Colin Powell endorses Obama for President; McCain and Limbaugh seethe

By Mitch Perry on Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 2:46 pm

"All I can say is: Gen. Powell, you disappoint us,” McCain said Thursday on Fox News Radio’s Kilmeade and Friends. “And you have harmed your legacy even further by defending what is clearly been the most feckless foreign policy in my lifetime.”

McCain then piled on further, making common cause with liberals who believe Powell's reputation sank when he presented the Bush administration's case for going to war with Iraq to the United Nations back in March of 2003. McCain noted Powell's linkage of Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda — an allegation based on information that turned out to be based on a false report.

Meanwhile, El Rushbo took to the air on his nationally syndicated radio show to predictably disagree with Powell's endorsement.

"This seals it folks," Limbaugh began in discussing the Powell endorsement. "Any pretense to intellectual honesty has been blown to smithereens now." The talk-show host continued to attack the former member of the joint chiefs of staff (under President George H.W. Bush) by saying that the endorsement solidified the fact that Powell enjoys being part of the comfortable foreign-policy establishment culture in Washington D.C., one that lilts leftward. "He's one of these people who are profoundly concerned about what people think of him," Limbaugh added.

Limbaugh's comments were relatively mellow compared to his vituperative remarks after Powell endorsed Obama during an appearance on Meet The Press in 2008. That's when Limbaugh said that the endorsement was "totally about race."

“Secretary Powell says his endorsement is not about race. OK, fine. I am now researching his past endorsements to see if I can find all the inexperienced, very liberal, white candidates he has endorsed," Limbaugh said at the time. The host repeated the charge the next day by saying," Let me say it louder, and let me say it even more plainly. IT WAS TOTALLY ABOUT RACE! The Powell nomination — or endorsement — totally about race."

So far, Limbaugh has made no remarks about Powell's 2012 endorsement being about race. Then again, Cl just listened to the first hour of his three-hour program …

Colin Powell announced today that he is endorsing Barack Obama and Joe Biden in next month's election. Powell made the announcement on CBS' This Morning with Charlie Rose:

"I think we ought to keep on the track that we are on," said the Republican, who also backed Obama in 2008. Powell also told Rose, "I voted for him in 2008 and I plan to stick with him in 2012."

The former Secretary of State under George W. Bush (2001-2005) said he had much respect for Mitt Romney, but about his foreign policy? Not so much.

"I'm not quite sure which Governor Romney we'd be getting with respect to foreign policy," Powell said, calling Romney's foreign policy, "a moving target." He added, "There's some very, very strong neo-conservative views that are presented by the governor that I have some trouble with,"

This was Powell's second endorsement of candidate Obama, the first famously coming during the 2008 campaign against John McCain.

Not surprisingly, Powell's endorsement is being bashed by the political right, as exemplified by comments by both McCain, and talk-show host Rush Limbaugh.

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