http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1950127/posts

Colin Powell Praises Obama on Eve of New Hampshire Primary.


Former Secretary of State Colin Powell praised Barack Obama on the eve of the New Hampshire primary, crediting the Illinois Senator for breaking barriers while running as "an American man" who can represent the entire nation. In an interview with PBS host Tavis Smiley, Powell said he was "taking joy" in Obama's rise and he said citizens across the country can "enjoy this moment where a person like Barack Obama can knock down all of these old barriers that people thought existed with respect to the opportunities that are available to African Americans."
Powell, the first black person to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, National Security Advisor, and Secretary of State, also firmly rebutted the idea that reporters or voters should assess whether a candidate is white or black "enough." This argument about him not being black enough, that's just absolute nonsense. He is putting himself forward not as a black man but as an American man who wants to be president of the United States of America. We should see Barack as a candidate for president who happens to be black, and not a black candidate for president.
I find this interesting because Powell was always a supporter of the republican party. I was just telling my father the other day that if Powell were to throw his support in with Huckabee or McCain then we'd likely see them win the nomination. Much of the nation highly respects this man and I doubt anyone disagrees that he could have had a good chance at being the President had he ran. I was surprised to see him back Obama though. I know he left Bush in a none too happy mindset but he really must be upset.