I distinctly remember sitting in the north west corner of the balcony of Sid Richardson gym and listening intently (for those who haven't been in Sid Rich, or don't have internal compasses, the north west corner is the severe nosebleed seats.) I distinctly remember the silence in the room as he spoke. I distinctly remember the energy in the room as he finished. I distinctly remember the rhetoric: an America that delivers on it's promises - not just for those who could afford to buy them, but especially for those that couldn't. I remember the stories of his family. And most of all, I remember the hope.
Colin Powell came to campus and dropped off hope.
At least two ardent Republicans that I interact with regularly have changed their voting intentions this week, after hearing him talk. Colin Powell peddles in hope. And this week, he said this:
So, when I look at all of this and I think back to my Army career, we've got two individuals, either one of them could be a good president. But which is the president that we need now? Which is the individual that serves the needs of the nation for the next period of time? And I come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities--and we have to take that into account--as well as his substance--he has both style and substance--he has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president. I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming into the world--onto the world stage, onto the American stage, and for that reason I'll be voting for Senator Barack Obama.
I think Powell dropped by the blog and read my post on why I support the Obama.
Posted by: Matt Kinard | October 22, 2008 at 03:59 PM