VDH dumps all over Colin Powell

Powell’s statements are inconsistent at best, nonsense at worst: he now deplores the right-wing of the Republican Party. Fine, but Ronald Reagan, its apotheosis, promoted him (his break came in 1987 when Reagan named him National Security Advisor in his late 40s). Given his emphasis on diversity and inclusiveness, he could have much more easily disparaged Reaganite conservatism on the same basis that he is now writing off the party of McCain. His ideal apparently was McCain centrism, which was far to the left of either his past two employers, Reagan or Bush I (compare the very tough anti-liberal and polarizing 1988 campaign). But now given the centrist McCain candidacy (comprehensive immigration reform, no to ANWR, yes to man-induced global warming, etc.) Powell suddenly for the first time in his career endorses a Democrat. (The time to do that would have been 1980, 1984, 1988 or 2000). It simply doesn’t compute; and when one figures in the timing of the endorsement (post-September 14 meltdown as the economy and McCain’s candidacy went southward), expediency looms large despite the pretext of principled criticism. Footnote on racial polarization: McCain went out of his way to forbid Rev. Wright campaign ads; Obama only disowned the Rev. after his National Press Club antics and after his prior infamous “I could no more disown…”, despite the substantial record of racial hatred shown by Wright against whites, Jews, Italian ethnics, etc.