Bumiller: Powell And McCain Haven’t Spoken To Each Other In Months
Bumiller: Powell And McCain Haven’t Spoken To Each Other In Months
On Thursday, the New York Times’s Elizabeth Bumiller and Larry Rother reported that “the so-called pragmatists” of the conservative foreign policy establishment are “expressing concern” that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is “coming under increased influence from a competing camp, the neoconservatives, whose thinking dominated President Bush’s first term and played a pivotal role in building the case for war.”
According to the Times, one of the concerned pragmatists is former Secretary of State Colin Powell:
The worry about Mr. McCain is centered among a group of foreign policy realists who have long been close to him and who lost out to the hawks in the intense ideological battles of the first term of the current White House. The group includes former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, former Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage and Brent Scowcroft, the national security adviser to the first President Bush.
On the Chris Matthews Show this morning, Bumiller expanded on Powell’s relationship with McCain, saying that they have not spoken to each other in months and implying that the lack of communication is indicative of Powell’s concerns. Watch it:
Though Powell donated $2,300 to McCain’s campaign in August 2007, he has refused to endorse the senator. In an interview on ABC’s Good Morning America last week, at the same time Powell said he is “looking at all three candidates,” he endorsed a position on Iraq that clashes with McCain’s preference for an open-ended commitment.
“The United States Armed Forces are very, very stretched,” said Powell, adding that the next president “will have to continue to draw down at some pace.”
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Oh noooos!! Trouble in paradise…?
April 13th, 2008 at 11:50 amI wonder what would happen if Powell endorsed Obama. That would be something and would create quite a stir. He just might do it because he is working fervently to rehab his reputation and endorsing McCain certainly is not going to do that.
April 13th, 2008 at 11:51 amPowell will spend the next six months getting as far away from Republican politics as he can. It was this same neocon crowd who trotted him out in from of the UN and the world to humiliate himself with Cheney’s weapons of mass destruction lies.
April 13th, 2008 at 11:52 amThough Powell donated $2,300 to McCain’s campaign in August 2007, he has refused to endorse the senator.em>
Perhaps because there is still a chance Powell will be indicted for war crimes in the Hague, and it’s always a political negative to have the public endorsement of a war criminal.
April 13th, 2008 at 11:52 amI wonder what would happen if Powell endorsed Obama. That would be something and would create quite a stir.
This presupposes the black community still has high regard for Powell, or that they so blinded by cultural isolationism, that the larger context of a Powell endorsement is lost on them. Kind of an elitist attitude, toward the “political street-smarts” of the black community.
April 13th, 2008 at 11:57 amQuite simply stated - Once McCain cinched the nomination, he deserted his base. The man can not be trusted!
April 13th, 2008 at 12:03 pmPowell hasn’t communicated with McCain ’cause Lieberman’s answering McCain’s phone these days: “Hello, thinly veiled Zionist HQ. If you’re a corporate lobbyist wishing to donate money by the brown bagful, press 1. If you’re a right-wing Xian nutbag with 70 million in yer blood-spattered checkbook, press 2. If you’re Trent Lott, buy your own damn lunch.”
April 13th, 2008 at 12:06 pmLet’s endorse McOldtimer by a few million of us shipping him a box of Depends on the same day using next day air.
April 13th, 2008 at 12:14 pmThen see if he gets asked about it on the talking head’s shows.
barfly Says:
April 13th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Though Powell donated $2,300 to McCain’s campaign in August 2007, he has refused to endorse the senator.em>
Perhaps because there is still a chance Powell will be indicted for war crimes in the Hague, and it’s always a political negative to have the public endorsement of a war criminal.
Wasn’t Ollie North one of the FAUX cheerleaders openly rooting for Chimpy both times ?
April 13th, 2008 at 12:22 pmComments should be back up.
April 13th, 2008 at 1:12 pmHere is the great straight talker who is willing to switch whatever position he has in order to satisfy the hard right. Thank God for such inspired leadership.
April 13th, 2008 at 1:14 pmPlaying both sides seems to be the way Powell and Connie are playing their cards. Look Powell will be charged with War Crimes and right now he needs money. Powell will suck up to which ever candidate wins. He was part of the team in 2002 that signed to have people tortured and for our troops to invade Iraq for oil. Powell has lied from day one and will again to save his butt. As for the Obama connection. Obama used the race card to get votes now Powell and Connie will use the race card on Obama to get a position in his cabinet. Powell and Connie know McCain will do as he’s told by the GOP and Obama clearly doesn’t know what to do be give a great speech as long as it’s not his own.
April 13th, 2008 at 3:16 pmare the republican delegates free to vote for whomever, as i’ve heard the democratic delegates are? is there any chance that the republicans will choose someone other than mccain at their convention? perhaps he’s serving as a placeholder now to take the hits from the democrats? it would explain how and why he’s gotten away with all of these very public “senior moments,” and keep in mind Romney only “suspended” his campaign, which means he still has those delegates, if I understand correctly. if this is even a possibility, i think it should get more attention.
April 13th, 2008 at 4:09 pmbarfly Says:
I wonder what would happen if Powell endorsed Obama. That would be something and would create quite a stir.
This presupposes the black community still has high regard for Powell, or that they so blinded by cultural isolationism, that the larger context of a Powell endorsement is lost on them. Kind of an elitist attitude, toward the “political street-smarts” of the black community.
Uh…actually barfly, I wasn’t thinking about the blacks at all when I wrote my post. I was just thinking that Powell is still a respected person in the Republican party and if he came out and endorsed Obama, that would be a big “ouch” for the Republican party. I don’t see any way that Powell can redeem his reputation if he sticks with the Republicans.
April 13th, 2008 at 4:35 pm>and it’s always a political negative to have the public >endorsement of a war criminal.
powell is by no means a saint, but he is sane, and quite frankly, im going to want to see the sociopath who is most culpable answer for their crimes first
April 13th, 2008 at 4:55 pmMcCain is the neocons’ last hope of Imperium.
April 13th, 2008 at 7:36 pmThey’re going to try to get some bombs dropped on Iran before Chimpy and Cheney leave office.
Watch out Bumiller, McCain is going to bite your head off for that remark! If he does, please point it out to him!
April 14th, 2008 at 12:34 amI think Ebenezer McCain is to be congratulated. I mean, it isn’t just anyone who can carefully manicure his political image so that he has absolutely no support from any political group at all.
It seems to me he is banking everything on winning the Reagan Democrats over. Problem is, no one has told him that it’s 2008, not 1980, that nearly thirty years have passed, and that, most important, most of those “Reagan Democrats” anr currently dead.
I swear, if the Dems can’t win this one……………….
April 14th, 2008 at 2:25 pm