Goddammit Powell - Repudiate This Man While You Still Can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Join With Mccain And Topple The Cabal That Has Taken Over The Republican Party!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't think this is a huge deal, Powell said earlier that he was staying out of the campaign and IIRC he did so in 2000.
Remember when Powell was one of the most popular Republicans in the country? Remember when many thought he might become the first black president? Remember how Powell used to be one of the guys the GOP counted on to give the party a moderate image? Do you really think he's just a 'cabinet member' like any other, Ian?
It is custom that cabinet members not attend the convention. The last sitting president to hold a convention was Clinton in 1996. His Secy of State, Warren Christopher did not attend the DNC. "Traditionally, Cabinet officials do not speak at the conventions – or other campaign events. Secretary of State Colin Powell will not break the unwritten rule despite his status as the most popular Republican in the country, according to the Washington Post."
...and there you have your reason: Powell's presence would remind everyone at the convention exactly how far to the extreme right the party has swung.
Ian, that quote you posted just reiterated my point. I added boldface and italics to help you. When you find yourself in a hole, do you try to convince everybody you're actually standing on the pile of dirt next to it? And THEN keep digging?
Good Lord, you people are DENSE. Bush orders no campaigning by Rumsfeld, Powell MARCH 16, 2004 US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has told that President George W Bush ordered him and Secretary of State Colin Powell to stay out of the US presidential campaign. Appearing on the Face the Nation television program, Rumsfeld said though he and Powell may be drawn into discussions regarding US foreign policy and military issues before the November 2 face-off between Bush and Democrat John Kerry, "We will be doing it in a manner that is not campaign-style at all." "There won't be a role. The president has specifically asked Colin Powell and me not to be involved in the campaign," Rumsfeld said. "He thinks that it's best that the secretary of state and the secretary of defence tend to their responsibilities and not allow their departments to become enmeshed in the campaign."
So Bush is the insecure, slightly overweight bride. She who won't let Rumsfeld or Powell be bridesmaids because Rummy's a total alcoholic who just ruins everything, and everyone knows Powell is way hotter and there's no way George is letting Colin go anywhere near the groom.
Because they'll remind swing voters of a failed war plan and a lying UN presentation, respectively. Ian, the reason Powell's not going to be there isn't "tradition." There's no such tradition; cabinet secretaries ROUTINELY speak at conventions. The reason is that having Powell speak invites pundits to talk about the UN presentation and his alienation from the administration. The reason that Rumsfeld won't be doing much campaigning is because it invites pundits to talk about Iraq.
