So Colin Goes with Barack

It's not much of a surprise. Powell has never advertised himself as a Republican, even thouogh he's served under HDub as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and Dubya as his Secretary of State. That's more a function of age and service time, than beliefs. He could just as easily served under Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, or Bill Clinton and (hopefully) Barack Obama.

The thing to keep in mind though, is that as a soldier, Powell is loyal. To his oaths to serve country, commander, fellow soldiers etc. I personally believe he served Dubya out of that loyalty, rather than belief. I've been told by vets that it's a court's martial offense to criticize a commander; odd contrast to the responsibility to disobey illegal orders.

Face it: Powell knew Dubya from his years with his Dad; he knew Cheney; he knew Rummy as well; I have no idea who else he knew or how well, but the man didn't live under a rock. He knew the hawkishness that would surround him in the cabinet. He had to have known the resistance to reason he would face as its lone voice. Well, there was Paul O'Neill in there too, who while the subject of a book entitled, The Price of Loyalty...

I'll put it this way: I would love to see a debate between the two, Powell and O'Neill, as to who paid the greater price in terms of their personal codes of honor and reputations, for their loyalty to the most destructive, pathologic, pathogenic president in history. O'Neill was there while Dubya began robbing the Treasury and bankrupting the country. Powell was there while Dubya made a totally false case for a war that robbed the Treasury and bankrupted the country. Both acted as enablers.

Now Powell looks at two candidates, one a service academy graduate, and has to once again examine all those personal codes and oaths. At the past and future. HIS past and future. His country's past and future. Liberal, Conservative, who hasn't been waiting for his "true" reaction to the Dubya Years? His contributions to the Great Endarkenment period of American history? He knows speaks volumes.

And he's spoken:

General Colin Powell
will be voting for
Barack Hussein Obama



h/t to the good folks at Crooks and Liars for the video