Analysis: Powell Obama endorsement aims at legacy

[October 22, 2008]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- Colin Powell's endorsement of Democrat Barack Obama may have seemed a shocking about-face for the longtime Republican, but the move was entirely in keeping with Powell's reputation as a shrewd political survivor intent on retouching a legacy tarnished by his early support of the Iraq war.

With no apparent desire for a Cabinet job, Powell's endorsement could be read as the defection of a respected elder GOP statesman and war hero once considered a potential presidential nominee and running mate for Republican John McCain. But Powell's decision is in keeping with his resume as a moderate consensus builder, shrewd bureaucrat and a man disenchanted with his party's move to the right.

His endorsement was rumored for months and would have made a splash no matter when he offered it. By waiting until long after the political parties had chosen their nominees and running mates, he avoided being seen as a spoiler or a jobseeker. But by backing Obama as the Democrat rises in the polls, and by criticizing McCain as he drops, Powell also risked appearing more interested in backing a winner -- underscoring his finely tuned political antenna.

But his move was little surprise to those familiar with his record.

In four years as President Bush's first secretary of state, Powell was a loyal soldier but grew increasingly disillusioned by ideological battles inside the administration over North Korea, the Middle East and even seemingly tangential domestic policy issues outside his portfolio.

Powell presided over the creation of an unprecedented international coalition to fight terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. It helped that Powell was an immensely respected figure abroad, with gravitas and a war record Bush lacked.

But 18 months later, Powell saw that unity collapse, along with America's image overseas, over the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Powell supported the war, albeit with reservations, and evangelized for it at the United Nations in a speech he came to regret.

Throwing his clout behind Obama, a fervent opponent of the war, could be read as an attempt to rehabilitate himself for that flawed claim at the U.N. on Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction.

"We, unfortunately, have left an impression with the world that is not a good one and the new president is going to have to fix the reputation that we've left with the rest of the world," he said when he endorsed Obama on Sunday.

Yet his public declaration of support for Obama contained no apology for Iraq beyond his regret at being misled along with others by faulty intelligence. And, he avoided criticism of any foreign policy issue in which he played a role as secretary of state.

He fought, and lost, for continuing the Clinton administration's talks with North Korea and for trying to restart the Middle East peace process. Bush in his second term has embraced both, but Powell mentioned neither in endorsing Obama, who favors them.

Instead, Powell spoke in general terms about improving America's dialogue with the world, offering apparent support for Obama's willingness to speak with foes, something Powell was himself denied the chance to do. "This is a time for outreach," he said.

But, in fact, Powell's "Meet the Press" endorsement was far less a renunciation of his foreign policy past than it was a repudiation of a Republican Party moving too far to the right for his tastes long before he left office in 2005.

Powell championed Bush's "compassionate conservative" candidacy in 2000, but on Sunday said: "I don't think it was as successful as it might have been and, as you see from the presidential approval ratings, the American people have found the administration wanting."

Strains between Powell and the president's more ideological senior aides and supporters became evident within months of his becoming secretary of state.

Social conservatives attacked him for promoting condom use, instead of concentrating on abstinence, during an MTV teen event early in the administration. Powell aides recall he threatened to make public the huge numbers of condoms the U.S. government distributes overseas unless the attacks stopped. When religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, one of Bush's most prominent conservative supporters, suggested blowing up the State Department with a nuclear weapon, an enraged Powell sent an angry protest letter to Robertson, telling him to back off.

And former aides say Powell had deep reservations about the impact of Bush's education policies, particularly because of his earlier, and now current, work with his wife, Alma, on America's Promise, a group devoted to improving the lives of youth, especially minorities.

Some see race as a primary reason for his endorsement of Obama, although Powell denies it and says if that had been his motivating factor, he would have made the announcement months earlier.

But, as the son of Jamaican immigrants who rose through the ranks of the military to become a general, the first black chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and the first black secretary of state, Powell has always put a high premium on minority inclusion.

Thus Obama's message of unity clearly resonated with Powell in much as the way the McCain campaign's recent tactics troubled him.

"We have got to stop polarizing ourselves in this way," Powell said, aligning himself with a candidate he believes will "electrify our country" and "electrify the world."

[Associated Press; By MATTHEW LEE]

Matthew Lee covers the State Department.

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