This really is worth watching, he made some points that I've been thinking all along. I've never been a fan of Colin Powell, but he just won my respect by what he said.
More importantly, I have been really troubled by all the rhetoric going around that "Obama is a Muslim." First and foremost, this is a lie, but even more troubling to me is this, so what if he was a Muslim?
One of the biggest tenants of our country, is freedom of religion. This has bothered me horribly through this whole thing, one does not have to be a Christian to become president.
No matter what your feelings or beliefs are, this is a truth. I'm glad someone finally said it out loud. I never expected this from Colin Powell, but I welcome it with open arms.
BearsMountain: One of the biggest tenants of our country, is freedom of religion. This has bothered me horribly through this whole thing, one does not have to be a Christian to become president.
ReplyDelete1) Tenets. ;-)
2) True, the Constitution has a clause forbidding a religious test for public office. In practice, you not only have to be a Christian, you have to say you are a certain kind of Christian (Born-again Protestant Evangelical pro-Israel type). Catholics, Mormons, and African-American Christians need not apply (JFK was a fluke).
3) Colin Powell was used by the neocons to sell the Iraq War by rolling out bogus intelligence before the UN Security Council, and he hasn't forgotten. I don't know why he hasn't just made the switch to the Donks in protest, but endorsing B.O. is probably as far as he will go. Fair 'nuff.
Teresita,
ReplyDeleteI knew that was spelled wrong, too lazy with one morning cup of coffee to check it out, thanks though, I hate spelling errors (watch me spell this whole comment wrong).
I agree with your second point, you said it much more eloquently than I did.
You are right, I don't think he will go much farther than this, but it is a lot for him to do. After the way he was treated during the Iraq war, it's hard to believe he hasn't really jumped the party lines, but so be it.
I need more coffee!
It made me cry -- an important, eloquent and influential speech/endorsement.
ReplyDeleteIt's so pleasant to listen to someone wise and intelligent communicate something about this election.
j.
Powell is a 35 year veteran, wounded in Vietnam, who single-handedly rescued several men from a burning helicopter. He was chairman of the JCS during the Gulf War and author of the "Powell Doctrine" which minimizes friendly casualties by applying overwhelming force, rather than the do-more-with-less approach of the neocons. He was troubled by the "false intimations that Obama was Muslim." He stated that Obama has always been a Christian, and continued, "...what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America." So Colin Powell is precisely the opposite of a racist, and he is troubled by the whisper campaign of his nominal party during the run up to this election.
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