Colin Powell For Webb?

By: drmontoya
Published On: 9/17/2006 11:25:59 AM

Colin Powell
If you saw today's Meet The Press debate, you have to ask yourself this question: if Colin Powell miraculously endorsed a candidate in his residence of Virginia, who would he endorse?

Would it be a fellow Republican? Or would it be a former Republican who left the party due to his frustration with its direction?

I think we have a responsibility to ask Colin Powell to endorse a candidate, and you can help.
As I watched today's debate, Senator Allen was asked whether he would back Senators Warner, McCain, and Graham in their refusal to support the President's proposed changes to the Geneva conventions.  Allen refused to give an answer. Then, Tim Russert presented Allen with Colin Powell's strong disapproval of the President's plan and asked Allen again if he disagreed with Powell.

George Allen basically said he did.

So, for a person who will probably vote for the President's amendment (hopefully he won't call it his own this time), and for siding against Colin Powell's views on this, where do you think Powell - a Virginia constituent of Allen's as well as an American military and political icon - will stand on this?

I lost of respect for Colin Powell during the runup to the war in Iraq because of his fervent support for the war.  Powell showed me just a little bit of courage when he refused to serve in a second term as Secretary of State.

The question is, with this issue that is close to the hearts of many who have worn the uniform of the United States, will Colin Powell stand by Jim Webb or George Allen?

General Powell's endorsement could actually be the real kingmaker in this very very close race for the Virginia junior U.S. Senate seat.

I ask all of you, in Virginia and elsewhere, to please urge Colin Powell to endorse Jim Webb for U.S. Senate.

If Powell comes out and endorses Jim Webb, I will feel in my heart that Colin Powell has truly redeemed himself. Why?  Because an endorsement of Jim Webb would represent an endorsement against the Iraq war policy and against the administration.  In addition, it would represent a stand in favor of the moral authority we so desperately need not only in Virginia, the Senate, America, but in the world.

So, please stand with me now.

WRITE COLIN POWELL and urge him to endorse Jim Webb:
General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.)
909 North Washington Street, Suite 767
Alexandria, Virginia 22314

**UPDATE**: I just spoke with Jim Webb about this and he thinks that it's a good idea to address our concerns to Colin Powell, because he knows the Allen camp is working hard to get his endorsement.

If we can do this for Webb regardless of how we feel about Powell he can not only redeem himself but also give more weight and momentum to this surging campaign.

If you want to win, if we want to be a majority again we would be good to embrace those who opposed us before and are dissafected now. I will forgive Colin Powell if he comes out for Webb, and for the truth. I think he will.


Comments



Colin Powell (Eric - 9/17/2006 11:50:17 AM)
As a soldier and a man of honor Powell should stand up and speak his truth.

I'm not going to put words in the man's mouth - I have no idea what his true feelings and opinions are.  Maybe he supports Webb, maybe he is and was against the Iraq war, maybe he truly supports everything Bush has done.

If he does truly believe the Bush side, let him say so and let history judge Powell on taking such a position.

If not, he should speak the truth.  And in that case, if choose not to speak the truth, he'll show that he values honor, integrity, and his country less than political party loyalty.  Something tells me he would rather be remembered as an honorable American soldier than as a political flunky.



what I will say/write to powell (drmontoya - 9/17/2006 11:55:45 AM)
I don't care who you endorse sir(powell) but our country and your commonwealth need you right now.

you were never the person to sideline when your country needed you, your country needs you now.

With Respect,
--DJM



Powell will be in town Tuesday (David Campbell - 9/17/2006 6:55:11 PM)
at the Norfolk Forum.  I'll ask him.


Colin Powell: no endorsement (David Campbell - 9/20/2006 8:09:49 AM)
I promised to ask him, and I did.  As the last question of the Q&A following Colin Powell’s speech at the Norfolk Forum last night, I asked him who he liked in the Virginia Senate race.

I didn’t really expect him to answer, and his reply was coy.  At first he feigned ignorance, asking who was running.  He went on to say that he had known Allen for four or five years, and had known “and served” with Jim Webb for 25 years.  He said that, like the rest of us, he would need to research the candidates and make the decision when he went into the voting booth.  Almost as an afterthought, he added “I’m a Republican.”

If I had been given the opportunity for a rejoinder, I would have said: yes, you are a Republican.  You are a member of a rare and endangered species that has almost become extinct among public figures: the moderate Republican.  Jim Webb was a Republican too, until the disastrous foreign policy of President Bush forced a change of conscience.  I suspect that a lot of Republicans will vote for Webb, in the privacy of the voting booth.

During his speech, Powell spoke passionately about his opposition to Bush’s violation of the Geneva Conventions.  He mentioned that the Supreme Court and Senators McCain and Warner agree with him.  Surely he knows that Webb also agrees with him too.



Why Colin Powell? (Tony Mastalski - 9/17/2006 7:10:50 PM)
I can see why you might want Colin Powell to give our candidate an endorsement, but personally I consider him a huge disappointment and a major reason we are in Iraq today .... in the way we are today. Marginalized by Cheney and Rumsfeld, Colin could have resigned over bad policy (like a certain SecNav I know of) .... but he stuck it out with Dubya and still has lunch with him today.

Contrast this with Colin Powell's aide and "former friend ?" ... Army Colonel Larry Wilkerson who publicly criticized the Bush Adminestration's run up to and conduct of the war. I thought the campaign should have sought him out at the beginning ... he would have been a GREAT GRASSROOTS guy!!  As far as I'm concerned guys like Wilkerson and General Tony Zinni have far more "creds" than Powell .... even though they worked for the guy.

Let's get Webb out there with people who stood up to this adminestration and stood against these sycophantic rubber stamping Republican Senators.

If Powell came out for Webb and atoned for his Bush loyalist sins ....great ... maybe that would be a different story .... I just don't see that happening and we don't need a Bush loyalist.



Never going to happen (DanG - 9/17/2006 7:24:47 PM)
Powell won't endorse a Democrat, and he won't endorse somebody like George Allen either.  This is hardcore wishful thinking, people.


update! (drmontoya - 9/17/2006 7:58:57 PM)
read my update!


Wilkerson, Powell, and so on (Teddy - 9/17/2006 9:28:14 PM)
Well, a pre-emptive strike is ideal, since you seem to believe that Allen's scurvy crew is sucking up to Colin. So get Gen. Powell's endorsement if at all possible (but I, too, doubt he'll go for a Dem, even a former Repub-Dem) and, failing that, get him to stay neutral. Or, issue one of his interesting double entendre type statements clearly pro-Webb without naming names. I also think we should go after Wilkerson, who is able to provide strong, convincing evidence in Webb's favor. I long ago wanted the Fairfax City Dems to have him on an Iraq panel discussion as a public service, but nothing came of it. He can be dynamite.


Refused? (KCinDC - 9/17/2006 9:28:45 PM)
You think Powell "refused to serve in a second term"? Bush cleaned house for the second term, to make sure everyone around him had absolute loyalty to him, and not the nation or the Constitution or any other silly principles. Powell had no choice in the matter.


Powell's endorsement (libra - 9/18/2006 12:30:43 AM)
While I think it would be *super* if Powell endorsed Webb (especially now, that he came out of his self-imposed shame-closet and added his own monkey wrench to those of John Warner et al), I really, really, don't think he ought to be pressured to make such an open, clear-cut admission of having been wrong. Why him and not anyone else? He's already got the short end of the stick from the sAdadministration and lost everyone's respect as a result of having caved in. Let him writhe in peace and work things out for himself, at his own time.

Any odds as to how fast the sAdministration will dump Rice and Gonzales, once we start the investigations in January?



Not to be cynical, but I think (summercat - 9/18/2006 8:22:53 AM)
that Powell's neutrality is the best we can hope for.  General Powell seems somewhat insecure and needing the "love" of the GOP.
At least John Warner has said some good things about Webb, and has said that he will not campaign against Webb--tho he will vote for Allen.


NO one has paid attention.. (drmontoya - 9/18/2006 9:15:43 AM)
To Powell since he left the adminisration?

COLIN POWELL may have made some serious mistakes in recent times, but it does not mean he don't deserve a chance to redeem himself, and show his true charachter.