-based news network's coverage of carnage in Iraq, but this frightful clip of Palin supporters at a rally in Ohio.

The images he refers to are disgusting, but what's worse is how distracting they are. With this kind of bigotry and misconceptions taking root, it's hard for anyone to pay attention to the finer aspects of policy that really deserve our honest attention.

Like Powell, I'll be voting for Obama, having received my Missouri registration card in the mail this week. I can't say that everyone in my family will. But I'll do my best to respect their viewpoints and will think twice before I forward links or information that are more about tearing down someone's character than addressing their political views.