'Tough Love: New Orleans' Swamp Date
Michelle Obama Attends Beyonce Concert
While saying he talks regularly with President Obama and his administration's officials, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday that the nation's 44th president has overreached and lost focus in his first term -- and lost votes because of it.
Powell, a self-described moderate Republican who served as a top military, national security and diplomatic official under presidents ranging from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush, said he did not regret backing the then-Illinois senator over Republican Sen. John McCain during the 2008 election campaign.
But he said that Democrats suffered "a real body blow" in the recent midterm elections -- when the party lost seats in the Senate and control of the House -- in large part because Obama didn't prioritize or communicate effectively enough.
"He should have focused on the economy ... to the exclusion of most everything else domestically," Powell told CNN's Larry King. "When you're starting out as a president, you have to figure out (what) is most important."
Powell said he has been "in regular touch with authorities within the administration and the president," including talking "all the time" about its approach to Afghanistan. He credited Obama for stabilizing the economic system, and "doing a good job in ... a number of directions with respect to Iraq and Afghanistan."
"American people still believe in this country," said Powell. "What they're waiting for is for the political leaders in Washington to get on with the solution to problems and not continue to argue with each other. The next year is going to be important."
Source: CNN
Kevin Eason is a freelance editorial cartoonist and illustrator from New Jersey. His brand of satire covers news events in politics, entertainment, sports and much more. Follow him on Facebook.
Comments: (17)
Add a comment
By: darrell eason on 11/17/2010 2:49AM
Funny, you are like a lot of people, the economy is not the only thing on his F***g plate. Why don't you run, so everyone can criticize you? You think his job is easy, then you go do it. People like you have no idea of how difficult it is to turn around an aircraft carrier (America). It takes time, you know, like the 8 years we had under Bush.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: dawggybon on 11/18/2010 8:48AM
OB did take on a lot. Obviously way more than he could handle. If BO had ever run anything other than his mouth he would have known that the job was way over his head. Instead of focusing on creating jobs as he should have he spent all of his time on his pet projects like health care reform, nationalizing U.S.industries and generally trying to transform this country into a socialist welfare state. It cost him and your blind allegiance to him simply because he is black and might give you something that someone else has worked for diminishes the credibility of all blacks.
Report This
By: alie on 11/17/2010 3:13AM
why didn't bush and clinton focus on the economy when they had a chance or better still pass the health care when they were in power? why do A/A always have to be picking up america's Sh..t?
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: eeduj1001 on 11/19/2010 4:36PM
America has no problem putting a black man in place if a "change" is needed or to clean up some shyt.
Report This
By: Sally on 11/17/2010 8:29AM
Regardless, whether he lost focus or whatever, Obama is black and people won't give him credit. If it was Colin Powell in the same position, HE wouldn't be given credit. Color does count in this country.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Brenda on 11/17/2010 10:37AM
President Obama SHOULDA remained in Chicago and tried to fix the SOUTH SIDE, he WOULDA but he let others hand pick him for their own agenda. He COULDA and still Can do great things for this Great Country if he just Will be his own person.
SHOULDA, WOULDA and COULDA will live forever!!!!
Report This
By: R.W. on 11/17/2010 9:01AM
I suspect former Sec of State Powell forgot the word "multi-tasking." Moreover, President Obama communicates quite well, but his message is normally changed or altered by his opposition as with the Healthcare Reform Act. Some members ion both houses came out and spoke on his behalf, but it wasn't enough. The media didn't help either. That is, some of their guests appeared on the tube, and misrepresented the facts as they were, and for the most part, the media made very little effort to correct their guests. The Fox network misled and continues to do so on a number of fronts, which is unfortunate.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Mimi on 11/17/2010 9:35AM
THE SAME THING HAPPENED DURING THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION AND CLINTON WAS VOTED IN FOR A SECOND TERM.
THE SAME THING WILL HAPPEN WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: shed on 11/17/2010 9:56AM
Colin Powell was a soldier and for that I truly thank Him, Mr Powel had his chance to run but his wife told him not too. So get back in the house with alma, and shut up about something you know nothing about. He lost focus when he and king bush attacked Iraq while binladen was in another country, he lost focus when he passed the lie of WMD's.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: ooozzzzz on 11/17/2010 10:21AM
Colin Powell, who is he to say that President Obama lost focus?
Where was his focus during his time as Secretary Of State and his part in selling of the Iraq War to the United Nations and the American people?
At least Obama wasn't used like a dyck sucking prostitute like Powell was used by the Bush adminstration to go to the United Nations and sell an illegial war in Iraq that he knew was wrong and he knew that Saddam Hussein did not have "weapons of mass destruction" but still denied the detailed inspecton results of the NATO inepectors who combed the nation of Iraq and found nothing, no weapons and to his day, no weapons bcause there weren't any.
And the result of Powell lies? Lost the lives of 4,400+ military personnel, over 30,000+ seriously wounded, PTSD (to many to count), over a trillion dollars wasted and purposely not unaccounted for in the national budget (which had contributed and was the foundation of this massive deficit and over 1 million Iraqui citizens seriously wounded and killed and he has the nerve to say that President Obama lost focus?
Colin Powell has the blood on his hands of the military personnel who they illegialy put in harm's way and has created a new crop and new generation of "disabled Vietnam veterans" with American soldiers and Marines who are physically and psychologically wounded while they fought and died in Iraq and for those lies, these people will have their entire lives to suffer when they didn't have to be.
Colin Powell needs to STFU should be brought up on war crime charges for his part in the Iraq War along wih Bush, Chaney, Rice, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz.
President Obama lost focus according to Colin Powell?
Now that's both funny and pathetic coming from someone who did not have the professonalism, guts or balls; was not strong enough or man enough to have enough courage to simply walk away from something that he knew was wrong & illegial.
He allowed himsellf knowingly, to be used and taken advantage of by the Bs adminstration strictly for ill gotten gains, both professional and personal.
Reply to this Comment | Report This