What does it mean now that Colin Powell Endorsed Barack Obama?

Those who say that it's "because of race" are ignorant and racist themselves.

Colin Powell donated to McCain in the primaries. Now he is questioning McCain's judgment, especially with his VP pick Sarah Palin and the direction his campaign is going. Now why would Powell change his endorsement? Because he thinks Obama is simply better for the job! He gave his reasons and people should look at them instead of jumping to the idea that "Powell is black, Obama is black, therefore Powell chooses to support Obama."

I think his endorsement *might* help those undecided voters/independents or Republicans weary of McCain.

Powell is an intelligent moderate/independent thinker. HE'S the maverick.

So all of a sudden Colin Powell has no credibility, according to some Mccain supporters, and that is amazing. He make a very well thoughtout argument on why Obama is the better choice, let's open our eyes and stop focusing on McCains lies regarding taxes, this is no time to be fooled. We need a leader of this country and Obama is the one.

I really looked up to GEN Powell. It made me sad to think that he seems to be incapable of looking past race and make decisions based on ability. This entire Presidential race has discouraged me on where we are with respect to race relations as a country.

When you have one candidate that has 90%+ support of their race which only makes up 9% of the total voters in the U.S. this means that we have a large percentage of whites who are willing to vote based on conviction and not race. However the same can not be said of Black voters. It really is very discouraging, and I feel it may be many more years than I previously anticipated until race no longer is any factor.

Just today on National public radio there was a discussion about how several states had baned race considerations in regards to School admissions, hiring, scholarship's etc. There was a lady that was arguing that it was not fair because that meant less Black students would get into college. It just seems ludicrous to me that a student of any race should expect to get in over a more qualified student based on their race.

How much longer will we as a country be hung up on race?

It means that Colin Powell despite being a republican seems to be the only sane one who has realised thats its time for a change and taht Obama is the right one

Nothing to do with race...

before Powell was even in the picture, Obama had the election in a bag.

NOW, with the support of one of the most respected republican

politicians in the game, Obama WILL BE the 44th President Of The U.S.A. and make history

HANDS DOWN

Colin Powell isn't a sellout anymore

It will help those who were on the fence and respect Powell's opinions. I feel he has been disenchanted with the direction the current administration is headed since leaving office.

well..it does make the Black Republicans look more like Uncle Toms than usual, considering that the second most influential Black Republican of the 21st Century (after Clarence Thomas, and around even with Condoleeza) is backing a Democrat.

Can you imagine the (justifiable) outcry if a leading white Democrat decided he wanted to vote by race and backed McCain instead of Obama?

If anything this leads me to believe that when blacks have to choose between a reasonably viable black and white person, race seems to trump. The message seems to be that if you have a black and white man apply for a job, if the employer is white, it's fair only to hire the black man if the white is unqualified, but if both are qualified, it's OK to let race, not capability, determine who to hire.

He is yet another republican that recognizes McCain's bad decision in picking Plain and the GOP's ignorant ways. It will help him with independents but die hard right wingers will remain closed minded.