Boom-wow! Powell drops the endorsement bomb on Senator McCain on US TV

Hats off to Colin Powell.  The former Republican chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State has delivered a brilliantly timed blow to the hopes of Presidential wannabe John McCain.

In a week where McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin bizarrely chose to cement her status as the World’s Biggest Joke by appearing on Saturday Night Live, Powell has hammered home the sentiment behind his dignified exit from George W. Bush’s cabinet with an endorsement of Barack Obama’s campaign that will leave his party reeling.

Speaking on US TV Powell, a keystone figure in the Republican party since leaving the army for a career in politics, said he backed Obama “because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America”.

Powell’s decision to step down from his position in the Bush administration was widely seen as condemnation for the government’s thinly-veiled misinformation over the weapons of mass destruction scandal; a dossier for war that Powell himself was charged with selling to the American public and world leaders. That he has chosen his moment so carefully after maintaining dignified silence over his reasons for leaving speaks volumes about a man who senses the atmosphere in America is right for a sea change in administration.

McCain and his dino-loving comedy sidekick are now firmly on the back foot, and with a mere fortnight to go until America hits the polling booths the scene is set for a potential Democratic whitewash. If that happens history may just show the irony of a Republican purposefully securing a win for the opposition.

Colin, I salute your strategic genius, your decorum and your conviction. And the fact that you pronounce your name in true Scottish fashion.