Powell’s Endorsement and Why You Probably Cried

On Sunday, Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama for President. And while Tom Browkaw remained his typical irritating self, I found myself choked up as Powell described this photo by Platon.

Here’s what Powell said as he described the photo, and why it shouldn’t matter if a person is Muslim in America:

“…And it gave his awards—Purple Heart, Bronze Star—showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn’t have a Christian cross, it didn’t have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life.”

Now it was pretty hard to sit there an listen to Powell without feeling something tug at you. And I’m even willing to bet that even the most die-hard Republican might have felt a tinge of guilt for disparaging being a Muslim. (See, I believe their might be some who call themselves Republicans that still have a bit of soul left.)

However, to anyone who thinks a large block of Republicans are sharing Powell’s view of what it means to be Muslim and American, you just need to listen to McCain’s response to a supporter a few weeks ago. As a stammering supporter held the mic, she proceeded to explain why she couldn’t trust Obama - he was an Arab. McCain, to his credit, took the mic from her and quickly corrected her. “No, no ma’am. He’s a descent man.”

Yes Obama is a descent man. But he’s not a descent man because he’s a Christian. John McCain could have as easily said, “No, no ma’am. He’s a Christian…” And as John McCain turns his full attention back to his crowd, [inject Powell's words]:

Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s no, that’s not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president?

Wouldn’t that have been a turning point in this election? Wouldn’t that statement have started to turn Independent and Moderate Republicans in his direction?

It’s sad to see McCain go down this path, however, as he has chosen to follow the Republicans to the “gates of hell” I guess he’ll find himself face-to-face with Osama Bin Laden before he knows it.