No, haven't read it, just some about it. I am still working on "The Dark Side". All fiction these days other than that.

I have always admired Powell even though he is a Republican. In retrospect his position in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq seems to have been the correct one. He wanted to give inspections more time to find WMD so we had some proof before going in. And he wanted to go in with more troops. Rumsfeld was the one who thought we could get the job done quickly with a lean force. The one stain on his record is the speech in favor of war to the UN, and that turned out to be based on false information from the CIA.

Powell undoubtedly has some thoughts about participating in an Obama administration in some role, even though officially he is retired. I would love to see him have another chance at Secretary of State without being surrounded by jackals on his own team.

For sure I do not think Obama's cabinet and key advisors (NSA etc.) will be the usual Democratic suspects. I think it will be a meritocracy and will include some Republicans. Then maybe the doubters will believe change isn't just a buzzword.


>Maybe its just that I don't get the Colin Powell thing. I don't find him nearly as impressive as others seem to. In any case, had he endorsed him either at the time of his nomination or when he was running against Hillary it would have been a statement. This smacks more of a band-wagon hop and a bid for access post Jan 2009.
>
>Reading Woodwards most recent book. Very interesting stuff. Have you read it yet?
>
>
>>>>>Watch Meet The Press this Sunday to find out...
>>>>>
>>>>>http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14665.html
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>>>>And so he has. I think he did a fine job of explaining his reasoning...
>>>
>>>You mean "I think he'll win." ;-)
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>>That may be so. But from what I have read it does seem like a genuine endorsement. Part of it seems to be admiration for Obama, who he called "transformational," and part of it a show of his displeasure with the direction the Republican party has taken in the past few years. He was badly used by the neocons in the Bush administration and I'm sure he's not happy about that. He also had some words about the narrowness of the McCain campaign as time goes on.
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>>One thing I like -- this according to the Times -- is that Obama has assiduously courted Powell over the past several months. The article said Obama has met with Powell or talked to him on the phone a number of times and seemed to genuinely want to hear his advice. (During the same time McCain, who was considered friends with Powell, spoke to him on the phone once in June and hasn't spoken to him since). That tells me two things. One, he seeks out and will listen to the wise men. Two, he will take the time to develop relationships. Both are a refreshing change of pace from what we have had. Powell said as much, saying Obama can heal our damaged relationships with allies.
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>>Powell's endorsement won't make a bit of difference to some people. For others, though -- independents, moderate Republicans, and the undecided -- this could be a very influential seal of approval. Powell is seasoned, known for being cool headed, and respected by all (other than some of the trigger happy crazies). Some are going to think if Obama's good enough for Colin Powell, he's good enough for me. Newt Gingrich (!) may have hit the nail on the head: this eliminates the inexperience argument.