It was a pretty cool moment when Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama -- but I have to admit, I wasn't expecting the right's pushback, as expressed by George Will, when asked if Powell's endorsement was going to have a "big impact":
Some impact. And I think this adds to my calculation -- this is very hard to measure -- but it seems to me if we had the tools to measure we'd find that Barack Obama gets two votes because he's black for every one he loses because he's black because so much of this country is so eager, a, to feel good about itself by doing this, but more than that to put paid to the whole Al Sharpton/Jessee Jackson game of political rhetoric.
Wha--?
He's not alone, of course. Pat Buchanan went there, Rush Limbaugh went there. The rank-and-file are just revving up. The right-wing bloggers were already there as soon as the endorsement was known, digging up pics of Powell hanging with rappers.
Classy.
Instead of acknowledging that maybe, just maybe, Powell actually thinks Obama is the better candidate, we get this. Again, more culture war. More "us" versus "them." More narrowing the boundaries of what an "American" looks like and sounds like for these people who find it better to stir the bitter cup of hatred, division and rancor in the country than admit Obama is worthy and capable of the job.
