Days after the world began contemplating Dan Senor's remarks that an appearance by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at Grover Norquist's high-fallutin' lunch group meant that she was "actively campaigning" for the vice presidency on John McCain's ticket, Good Morning America talked to former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Powell, mentioned as a perennial VP possibility, seemed to come to the defense of Democratic candidate Barack Obama and the attacks on his lack of foreign affairs experience:
"He doesn't have experience at the senior levels of national government. But I've seen other individuals come along who didn't have that breadth of experience and what they do is surround themselves with people who do bring that experience.Powell is a Republican. But that doesn't mean he's necessarily in McCain's corner:
"With Sen. Obama, he didn't have a lot of experience running a presidential campaign, did he? But he seems to know how to organize a task and he seems to know how to apply resources to a problem at hand. So that gives me some indication that (with) his inexperience in foreign affairs or domestic affairs, he may be someone who can learn quickly," Powell said.
"I'm looking at all three candidates," Powell said in an exclusive interview with Diane Sawyer for Thursday's "Good Morning America" on ABC. "I know them all very, very well. I consider myself a friend of each and every one of them. And I have not decided who I will vote for yet."The nightmare scenario for Republicans: One part Obama idealism and hope, plus one part Powell, with his lifetime of military experience and ethical repuation above reproach. Add in a dash of crossover appeal, which will draw millions of votes, and you have the power ticket that makes the McCain campaign want to buy stock in Pepto.
