Scorekeeping: endorsements

After a quick scan of the newspapers this morning, it seems Obama has won the endorsements of Colin Powell, the Austin American Statesman editorial board, and the Houston Chronicle editorial board. Speedbump wins the coveted endorsement of the Dallas Morning News, the most rightwing of the three daily metro rags I read.

After two Clinton terms, I was tired and looking for a change of pace. I grabbed onto Ace McCain, who was still Top Gun and hadn't yet atrophied into Speedbump. During the 2000 GOP primary Ace told everyone who'd listen that Colin Powell would be a huge part of his administration; as I recall, he even hinted once or twice that Powell might be his VP choice. I had a short list of Good Republicans, and in 2000 McCain and Powell occupied its top two spots. McCain/Powell would have been my dream ticket in those halcyon days of long ago, with Gore as my backup choice. I had gut feelings that W would be catastrophic and needed to be stopped at all costs before he had a chance to damage the country.

We all know how things worked out. W won the only vote that really mattered (5-4) and here we are. It's sad that among the things W ruined in eight years of smash-and-burn politics were Ace McCain and Colin Powell.

Ace let his lust for the presidency overcome his better instincts and began a gradual spiral into the depths of the conservative cesspool, tossing aside everything that made him admirable and respected during his descent. Powell was recruited as a stage prop by the new W administration and as one of the most revered figures on the national political scene, was given responsibility for selling Little Dick's war to the rest of the country. He didn't have much in common with the scumbags around him, who needed his popularity and credibility, not his ideas.

Speedbump affirms that he's beyond redemption each day he continues his campaign. It's like he's had a fatal exposure to the Bushpolitic virus. On the other hand, Powell looks like he might be taking a small step toward the rehabilitation of his image. You can bet his Obama endorsement will provoke a lot of howling and nastiness from the rightwing crowd; it's already started with the observation that it's just one N backing another one. And besides, Ace already has the awesome Joe the plumber endorsement...

THE CRITICAL POINT: Things like the automated 'robocalls' in swing states matter. When they were used by W to destroy him in 2000, Speedbump pissed and moaned and condemned the 'negative' campaigning. Now, with his operation controlled by Rove acolytes, he's doing the same things he condemned eight years ago. Either he's in charge of the decision-making in his campaign or he's not, but either way he's disqualified himself from further consideration.

Added 11:18 pm: Tonight, MSNBC showed a rerun of Colin Powell's MTP interview with Tom Brokaw. I'd read about it and was glad to be able to see it for myself. Powell is a born politician and has the same gifts as the man he's endorsing. He understands diplomacy and expresses his opinions well, and I was impressed with his comments on the Republican party and Speedbump's campaign. His remarks about the Muslim GI killed in Iraq choked me up. When I visit websites like Free Republic and read other prominent rightwing blogs, I wonder why an intelligent man like Powell would want to maintain an affiliation with the GOP.