Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

A special clip about the new ad campaign.

John Sununu: Colin Powell Only Endorsed Obama Because They're Both Black

Colin Powell Endorses Obama

"When he took over, the country was in very very difficult straits. We were in the one of the worst recessions we had seen in recent times, close to a depression. The fiscal system was collapsing. Wall Street was in chaos, we had 800,000 jobs lost in that first month of the Obama administration and unemployment peaked a few months later at 10 percent. So we were in real trouble. The auto industry was collapsing, the housing was starting to collapse and we were in very difficult straits. And I saw over the next several years, stabilization come back in the financial community, housing is now starting to pick up after four years, it's starting to pick up. Consumer confidence is rising." - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, announcing his endorsement of President Obama.

Colin Powell Backs Gay Marriage

Human Rights Campaign

“Colin Powell’s support for marriage equality is representative of the continued momentum for marriage that we’re seeing nationwide, and its significance cannot be overlooked,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “One of our nation’s foremost statesmen and a top military leader, Colin Powell is another example of how a growing number of Americans are personally connected to loving, committed LGBT couples – and these connections are having transformative results. As more and more Americans come to see the discrimination their own LGBT family members and friends experience on a daily basis, support for marriage equality is increasingly common-sense. No longer can marriage be used as a wedge issue for any community – Americans are increasingly supportive of marriage equality regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation or political associations.”

Bill Clinton: I Regret DADT

Saying that he only reluctantly signed DADT into law when it became clear that Congress would impose an outright ban on gays in the military if he didn't, former President Bill Clinton told CBS News last night that he regretted his role in the creation of the bill. He also said that former Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Powell was deceptive about how DADT would work. Transcript via the Advocate:

“Don't Ask, Don't Tell was only adopted when both Houses of Congress had voted by a huge veto-proof margin to legislate the absolute ban on gays in the military if I didn't do something else. So there's been a lot of rewriting history saying Bill Clinton just gave into that. That's just factually false. I didn't do anything until the votes were counted. Now, when Colin Powell sold me on Don't Ask, Don't Tell, here's what he said it would be: Gay service members would never get in trouble for going to gay bars, marching in gay rights parades as long as they weren't in uniform. That was what they were promised. That's a very different Don't Ask, Don't Tell than we got."

REVERSAL: Colin Powell Joins Call For Repeal Of DADT

In a major reversal, Gen. Colin Powell, who opposed Bill Clinton's attempt to allow gay soldiers to serve openly, has joined the call to repeal DADT.

“In the almost 17 years since the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed,” General Powell said in a statement issued by his office. He added: “I fully support the new approach presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week by Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullen.” Robert M. Gates, the defense secretary, and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers on Tuesday that they supported President Obama’s proposal to repeal the 1993 law forbidding gay men and women to be open about their sexuality while serving in uniform.

Welcome, Gen. Powell.

Colin Powell: It's Time To Review DADT

Colin Powell says DADT "was correct for the time" it was created, but that the Joint Chiefs "need to study it" now and "make recommendations" to the president. Blah, blah, blah..same old, same old.

Cheney: I'd Take Rush Limbaugh Over Colin Powell; Colin Powell NOT Amused

Former Secretary Of The Army Clifford Alexander Calls DADT "A Bowl Of Bigotry Surrounded By A Curtain Of Silk"

This clip starts out with Rachel Maddow interviewing Colin Powell, who affirms his support for the repeal of DADT. But the winning quote comes from former Secretary Of the Army Clifford Alexander at the 3:30 mark.

Colin Powell: It's Time To Rethink DADT

Colin Powell Endorses Obama

Finally:

Colin Powell, who was secretary of state in the Bush administration, broke with his party Sunday to offer a stunning and powerfully worded endorsement to Senator Barack Obama's presidential candidacy. Powell, a retired general, described Obama as a "transformational figure."

"He has both style and substance," Powell said in an appearance on NBC. "Obama has displayed a steadiness; showed intellectual vigor. He has a definitive way of doing business that will do us well."

The endorsement by Powell - one of the most respected of American elder statesmen, who was also a national security adviser and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - came on an extraordinary weekend for the Democratic candidate: He announced an astounding record of $150 million raised last month, with more than 600,000 new donors, far exceeding in one month the $84 million available for the entire campaign to Senator John McCain, who unlike Obama, has accepted public funding.

Freepers react:

-"Powell is loyal to his race, and disloyal to his party and country. Why am I not surprised?"
-"Powell is voting for a traitor because he is himself a traitor."
-"Remember, Powell got to where he is through affirmative action. He’s just returning to his roots."
-"Powell is a racist - he’s picking Obama solely because of his skin color. Think about it - there’s no other possible reason."
-"A man who fought Communists in Vietnam is now supporting and endorsing a Communist. Amazing."
-"How could Powell stab our troops in the back like this?"