Colin Powell's Voice of Wisdom

Colin Powell’s endorsement of Obama for president was important in many ways, mostly because it was based on wise and thoughtful arguments for Obama as a “transformational” leader. It was also important because, finally, a respected politician spoke up against the bigoted equation of “muslim” with “terrorist” that McCain and Palin have been propagating.

Here are a few quotes from Washington Post's article about Powell’s endorsement:

“Powell also said he was troubled by Republicans who "said such things as 'Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.' Well, the correct answer is 'He is not a Muslim; he is a Christian. He's always been a Christian.' But the really right answer is 'What if he is?' "

"Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?" he added. ". . . Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could become president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, 'He's a Muslim, and he might be associated with terrorists.' This is not the way we should be doing it in America.""

It was about time someone pointed this out. How is it that “muslim” has become a derogatory term? And the same apparently goes for “Arab.” I was appalled when McCain sought to defend Obama against the racist bigotry of the Republican base. A woman at a town hall meeting tells McCain that she is scared of Obama because “he is an Arab”. McCain’s answer: “No, no, ma’am, he’s not; he’s a decent family man.” As if “Arab” and “decent family man” are mutually exclusive. Most media reported this as an example of McCain trying to do the honorable thing and renouncing his own campaign’s nasty scare tactics. And yes, his motive might have been to seem honorable and salvage a bit of his reputation, but couldn’t he do that without implying that “Arab” is a pejorative?

I realize that if Obama really were a muslim, or an Arab, he wouldn’t stand a chance in this presidential election. Electing an African-American is enough of a stretch for mainstream America at this point. But that does not permit us to accept blatant xenophobia. The United States is and should continue to be a multi-cultural society with room for people of all nationalities, ethnicities, and religions. Thank you, General Powell, for bringing a voice of wisdom and reason into the public discourse.