Colin Powell

Most of the time I really don't miss having a TV. We can get the shows we like through the internet and we get most of our news from the same source. Today I'm really glad we've got a TV, however temporarily, and are watching cable.

CNN just broadcast Colin Powell's endorsement of Barak Obama.

I just have to say, wow. I had a lot of respect for Powell before (why can't he run for president?) but most of it was based on what others said about him. Having now seen him speak on why he's endorsing Obama I can see that respect is well-deserved. Powell is a real thinker (thank goodness his intellectualism isn't held against him) and truly cares about the country--not just the conservative Republican parts of it.

I really appreciated that Powell said Obama will give us generational change (Take that boomers! You've had your chance to muck up this country, and you've done it. Now move over and give the younger generation a chance!). Obama may technically be a boomer, but he's not of the part of that generation that argued so vehemently over Vietnam and seems incapable now of setting that argument aside. I find the increasing polarization of this country disturbing--the more we dehumanize our opposition, the easier it is to do and say things that are inappropriate. For instance, suggesting someone is a terrorist because he serves on a board with a former terrorist.

I think it's great Powell pointed out that taxes come back to those who pay them in the form of roads and schools and many services we all depend on. The thing the government really should do is provide public goods--roads, education, and other services that business really isn't as efficient at providing. I'll agree that business is a better, more efficient way to provide commodities to people, but they suck at providing services that are really investments in people or infrastructure. Anything where the profits associated with the service are delayed (education being probably the best example).

Colin Powell is an intellectual so it's unsurprising he considers Obama's thoughtfulness and education a plus--something else I agree with him on. I'm glad Powell spent time talking about the strengths of both men in his endorsement. McCain really would be a good president; Obama, however, would be, as he said, a transformational figure.

In case you missed it, here's a link to the endorsement on youtube.