The conventional wisdom holds that John McCain should lean to his right in making his choice for a vice presidential candidate. This wisdom is completely wrong. Most of the names being bandied about would make terrible choices for McCain. I don't claim to be a political expert in the manner of Dick Morris, but I think the best choice for McCain would be Colin Powell.
Yes, Colin Powell. And here are the reasons why. First, Powell has an independent mind. He is not a captive of the right, and consequently he reinforces the public perception that McCain is not a pawn of Bush. True, Powell served in the Bush administration, but his disagreements with Bush are well known. Obama is trying to portray McCain as a Bush clone. Powell will help McCain convince independent voters--the ones he needs most--that his administration would not constitute a third Bush term.
Second, Powell has experience. The man has served honorably and responsibly in more high positions than Obama and all the other Democratic candidates combined. Moreover, Powell has gravitas while Obama merely has the gift of the gab. So Powell helps to highlight how green and goofy Obama really is. The point is not to contrast one African American with another, or to show how Powell like Obama has immigrant roots. Rather, it is to dissolve the race issue by showing that capability and experience, not race and skin color, are the real issues here.
Finally, who apart from the Obamorons can doubt that Powell would make a capable president? This is especially important given the fact that McCain is over seventy. A Powell choice would also reinforce the big question about the man at the top of the Democratic ticket: Is he ready? I am not going to say that Obama can never be a good president, but I seriously doubt that he is mature enough to climb into the saddle. Who would you trust--Powell or Obama--to better handle a national emergency?
Now all of this could be idle speculation, because Powell may not want to be vice president. I keep hearing about how his wife is so completely against the idea. But this could be one of McCain's first tasks: to persuade Powell to do it. This wouldn't be the first time that this soldier has been asked to put personal considerations second and to take on a great challenge for the future of his country.
Reader Comments ( Page 12 of 13)
166. Powell would be a terrible choice. He was the TOP GENERAL on Planet Earth as Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs. If he couldn't read Intel NOBODY can.
Dennis D at 7:03AM on Jun 18th 2008
167. McCain needs to pick a conservative. He will pick off enoughj Hillary voters to win the middle.
Dennis D at 7:03AM on Jun 18th 2008
168. Its 7:15 and all is wellllll!!!!!!
This early in the morning, all I can think of is that Colin (not colon) Powell aint right. He done us wrong, ya hear??!!
I think its really sad that around the world, people expect politicians to be greedy, liars, and only interested in their own self-promotion. So basically we are picking the lesser of two evils. I am sure that McPain is not a truthful, honest person. On the same token, Obama probably punches babies when no one is looking. So we pick one is the least of a liar, the least corrupt, the least evil?????
Maybe we could cut New Jersey from Port Jervis, to Dobbs Ferry. Then we could drift off into the atlantic ocean untill we are in international waters. Once there we could launch all of our nuclear arsenal at NJ. Problem solved. But wait untill I get out of here.
CaptainCack at 7:17AM on Jun 18th 2008
169. I ALWAYS WONDERED WHY MC CAIN WASN'T THE REPUB CANDIDATE, ALWAYS ADMIRED HIM AS THE PERSON WITH HIGHEST QUALIFICATION FOR A PRESIDENT OF USA. FOR THE FIRST TIME I WILL VOTE REPUB, POWELL IS GOOD TOO. I'T S TOO OBVIOUS HOW THE MEDIA IS SUPPORTING OBAMA SO BLATALTANTLY IS EVEN LYING FOR HIM. EVERY SINGLE DAY THEY HAVE A NEWS ABOUT HIM AND ALWAYS IS POSITIVE EVEN A LIE IF NECCESARY. ON THE CONTRARY WHEN IS ABOUT MC CAIN IS ALWAYS NEGATIVE, EVEN A LIE, LIKE YESTERDAY........SO WE WONDER WHAT'S THE CATCH....
pet at 8:36AM on Jun 18th 2008
170. man, "libs" are just down right angry people. i guess i would be angry as well though if i was hopelessly enamoured with a philosophy that has time and time again been proven to be worthless.
tony at 8:57AM on Jun 18th 2008
171. Pet:
Media lying for Obama??? Not McCain???? Remember the intelligence for the war in Iraq???? WMDs????? I think its about time the media questions the Republicans now....6 years of kissing Bushes ass. Its time for Mccain to get boned.
Besides, you dont know what the truth is that the media is reporting on. No one does but the parties that are involved. Anything else is speculation.
CaptainCack at 9:10AM on Jun 18th 2008
172. "Anyhow, here's a little joke to keep y'awl amused. What's the first thing a black man does after having sex? Wash the pepper spray out of his eyes. hehe :-)"
I think some of the Democraps (from the Greek, literally "people of shit") missed why this joke is funny. It derives its real power from the observation that blacks commit the crime of RAPE more often than other races. Then they go to prison where they (wait for it) commit the crime of RAPE a whole more. The joke wouldn't be so funny or powerful if it wasn't true, but fortunately it is, so it is.
Frank at 9:44AM on Jun 18th 2008
173. . man, "libs" are just down right angry people. i guess i would be angry as well though if i was hopelessly enamoured with a philosophy that has time and time again been proven to be worthless.
Yeah, people like Ghandi, Dr. King, and Nelson Mandela are well respected because their causes were wotrhless. What ever happened to the likes of Joe McCarthy, Nixon, and soon, your Bush boy? Into the refuse pit of history.
But don't worry. When libs get angry, things get done.
ex-christian at 10:17AM on Jun 18th 2008
174.
Why do rednecks wear white sheets? because their pink ones with the lavender flowers are at the cleaners.
Let me tell you why that's funny. Rednecks, being the ignorant, stupid mouth breathing creatures they are, can't distinguish reality from the crap they spew. They like to make sweeping statements with no basis in fact. Every group that isn't them is immoral and inferior. What makes it so funny, is that implying they have pink sheets with flowers, would indicate that their sexual tendencies are questionable, which is the only group they seem to despise as much as color difference.
ex-christian at 10:27AM on Jun 18th 2008
175. 170. man, "libs" are just down right angry people. i guess i would be angry as well though if i was hopelessly enamoured with a philosophy that has time and time again been proven to be worthless.
tony at 8:57AM on Jun 18th 2008
xxxx
Virtually every step forward in our history has been a liberal initiative taken over conservative opposition: civil rights, Social Security, Medicare, rural electrification, the establishment of a minimum wage, collective bargaining, the Pure Food and Drug Act, and federal aid to education, including the land-grant colleges, to name just a few. Many of these innovations were eventually embraced by conservatives only after it became clear that they had overwhelming public approval for the simple reason that almost every American benefited from them. Every one of these liberal efforts strengthened our democracy and our quality of life. I challenge my conservative friends to name a single federal initiative now generally approved by both of our major parties that was not first put forward by liberals over the opposition of conservatives.
George McGovern, Harpers Magazine, December, 2002
Up for his challenge?
Tim at 11:05AM on Jun 18th 2008
176. i guess i would be angry as well though if i was hopelessly enamoured with a philosophy that has time and time again been proven to be worthless.
xxx
that's exactly what you have with the opposite of liberalism. failed eighteenth century libertarianism, failed eighteenth century burkian ethos, failed 20th century Mussolinian despotism and you keep getting sucked in.
this country was founded on liberalism. What you think of as conservatism is the political philosophy of America's enemies.
You're being flimflammed into voting against your own best interest. Why do you want to sacrifice forever to enrich people that are already many times wealthier than you? I think that's nuts, or paranoid if you buy their poke covered piggy.
Clif Kuplen at 5:09PM on Jun 18th 2008
177. "Why do rednecks wear white sheets? because their pink ones with the lavender flowers are at the cleaners.
Let me tell you why that's funny. (blah blah blah)"
No, it's true that blacks commit half as many rapes as whites (not counting the hundreds of thousands uncounted rapes in prison, which put the blacks well in the lead), which means that they're showing admirable restraint, given that they're only 1/6 the size of the white population. But I'm sure if you peruse the crime stats at fbi.gov, you'll be pleased to see that you have a comfortable lead over Whites in murder.
I'm always amused by how blacks and the liberals who enslave them would rather deny problems rather than fixing them. Can you imagine if the blacks had cleaned their own house when crack came along? But no, they just sat back and died or got addicted or lived in terror. Whites, orientals, etc., would have defended themselves.
Frank at 8:30PM on Jun 18th 2008
178. Powell or Romney. Class or business experience. Good choices.
Budo at 11:54AM on Jun 19th 2008
179. Hey, how about Powell's half brother...Semi-colon Powell?
Clif Kuplen at 12:43AM on Jun 20th 2008
180. I challenge my conservative friends to name a single federal initiative now generally approved by both of our major parties that was not first put forward by liberals over the opposition of conservatives.
George McGovern, Harpers Magazine, December, 2002
xxx
Thanks for posting that! I'm keeping it handy.
Clif Kuplen at 2:33PM on Jun 20th 2008