Obama will pick Colin Powell for veep!?
August 19th, 2008 at 08:03am Pat Cunningham
 
As the old saying goes, no guts, no glory. But alas, I haven’t got the guts to flat-out predict an Obama-Powell ticket. Hence, the exclamation point in my headline is followed by a question mark.
Still, I think naming Powell his running mate would be the boldest, most exciting thing Obama could do. It would be politically electrifying. It would give the ticket the foreign-policy gravitas it needs. And it would checkmate the hell out of John McCain’s candidacy, no matter whom he picks for the Republican vice-presidential slot.
Moreover, having two African-Americans on the Democratic ticket would isolate the die-hard racists more effectively than does Obama’s candidacy alone. This isn’t to say that everyone who would vote against this ticket should ipso facto be considered racist. That would be more than unfair. But the combination would, in the most dramatic terms, put the race issue front and center for all of us to conscientiously examine.
I also think it would result in a landslide in November.
But would Powell accept the offer? Has the offer already been made? Does this help explain Obama’s air of confidence and coolness?
We’ll know soon enough.
Entry Filed under: Uncategorized
5 Comments Add your own
1. Nancy | August 19th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
I agree!
2. Mr. Baseball | August 19th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I couldn’t disagree more. Colin Powell was a disaster as Secretary of State when he didn’t have the backbone to stand up to Bush and the neocons on invading Iraq. A better pick would be Chuck Hagel, demonstrating Obama’s desire to bring both parties together.
It would also nullify McCain’s standing on experience and military service.
3. Pat Cunningham | August 19th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
We could argue about this, but I don’t think Powell will get the nod anyway. Nor do I think it will go to Hagel. I think it’s going to Emil Jones, which is why he’s leaving the Illinois State Senate. (Heh, heh. Just joking.)
4. Jason C | August 20th, 2008 at 12:44 am
It might be good as a life insurance policy. If there is any concern about racist assassins, they may balk if taking out POTUS simply elevates another minority to the position.
5. Terry B. | August 21st, 2008 at 11:55 pm
I would bet the offer has been made. I kind of doubt he accepted. If Powell is willing to run as the insider who endured life inside a piss-poor administration who is putting party loyalty aside for the sake of the country, it would be a major coup.
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed