A Thought on Powell's Endorsement of Obama

George has written a nice article on the subject. So my comments will be brief.

First, this comes as no surprise. Bill Kristol speculated about this in the summer. It was even thought that Powell would speak at the Democratic National Convention on Obama's behalf. Now that would have made a fascinating spectacle. I'm not suggesting it's less significant now. Far from it. But it would have attracted more viewers if he had done it in Denver. Still, with Buckley, Hitchens and now Powell endorsing Obama does that mean the electorate will follow suit or are they just following the electorate? If it's the latter then McCain is doomed. If it's the former then I'm apt to think voters in Ohio are more in tune with Joe the Plumber than with Colin Powell. Sure, they respect Powell but they identify more intimately with Joe the Plumber. People don't vote for a candidate just because an elite member of society does so. It might add to Obama's standing but if a voter doesn't have a leg on which to stand it doesn't mean that much.

With that, I suppose the liberal media has now forgiven Powell for his presentation to the UN Security Council.