Thank you Colin Powell

Thank you to Colin Powell for stating what very few people with comparable authority have said so directly, logically, and eloquently.

As part of his endorsement of Barack Obama, Powell drew attention to an unnerving element of the Republican Party's attack against the democratic candidate: its habit of fueling the rumors that Obama is or was Muslim. And the only response from anyone to that unfounded accusation has been the constant assurance that Obama has always been Christian, which while true and certainly worth establishing, does not address the larger issue. Thankfully, Colin Powell was not afraid to take the next step by asking, "What if he is (Muslim)? Is there something wrong with being Muslim in this country? The answer is no, that's not America."

Unfortunately, for many people, there is something wrong with being not just being Muslim, but being of any non-Christian religion, and that is a segment of the population that we should be ashamed has the political and economic clout that it does. Furthermore, as Powell pointed out, the GOP -- which represents a full half of Americans -- is engaging in rhetoric and policy that is proudly narrowing the acceptable parameters of American citizenship. Powell stated without qualification that Obama is running a campaign of inclusiveness that speaks to Americans across racial, ethnic, generational, gender, geographic, and religious lines, while McCain and Palin (especially Palin) seem to imply with every statement they make that their "America" will be for the exclusive benefit of white, straight, wealthy, professional, Christian suburbanites. As I said before, Palin has yet to acknowledge the existence of women who aren't white, married, and toting a half-dozen kids to three dozen activities. The rest of us seem to be members of those pesky "special interest" groups, which ironically enough, now seem to comprise more people than the Republican-defined mainstream.

As Obama's lead in the polls reaches double digits, I think it's safe to say the American public is not buying the McCain-Palin pitch that only Hockey Moms and Joe Six-packs deserve to benefit from domestic policy. So thank you again Colin Powell for highlighting the reasons why even Republicans should be concerned about the exclusionary path the candidates for that party would steer the country down.