Cheney Vs. Powell: The Republican Political Civil War Continues

This weekend General Powell fired the latest salvo in the political civil war within the Republican Party.



Along with this, and on another show, for Governor Tom Ridge referred to Rush Limbaugh as "shrill". On that note, here is how pundit Bruce Bartlett described the situation.

Powell has to accept that he is in a unique position to command attention and lead the Republican Party—or at least that part of it that isn’t consumed with defending the indefensible on torture or living in a fantasy world where the economy would be booming today if it just wasn’t for Obama’s budget deficits. It’s a pretty small constituency these days—most of those, like me, who share Powell’s views have left his party to become independents—but it may be enough to build a foundation on that can offer a meaningful challenge to the dominant Cheney-Limbaugh-Palin wing of the Republican Party that views all efforts to expand its membership as a sell-out to be resisted at all cost, even if it means further political losses.

But at the end of the day, the job of a political party is to win elections and to win elections it must be inclusive, not exclusive. Thus the ultimate message Powell has to offer Republicans is the most persuasive one of all—follow him and win or follow Cheney-Limbaugh-Palin and lose. Personally, I would like to see Powell follow in the steps of Dwight D. Eisenhower and run for president—I’ll sign up for his campaign today even if it means having to rejoin the Republican Party. But if he is serious about not wishing to do that, then Powell has a responsibility to help those who share
his vision by lending his enormous credibility, popularity and fund-raising ability to their efforts. If he fails to do so he risks being seen by history as someone who walked away when the times demanded that those who share his beliefs stand and fight for what they believe.

This follows weeks in which such figures mocked the likes of Colin Powell as folks no longer invited to be in the Republican Party.

All of this leads me to ask, why can't there be room in the party for both. I feel like Rodney King, "can't we all just get along". The party maybe going through some soul searching however it would be patently false to conclude that the party has been holding to strict conservative principles and they lost because of this. That's simply not accurate. The party lost its way on its conservative principles and that's why it lost.

That said, just because someone is pro choice, for comprehensive immigration reform, or doesn't mind a few government entitlement programs, doesn't mean they aren't, and shouldn't be welcome in the party. The party must stand for something and that something needs to be strict adherence to conservative principles. That said, it shouldn't be a mandate that strict adherence to every principle is a prerequisite for entry into the party. Rudy Giuliania is moderate to liberal on several issues, but I consider him a very solid Republican. He governed as a fiscal conservative (even though he worked with a liberal legislature), he was tough on crime, and he believes in an aggressive GWOT policy. Should we dismiss him because he's pro choice?

Moderates shouldn't try and move the party more toward their ideology. That's a battle they will lose. The base is now, and always will be, a solid conservative base. Tom Ridge shouldn't demand that the party adopt a pro choice platform. John McCain shouldn't demand the party adopt a moderate border policy platform. Ron Paul shouldn't demand that the party adopt a dovish GWOT policy. Yet, they are all welcome in the party even though on these issues they disagree with the platform.

In fact, the whole thing is so obvious to me that I wonder why so many politically astute individuals are going on like this. Does Colin Powell really think that the Republican Party will embrace the position that people want more government and are willing to pay for it? Does Rush Limbaugh really think that daring Powell to leave will help the party? Do all of them really think that sniping back and forth helps anyone but the Democrats?

I understand that there is a natural progression of soul searching following a big loss in politics. I just don't understand why it needs to turn into the food fight it has so far. All of this appears to be egos rather than principle. I, for one, would hope that all of these pols begin to act with some maturity because this political civil war is getting really immature and ugly.

A Tale of Two Endorsements

The Military Times released its latest polling results of military personnel from all branches of the military regarding the upcoming Presidential election. The results are in and they are overwhelming. The military wants John McCain to be their Commander in Chief. The polling, measuring a breadth of ranks, units, and military divisions, found that by a nearly three to one margin the military wants John McCain to be its next Commander in Chief. Why should this matter? On many levels it shouldn't. The only reason it should matter is because you will likely hear little about the results of this poll.

On the other hand, Colin Powell came out on Sunday and endorsed Barack Obama. Now, I pointed the other day that I was disgusted by the manner in which the conservative media demonized and marginalized both Colin Powell and his endorsement of Barack Obama. That said, what is truly amazing is the utter lack of context that the MSM has created with Colin Powell's endorsement. Unless you watch Fox News or read conservative blogs, you are rather unlikely to know that this poll was even taken. Yet, MSM commentators are all over the place making it seem as though Colin Powell's endorsement means that Barack Obama is just as ready to be Commander in Chief as John McCain.

Of course, if you listened to a pundit from the MSM like Eugene Robinson, you would get the idea that Colin Powell speaks for everything military.

Colin Powell demonstrated his eponymous "Powell Doctrine" of overwhelming force on Sunday when he endorsed Barack Obama on Meet the Press. The one-time chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff systematically marshaled his assets to neutralize the Republican endgame strategy, which is to suffuse the air around Obama with a vague mist of terrorism, socialism and "otherness."

Powell was so definitive that it was easy to forget the disconnect: Obama made his reputation with a speech in 2002 warning against war in Iraq, while it was Powell who went before the United Nations and used his credibility to build support for the Iraq invasion.

Powell told Tom Brokaw that he still believes that war was the right course of action, based on what he and other officials knew -- or thought they knew -- at the time. He said he believes the war was mishandled. And he said he still opposes a "deadline" for withdrawing U.S. troops, though he added that a "timeline" for withdrawal is beginning to emerge.

That would be a fair summation of John McCain's position on Iraq, not Obama's. Powell framed his endorsement largely in terms of how McCain, Sarah Palin and their supporters have conducted the campaign against Obama -- and what that conduct says about McCain's judgment. It was hard not to conclude that Powell is offended by some of the Republican tactics and that he has decided to fire back in a way that Obama cannot.

In Robinson's estimation, the only one worthy of making a referendum on the Iraq War is Colin Powell himself. The men and women in uniform, if you read someone like Eugene Robinson, are totally irrelevant as far as opinions on the war they are now fighting. Of course, it should be pointed out that John McCain also received the endorsement of four previous Secretaries of State and 200 Generals, but again, none of their endorsements mean anything if you read the MSM.

Personally, I don't believe that any endorsement carries any weight. Everyone should make their own minds. They shouldn't look to someone else to make it for them. What is utterly despicable is the total lack of context that the MSM brought to the endorsement of Barack Obama by Colin Powell. While hundreds of thousands of current fighting men and women pick John McCain overwhelmingly to be their next Commander in Chief, those endorsements won't even be recognized by the MSM. Yet, the endorsement of one previous General will be made into some sort of game changer, as if no one that's ever served in the military would have endorsed Barack Obama.

The endorsement of Colin Powell should have been given its due, however so should the endorsement of four other Secretaries of State and 200 former Generals. Furthermore, so should have the hundreds of thousands of current military personnel. That one endorsement was isolated because it was the one that fit the worldview of the MSM is further proof of their blatant bias and corruption.

The Conservative Blogosphere Vs. Colin Powell

Almost as expected as the endorsement of Barack Obama by Colin Powell was the reaction conservative blogosphere to the endorsement. The snarky condescension was lead by Michelle Malkin.

The media’s in a tizzy over Colin Powell’s Meet the Press endorsement of Barack Obama this morning.

It’s not a surprise to anyone who’s paid attention to his pro-Obama murmurings over the last four months.

How will people outside the Beltway bubble respond?

Yawn.

...

Powell’s embrace of Barack Obama is a triumph of hope over reality. He told Tom Brokaw that Obama’s “steadiness” and “not jumping in and changing every day”
convinced him that The One was ready to lead.

Hello?

...

Guess Powell relied on Obama’s website after he purged his surge criticism from it.
Powell then goes on to pooh-pooh Obama’s longtime “limited relationship” with Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers as an “issue that is not central” to the campaign — just as evidence of the closeness of these two very chummy “neighbors”
mounts.

Judgment, schmudgment, eh, Secretary Powell?

Of course, it only started there.

I doubt Powell’s endorsement will have much effect one way or the other. What I did find interesting was that although Colin Powell said he’s still a
Republican, he would have “difficulty with two more conservative appointments to
the Supreme Court, but that’s what we’d be looking at in a McCain
administration.” Read full story.

That quote makes me seriously question Powell’s sincerity. Of all the criticism of McCain/Palin coming from the right, the appointment of the next one or two Supreme Court Justices is certainly not one of them. As it is, the Democrats are going to have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, so any extreme right wing nominees will never make it past the confirmation hearings.

I think a consensus is forming.

Big deal? Nah, its just a PR stunt to get himself back in the good graces of the Beltway/Manhattan elite cocktail party circuit besides its been rumored for months. Will it help Obama? I doubt it since the only ones that care, the ObaMSM, are already in the tank for Obama in fact it might hurt him some with his far left anti-war base since it was Powell that gave the infamous WMD speech that set up the war in Iraq. It also take some of the sting out of Obama's attempts to hang the Bush administration around McCain's neck.

There may have also been a bit of payback revenge motive involved as well after he was removed as Sec. of State. He also has worked to undermine President Bush for a few years now most notably when he knew his man Richard Armitage had outed Valerie Plame to Bob Novak but allowed Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove to take the heat for it. So I say good riddance Obama can have him since he was a pretty lousy and ineffective SoS to begin with.

Now, Ms. Malkin, and the rest of the blogosphere is spending an awful lot of time on an event that none of them think has any significance. Furthermore, there is an awful cynical pyschoanalysis of his motives. The same group that celebrated when Democrat big whig Lynn Forester De Rothschild endorsed John McCain and never once questioned the sincerity of her motives is now looking for any nefarious reason to explain this particular one.

For my money, as far as endorsements go, this one is very important, however endorsements have long stopped being at all relevant. It isn't as though John McCain doesn't have the endorsements of significant Democrats like Ms. Forrester, and so this isn't going to change the dynamic of the race. General Powell has served this nation with nothing but honor and I am not about to question his motives on something as important as this. Nor, will I minimize its importance...at least as far as endorsements go.