Obama 'honored' for Powell's support
Posted: Sunday, October 19, 2008 4:21 PM by Carrie Dann
From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
FAYETTEVILLE, NC – Hours after winning the endorsement of Colin Powell, Barack Obama thanked the general for his support at a North Carolina rally, calling Powell a trailblazer who embodied America's highest ideals through his distinguished public service.
Obama's tribute to Powell's service took on an added dimension during his remarks in Cumberland County, where he campaigned not far from Fort Bragg in an area rich with current and retired military servicemembers. George Bush won the county by about 3,400 votes in 2004, but Al Gore narrowly beat Bush here in 2000 by about 500 votes. Obama encouraged the mostly black crowd of some 10,200 people in a stadium here to vote early.
"With so many brave men and women from Fayetteville who are serving in our military, this is a city and a state that knows something about great soldiers and this morning, a great soldier, a great statesman, a great American has endorsed our campaign for change," he said. "I have been honored to have the benefit of his wisdom and his counsel from time to time over the last few years, but today, I'm beyond honored, I am deeply humbled to have the support of Gen. Colin Powell."
The Republican former secretary of state said on NBC's Meet the Press this morning that Obama was a "transformational figure" who could help repair America's image abroad, engage in direct diplomacy and improve relations with allies. But he said he would not be campaigning for Obama, because he admired John McCain's long record of service.
The Democratic nominee spoke with the retired Army general, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under the first President Bush, for about 10 minutes on the telephone soon after his endorsement. He thanked Powell for his support and said he "looked forward to taking advantage of his advice in the next two weeks and hopefully over the next four years." During his speech, Obama spoke about Powell's comments about the negative attacks from Republicans. Powell told NBC's Tom Brokaw he was "troubled" by the personal attacks on the Illinois senator.
Obama warned today that there could be more attacks to come.
"At this defining moment, we don't have the luxury of relying on the same political games and the same political tactics that have been used in so many elections to divide us from one another and make us afraid of one another," he said. "We've seen some of these tactics from the other side. They're getting uglier and more intense and they'll get probably a little bit uglier in these last sixteen days. You'll get more of these robocalls, making outrageous accusations. You'll see more flyers in the mail. You'll hear more outrageous attacks calculated to mislead, inflame, and divide."
The McCain campaign emailed a statement responding to Obama's speech.
"Only an unproven and inexperienced politician like Barack Obama would have to rely so heavily on an another man's resume in making the case for his own candidacy -- and it shows that he's just not ready," wrote Spokesman Tucker Bounds.
*On 'socialism' and 'pro-America' comments
Obama said in his remarks today the attacks from the other side would not work and he answered charges made by the McCain campaign in recent days that his policies are akin to socialism. His response was in line with his campaign's ongoing attempts to portray him as a champion for workers and his rival as out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Americans.
"It's kinda hard to figure how Warren Buffet endorsed me, Colin Powell endorsed me and John McCain thinks I'm embracing socialism," he said, going on to say that McCain based his charges on Obama's plan to cut taxes for the middle class.
"These are the folks who work hard every single day. They get payroll taxes taken out of their paycheck every single paycheck. These are the teachers and janitors who work in our schools," he said to cheers. "They're the cops and firefighters who keep us safe. They're the waitresses who work double shifts, the cashiers at Wal-Marts, the plumbers fighting for the American Dream. John McCain thinks that giving these Americans a break is socialism. Well, I call it opportunity, and there is nothing more American than that."
Obama said it was McCain whose plans to offer tax cuts for big corporations and the wealthy would redistribute wealth to people who do not need or deserve it.
Still, an encounter earlier in the day with 54-year-old Diane Fanning suggested the socialism charges may be sticking with some voters. When Obama stopped by a local BBQ joint on the way to the event the woman booed and screamed “Socialist, Socialist” repeatedly. The senator later spoke with Fanning, who was concerned that the American, Canadian and Mexican governments were planning to unite. He tried to allay her fears by telling her there was no truth to the rumor.
In his speech, Obama also criticized remarks made by McCain's running mate Sarah Palin and a McCain advisor that suggested some parts of the country were more "real" or more "pro-America" than others.
"With the challenges and the crises we face right now, this is not a time to divide this country by class or region; by who we are or what policies we support," he said. "There are no real or fake parts of this country. We're not separated by the pro-America and anti-America parts of this country – we all love this country, no matter where we live or where we come from."
