WASHINGTON (AFP) — Former US secretary of state Colin Powell Thursday downplayed Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama's inexperience in foreign affairs, a key line of attack used by the Illinois senator's rivals.
"He didn't have a lot of experience in running a presidential campaign, did he? But he seems to know how to organize the task," Powell said in an interview with ABC News.
"He doesn't have experience at the senior levels of national government. But I've seen other individuals who have come along that didn't have that breadth of experience," Powell said.
The extent of Powell's remaining influence among US voters is not clear, as he is one of the figures most associated with the decision to wage war in Iraq, despite his well known qualms about military action abroad.
But his foreign policy experience, as a former chairman of the joint chiefs of staffs and secretary of state, outweighs that of any candidate in the 2008 White House race.
He was also one of the highest ranking African American public officials ever in US history.
Powell, a Republican, said he knew all of Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain, and had not yet decided who to vote for, comments which will further fan speculation he may back Obama.
The former secretary of state also said he though Obama had handled the furore over incendiary comments by his former preacher Jeremiah Wright well.
"I thought gave a very, very thoughtful, direct speech. I agree with much of what he said."
Colin Powell on "Good Morning America" today sounded like he was giving Barack Obama's talking points when it comes to the experience question.
ABC News' Dianne Sawyer asked Powell what he made of the presidential candidate's "relative lack" of Colin Powell former secretary on state and Army general reflects on Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama of Illinois seasoning as a national and international figure.
"He doesn't have experience at the senior levels of national government. But I've seen other individuals come along who didn't have that breadth of experience and what they do is surround themselves with people who do bring that experience.
"With Sen. Obama, he didn't have a lot of experience running a presidential campaign, did he? But he seems to know how to organize a task and he seems to know how to apply resources to a problem at hand. So that gives me some indication that (with) his inexperience in foreign affairs or domestic affairs, he may be someone who can learn quickly."
This is a point Obama has made repeatedly -- that he should be judged by voters in large part on the presidential campaign he has put together, whose success can't be denied.
In references to Iraq, he has argued that experience does not trump judgment -- a bid to spotlight his early opposition, while an Illinois state senator, to the war there.
And, as the New York Times reported in this story, at a fundraiser Sunday in San Francisco he mocked what government officials really learn when going abroad on "fact-finding" trips while touting his own travels, such as a stop in Pakistan he made as a college student.
Powell, ever the diplomat and shrewd inside-the-Beltway navigator, this morning maintained the political stance that first drew attention almost a year ago, saying he liked all three presidential candidates and considered them good friends.
Columnist Andy McCarthy takes a long, hard look at the people closest to Obama:(a) his wife Michelle, (b) his mentor and pastor Jeremiah Wright, (c) terrorist Bill Ayers, and (d) Obama and Ayers' work together for three years on the board of the Woods Fund, a Chicago charitable organization, to steer $75,000 to the Arab American Action Network, co-founded by PLO operative Rashid Khalidi.
Basically, Obama has longtime ties, friendships, and relationships with people who regularly expressed contempt for America in public (Michelle Obama, ‘Ayatollah’ Wright), or worked as Yassir Arafat's right hand man (Khalidi) and tried to blow up American landmarks (Bill Ayers).
At some point, it stops being "guilt by association" and more "judge someone by the company they keep."
Yeah, Rev. Wright, Michelle Obama's "I can finally be proud to be American" remark, Obama's impossible-to-hide unveiling muslim past, combined with his anti-Americanism, his 17-year relationship with Tony Rezko, and that article back on March 27th, and other events, seem to be cumulatively revealing Obama's unelectability.
The only question is: Will he unravel in time for Hillary to get the nomination?
Or will he unravel later, when he's going mano a mano against McCain?
Where did I ever say I supported the Confederate flag?
I was talking about your racist remarks, Whomod. About whites that you worked with, where you called them names for your being rude and excluding them by talking to others in spanish in front of them.
And your posting statistics gloating about how hispanics are, through both immigration (legal and illegal) and through birth-rates, how hispanics are taking over.
Time and again, for all your allegations of racism in those here you don't like, it's YOU who contantly gloats with ethnocentric remarks, and YOU who voice hostility toward the white mainstream.
Time and again, you and your fellow liberals reveal yourselves to be the true hate-filled racists:
Liberals who bemoan discrimination, intolerance, restraint of Constitutional freedoms, and promotion of hatred toward various abberant minorities, have absolutely no problem with discriminating against, being intolerant of, restricting Constitutional freedoms of, and directing hate-filled scapegoat rhetoric against conservatives.
EXACTLY what they accuse Republicans/conservatives of doing, is EXACTLY what liberals/Democrats do themselves, to those who oppose their beliefs.
Obama's 'Elitism' Issue: McCain camp slams Obama after Dem reportedly tells wealthy California donors that many small-town people turn to religion and guns over bitterness from unemployment.
Yeah, that's right Obama: "typical white folks" in small towns are gun toting hillbillies who only turn to religion to escape their bitterness from unemployment.
really when i think about why else would someone want to exercise their constitutional right to own a gun, and worship and believe how they wish unless they were economically bitter.
of course you notice it's the guy who goes to the church that says "God Damn", and has his own private security guard with a gun who makes the speech....
Yesterday, Hillary Clinton and her friend, John McCain, teamed up to attack Obama. It was another frivolous -- and disingenuous -- attack over remarks Obama made describing the lives and frustrations of real Americans. As if Clinton and McCain have any concept of the real lives of real people. Both of them are extremely wealthy. Both of them have been living in bubbles for years. Both of them have been surrounded by people who pay to be near them or are paid to be near them for years and years. Neither has any concept of reality.
Al Giordano deconstructs Clinton's baseless screed in a post titled, "Clinton to Rural Pennsylvanians: 'You Can Be Victims, Too!'” while Cliff Schecter does a number on McCain's hypocrisy in a post titled, "John 'Married into Beer Wealth' McCain calls Obama 'elitist.'"
A CNN panel comprised of Jeffrey Toobin, Gloria Borger and Jack Cafferty also obliterated the Clinton/McCain attack. Obliterated. Seriously. Watch this:
GO CAFFERTY!!
And, then, watch Obama. Because that's what you'll want to hear from a President.
Never underestimate the power of Hillary Clinton to say anything -- anything -- even if it abets the Republican party. Today, she launched an attack on Obama that could have come right from the RNC. Ben Smith at the Politico has Clinton's quote and notes:
Quote:
Now, this is more a general election wedge than a Democratic primary one, and Hillary Clinton may not be the world's best messenger on the Second Amendment. But it's a preview of things to come.
"General election wedge" from Hillary Clinton. Thanks, Hill. And, there will be more to come. Her mission is to destroy Obama.
In Indianapolis, Clinton says that she doesn’t think most Americans are “bitter,” says “what I hear are real concerns about unfair trade practices that cost people jobs.”
Would those "unfair trade practices" include NAFTA, which was supported by Bill and Hillary Clinton? And, how about the Colombia trade agreement supported by Bill Clinton and Mark Penn? Will anyone in the punditry note the hypocrisy in that attack?
And, if Hillary doesn't think people are bitter, she might talk to some of the creditors owed large sums by her campaign. I imagine some of them are bitter since they're now talking about taking Hillary's campaign to collections. But for Hillary to talk to real people means she would have to step out of the overly-scripted, focus group tested, elitist, out-of-touch bubble that she's lived in for 16 years. Instead, she's just delivering GOP talking points in order to hurt our chances of beating McCain in the fall.
Wow. So desperate for something negative on Obama. Which again shows how the Wright and Muslim crap is so ineffective. both campaigns pounced on it like starved lions despite the fact that this easily blowbacks on them when they try to paint Obama, who has a lower net worth than BOTH candidates as the elitist.
Yesterday, Hillary Clinton and her friend, John McCain, teamed up to attack Obama. It was another frivolous -- and disingenuous -- attack over remarks Obama made describing the lives and frustrations of real Americans.
he said this:
Quote:
And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations
he's claiming that people have faith in god because they are frustrated?
people want their constitutional right to bear arms because they are frustrated?
so he thinks if the economy was great we would want our constitutional freedoms upheld?
he also slipped in his continuing them of "everybody is a racist", he claims there is an antipathy for those who are different. i live in a small town and i never see or hear this antipathy towards people who are different. do you suppose they are having secret meetings without me? you say he is talking about real americans.
um... faith in God and religion are two different things altogether.
You might want to pore over the sermons of my radical preacher to find this distinction.
Quote:
he also slipped in his continuing them of "everybody is a racist"
Not that I ever heard him say that but lets play devil's advocate and assume he did. Would you disagree with that? A large generalization as it is. Just in your daily life, would you find that people generally hold prejudices against certain groups either overtly or subconciouslly?
Shit, just here amongst ourselves, we're rife with it! Myself not excluded. I think to a certain degree everyone holds some prejudice inside them. It's a learned behaviour from a society traditionally seeped in it. Whether it's against shiftless lazy blacks, welfare consuming illegals, bad Asian drivers, drunk Irishmen, etc. etc. I think most people hold certain beliefs and prejudices, either founded or unfounded. And that is part of the discussion on race that Obama advocates. Just holding it inside in private and the proudly pronouncing that no racism exists save in those that voice it loudly doesn't solve anything.
You just like to dismiss it as unneeded and as some proof of Obama's racism because he dares to hold up a mirror and challenge everyone to look inside it and surmount it.
semantics. but it gave you a way to dodge the question.
How do you figure it's semantics?
Religion is a form of godliness where you follow rites, dogma, rules, and ceremony and think this brings about salvation.
Faith and a personal relationship with God is what Christianity, the kind that Jesus actually preached, is.
that is one of the more irksome things when faith is discussed. how easily people conflate religion and faith, which are two differen things entirely. It is possible and quite easy to be 'religious' and not be saved.
yes that is one definition, also religion can refer to what faith you are. example Muslim, Christian, Mormon. I use the definition of religion/faith that you used for the most part. But for you to feign ignorance that there are other definition, conveniently gave you the dodge from the actual point.
I know that doesn't satisfy you because frankly nothing about Obama would satisfy you.
It was impressive and substantive as hell and a hell of a retort but you'll never acknowledge it.
YAAAY!!!GO OBAMA!!!!!
TALK ABOUT THE "STRIGHT TALK EXPRESS!". This undoubtedly will now cause Hillary to retreat back to her pollsters and ad visors on how to counter this impressive bit of directness. Based on her Bosnia lie apology, I'm guessing it will take a while....
I honestly think we need to reassess that McCain supporter who referred to Obama as "Tiger Woods". He may be right but not for the cynical reasons that little turd wanted to convey. Just like Tiger Woods, Obama makes it look effortless. Here 2 candidates came at him, like starved lions, trying to paint him as "elitist"and Obama effortlessly swats it down and back at them. Honestly, we have never seen the like in modern politics. He turns negative attacks into net positives. If anyone still thinks Hillary is the better candidate, all you have to do is look at the Bosnia debacle and compare it to Wright or this "elitist" attack and see how each candidate handled it.
Yesterday, Hillary Clinton and her friend, John McCain, teamed up to attack Obama. It was another frivolous -- and disingenuous -- attack over remarks Obama made describing the lives and frustrations of real Americans.
he said this:
Quote:
And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations
he's claiming that people have faith in god because they are frustrated?
people want their constitutional right to bear arms because they are frustrated?
so he thinks if the economy was great we would want our constitutional freedoms upheld?
he also slipped in his continuing them of "everybody is a racist", he claims there is an antipathy for those who are different. i live in a small town and i never see or hear this antipathy towards people who are different. do you suppose they are having secret meetings without me? you say he is talking about real americans.
It will be interesting to see the fallout on Obama's comments. If I was from a competing campaign I would see about cleaning that clip up for better sound quality & get an ad out.
I saw a couple interesting news clips on YouTube today. I'm not sure why these aren't getting more mainstream press. I guess everyone is too concerned with who Obama went to Church with than the fact that Karl Rove and GW have been making backdoor trade deals:
“The House Republican brand is so bad right now that if it were a dog food, they’d take it off the shelf, also they would kill babies” said retiring Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (Va.)
"Do not associate my name with anything you do. You are extremists, and you've hurt the Republican Party much more than the Democrats have, perhaps even more than Fonzie surfing in boots." - Barry Goldwater
20 years, millions of scapegoats, and hundreds of denials later(but they sure looked cool)
I saw a couple interesting news clips on YouTube today. I'm not sure why these aren't getting more mainstream press. I guess everyone is too concerned with who Obama went to Church with than the fact that Karl Rove and GW have been making backdoor trade deals:
