This will knock Larry right over the edge...and into the Nader/Gonzalez camp...
NPR's "Day to Day" reported this afternoon that former Secretary of State Colin Powell has emerged as a finalist on Barack Obama's short list of V.P. possibilities. They don't list any solid sources so take their reporting with a tremendous grain of salt.
While Powell has met with Sen. Obama - and seems to be leaning in the direction of endorsing him over John McCain - I just don't see Powell joining the Democratic ticket. I could be wrong (although I think an Obama/Powell unity ticket could (could) steamroll to victory) but Obama would risk losing a large chunk of his base if he chooses Powell.
I for one would gain an instant case of heartburn over whether to support the ticket or not. Powell would have to answer one major question before I'd consider backing a Democratic ticket with his name on it: Why didn't he stand up to President Bush in the run-up to the Iraq War? He knew the evidence was flimsy (at best), yet went to the U.N. and pimped it as absolutely irrefutable. Yeah, yeah...he was playing the "good soldier" role to Bush's role as Commander-in-Chief...but, still...Powell's reputation at the time was beyond reproach and he was the one person in the Administration who could have showed the world who these guys really were and what they were really up to.
On the flip side of the coin, if Obama puts Powell in the #2 slot on the ticket it could help repair Powell's tarnished reputation. As it is, despite the U.N. debacle, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former Secretary of State holds high approval ratings with the American public. And what better way to stick it to George, Dick, and that whole gang than to accept a spot on the ticket of the opposing team?
