Colin Powell? Barack Obama? Can anyone explain the ruckus?

There's something about Colin L. Powell's "Meet the Press" endorsement of Barack Obama's White House bid against John McCain that stoked a huge debate.

And that debate prompted some confusion from readers abroad, seeking to understand the peculiarities of American politics.

So, we found ourselves pondering a question, which arrived around midnight

"Yasu," who identified himself as "a Japanese citizen," asked:

Could somebody help me understanding or convince me in a cultured, civilized and sophisticated language why, in America, a black human being respected in the whole world, endorsing a black human being respected in the whole world, would be a racist. Or, simply why black politicians should not be respected.

And if anybody says something like -- it's none of your business, Jap -- that would just reinforce the fact that racists are just uneducated sad people, that do not deserve to be respected but hopefully get better education under President Obama's plan, whether they like it or not.

Oh by the way, I am just trying to understand your country better.

Then there was this one from Australia, where a reader was amused by the yelping that occurred when Countdown to Crawford asked on Monday: "If Barack Obama's a socialist, what's George W. Bush?"

You seem to have a collective inability to distinguish between a social policy, a socialist policy and communism.

THE REDS ARE NO LONGER UNDER YOUR BEDS. THERE IS NO NEED TO BE SCARED ANYMORE.

Anyone care to explain all this to our distant readers?

-- James Gerstenzang

Photo: Brendan Smialowski / "Meet the Press"

Comments

[Photty]

Im sorry, but Colin Powell is totally discredited, as far as I am concerned.
At a time when we really needed him to speak out he was AWOL.
I wish him a happy, but obscure retirement.

[ErinSiobhan]

I have no clue how to answer either question. I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out why it's racist for Powell to endorse Obama but it's not racist for Lieberman to endorse McCain.

[alix]

In response to Yasu's question. It isn't really about whether you respect the one another in American politics. It is about saying anything and everything you can to discredit your opponent.

So people can go ahead and say they respect Colin Powell but in the same breath say they think he is only supporting Obama because he's black. See they still respect him, but they think he is low enough to turn on his party because of race not because he actually believes in a candidate's message.

[Gino]

He did speak out. He endorsed Barack Obama. Strongly, I might add.

[David]

Photty, you are certainly welcome to your opinion. But from the sounds of it, you belong to the demographic referenced by Yasu: sad and uneducated. [wanders off scratching head in worried bewilderment]

[Robert]

The Right Wing and Neo Conservatives Toss Around Words... "Socialist and Communist".

But Carefully IGNORE ... Definition of Fascism !

From Webster's Dictionary:

Fascism - "Any Program for setting up a centralized autocratic national regime with severely nationalistic policies, exercising regimentation of industry, commerce, and finance, rigid censorship, and forcible suppression of opposition."

[lamont cranston]

The man who wrote the whitewash of My Lai, and lied to the world in the run up to the current war, has lost credibility.
His endorsement is as laughable as Palin's "qualifications".

[Katie from AK]

I've been wondering about the socialism thing myself for days now. Nobody accuses Canada or Britain or Germany of being communist. Why is it such a vile act to propose a socialist policy? (universal healthcare = communism?)

The great patriot, great American, and great intellect Colin Powell, who towers above Rush Limbaugh and all the other hate monger mental midgets, said his endorsement is not about race. Powell stated quite cogently his reasons for the endorsement. What standing do Rush and his ilk have to question Powell's veracity? If Powell was white would they question his stated reasons for endorsing Obama? No. In my view that's a pretty good definition bigotry. At the very least it is an example of white privilege and propagates a stereotype that is hurtful to America, the Constitution and the American people. My message to Rush and his acolytes, "Please stop hurting America."

[BenjaminF]

To those who think that Secretary Powell's endorsement was based on race, I say I believe he said exactly what was on his mind, and I believe he meant every word he said-He doesn't like the nasty tone the Republican party has taken on, nor its extreme social views. Powell is a traditional country-club Republican libertarian of the Rockefeller - Goldwater Episcopalian ilk, like George Wills, and he doesn't like the Know-Nothing Fundamentalist far-right crowd or their hostile, uncivil ways-and neither does George Wills. He also thinks that Palin is a not very bright rookie who would be a disaster if she inherited the White House, and I think all of the evidence shows that he is right about that-another view shared by George Wills, who is a self-described conservative of very long standing. Those of us on the far side of 50 remember a civil, responsible, mainstream Republican Party, the party of President Eisenhower, which bore precious little resemblance today's Republican party, the party of Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove, and Sarah Palin. I frankly think President Eisenhower and Senator Goldwater would despise today's Republican party.

[Robert]

But Carefully IGNORE ... Definition of Fascism !

From Webster's Dictionary:

Fascism - "Any Program for setting up a centralized autocratic national regime with severely nationalistic policies, exercising regimentation of industry, commerce, and finance, rigid censorship, and forcible suppression of opposition."

[byb]

He's speaking out now? Where was he months ago? Obviously, there was some major deal making here. If he backs him, then he will get a position in the cabinet.

[Chris]

All it takes is Rush Limbaugh and his army of idiots to take what should have been a great moment in American history and turn it into a negative headline!

Colin Powell is a great American. Period! That's widely recognized by both the left and the right. Now, seeing as the Bush administration has yet to even acknowledge his endorsement, says more about them than it does about Colin Powell.

Basically, a large part of America, specifically those in rural areas as well as in the Bible belt, have a hard time with change, even though this country was brought into existence by a Revolution! They tend to like life the way it is, because, sadly, it is all they know. It's why rural towns have negative influxes of people in most of America and the young tend to flee to the big cities for culture and worldly understanding.

In summary, the reason this endorsement has become an issue is purely out of the ignorance that encompasses roughly half the country.

[Marie]

first of all, he was Not accused of being a racist; he was accused of endorsing BO (we're not allowed to use his middle name) because of his race. There is a distinct difference.
As I've told another reporter, America and now it looks like the rest of the world, would be better served if they actually reported the facts accurately and correctly.
Now, will somebody explain to me why using BO's middle name is racist since after all that is his middle name???

[Ed Lillibridge]

For many in the U.S. we don't have enough serious problems to discuss so we encourage the 'media' to find the lowest level of social being to represent a purely preposterous supposition and then we attack it. I think it's sport.

[Bo Bartlett]

The MSNBC interview was the best 7 minutes of television in the entire election season. Colin Powell is well informed and articulate. America would be blessed with Powell in an Obama administration.

[John McJane]

Well, it's just like that congresswoman saying liberalism was in some way anti-American. Just right-wing nutjobs trying to to make "average Americans" dizzy with their lies and smears. I'm confident it won't work this time. We aren't that stupid, after all.

[Stu]

As a Canadian I'm exposed to as much American news as anyone in the US is so hearing that some people say he's just endorsing Obama because he's black isn't surprising. It's entirely untrue but that's about what you start to expect people to say after a while. The most vocal on this have been Limbaugh and Fox News so it should also be said to people new to them, they are pretty far from reputable news sources. I don't know why people still bother to point out what they say. In Canada they have some entertainment value just because it's funny to hear the stupid things they say and even funnier (but also sad and scary) to hear people who agree with them. At least that's my take from the North.

[Matt]

Americans like thrillers. And they absolutely love digging up dirt. Rather than take things at face value, like an endorsement, they love to speculate over the sinister motivations behind everyone's actions. To some degree, this is necessary (often times, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is). But it can be carried to the point where people are lumped into tightly defined categories, and if you break from that mold, you are seen as having an ulterior motive. Hence, many people are accusing Powell of having racial motivations for the endorsement rather than ideological ones. I respect Powell, and I believe his endorsement is honest. But no one likes to lose, and it's obvious that the Republicans are grasping at straws.

As for social policy, socialist policy, and communism. True, they are all different. But they are all varying degrees of authoritarianism. One can quickly lead to another in the wrong hands. And in an era where corporations and politicians have immense power, I would prefer not to give them any more large systems to exploit.

[Sarah]

I'm saddened and sickened by the response of some people to the Powell endorsement.

He is an incredibly well respected man by people of all parties and now some conservatives are villifying him for something as arbitrary as....... not agreeing with them.

Rush Limbaugh has no business having a public voice. Pat Buchannan is just an idiot.

Does anyone believe that if Powell had endorsed McCain that anyone would be trying to tarnish his reputation? Would anyone on the left be publicly downplaying the endorsement? NO!

There are hundreds of high profile life long republicans coming out in support of Obama. That should say a LOT, that people who have NEVER voted for a democrat think Obama so worthy and McCain so unworthy that they will not only vote against their party but put their necks on the line by coming out publicly and explaining why.

Did anyone say that Chris Buckley is only voting for Obama because he's black? or Eisenhower's granddaughter (whose name escapes me at the moment)? I don't recall conservatives deciding to assume their motivations based on race.

They're basically calling General Colin Powell a liar. That his very detailed explanaition is a lie and really it's just about Obama's skin pigment. As though someone so honorable would do something so capricious as to vote for Obama because he's black.

I'm sorry non-US citizens of the world, I can't explain it to you, there is no explanation. It's embarassing.

But then I'm from New York state, you know, the UN-American America!

[rasheed larry]

it's so sad a great nation on earth still using a racist comment in open. we Americans believe all men are created equal, so why do pick on folks like an arab, mormon and other social groups. i think is absurd to me as an American. it's time to get back to our senses.

[Concerned]

Far-right conservatives are throwing up straw men to discredit the endorsement of a prominent figure from the Bush administration. The McCain camp has resorted to the tried and true tactics of dirty politics: using race, religion and the long outdated fear of communism. Unfortunately this works some of the time- especially when voters are too lazy to do their homework and prefer to be led along the party line.

This is a great endorsement. It is further proof that Barack Obama seeks the counsel of learned and experienced patriots (from both sides of the aisle) to add to an already impressive arsenal of strategic colleagues. His will be a wonderful administration.

[Steve]

It seems a racist endorsement to me because Powell is a conservative and he endorsed a liberal. I do not care how many leadership qualities Obama seems to possess, his liberal philosophy is in stark contrast to a conservative philosophy. Powell should know better than to support "the person he likes" over the person of his party because Obama will enact a myriad laws, policies and programs that we do not believe in. I'd like to give the good General the benefit of the doubt but there seems to be no other explanation.

[riannon]

Dear Yasu,

The sad truth is that there is still much racism in this country, most of it concentrated in the Republican party that tends to be led by rich, white, males. The Rep. Party "pretends" not to be racist by embracing accomplished black people that migrate to their party (a small minority of blacks are Republican). As soon as a black person ceases to tow the Republican Party line, however, they are outcast and attacked. The same thing actually happens to whites that fall away, but other means of ridicule are used. Racism is a wound deeply imbedded in this country, and pouncing on it is like kicking a society where it's already been shot. There are few black men with the credentials and world respect of Gen Colin Powell. Because of this he was an important person to the GOP (Grand Old Party, another name for Republican Party). They could use him to draw black votes, to whatever extent that was effective. Now he's called out the GOP for how far it's fallen from grace, and they are reacting like the angry mob they have become. The GOP has become the party of hate and divisiveness. They know they can't stop the message that speaks aganst them, so they "kill the messenger" instead. Today, that messenger is Colin Powell.

To my Australian brother: the Republican leaders know the difference, but they count on the average person not knowing. They use misleading propaganda to scare Americans into voting for their party. It's part of their strategy to "divide and conquer" American voters and this nation. It is exactly what Sen. Obama is fighting against. He wants to unite this country. It's why he's winning, thank God.

[Aurelllio]

I am from Brazil, I have one question.

Why is Obama referrred to as Black ? Doesn't his mother's white race matter? Or is it because once tainted with Black, the white genes are eradicated? Here in Brazil, he would perfectly pass as non Black... or simply a Brazilian of diverse origin.....