Despite a heartbreaking loss by my hometown team tonight, I can still manage to crack a smile.
I was beyond thrilled to see Colin Powell endorse Senator Obama this morning. The former Secretary of State echoed one question I often present to friends - which candidate is the President that we need now?
To his credit, McCain has been willing to stand up against his party and its principles over the years (i.e. torture, global warming, immigration, campaign finance). Granted I do appreciate Senator McCain and that decent commitment to reform, but it seems that the atmosphere is less conducive to a conservative in the White House. It's obvious that even longtime friends (i.e. Powell) can't find any of that maverick in this campaign. I suppose it's impossible for McCain to win as the Republican candidate with this persona, but he should at least clean things up in the GOP (and in his campaign).
Powell pointed out a particularly troubling element within his own party:
"I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian.
But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, "He's a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists." This is not the way we should be doing it in America.."
My biggest problem with the GOP is exactly this. Intolerance. For this, they should not be the ruling party in the Executive Branch.
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