|
|
"There was this one time when I shook his hand at one of his speaking
engagements and told him to come over my place for dinner but he just walked
away and got into a private helicopter."
|
|
|
|
Another Republican Party leader said, "Powell going to Obama is a slap in the
face of loyalty. He and President Bush ate together, for gosh sake, and this
is how he repays him?"
|
|
|
|
Powell said nothing anyone said about his endorsement would change it and
that his speaking-engagement fee would be raised next year unless Obama
wanted him to be in the administration. Then, according to one of his
aides, "The retired general would serve Obama and hope that Oprah would
visit often."
|
|
|
|
Speaking of money, the Obama campaign raised $150 million last month -- a
record for any presidential campaign in any country except one time in Cuba
when Castro ran against himself and won while collecting $234 million from
Cubans for both campaigns.
|
|
|
|
Republican candidate John McCain remarked that Powell's decision meant little,
since the retired general was never a POW. "I've always admired and respected
General Powell." McCain said. "We're longtime friends. But not any more. I
have the endorsement of four former secretaries of state, Kissinger, Baker,
Eagleburger and Haig. Granted, Eagleburger sounds like a meal at MacDonald's
but it's still a good endorsement. And I'm proud to have been endorsed by
over 200 retired Army generals and admirals, but I cannot recall all of
their names."
|
|
|
|
Obama's campaign team said the campaign will use the $150 million for ads and
telephone calls in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, Alabama,
Wisconsin, Minnesota and a few states beginning with the letters O and N. "The
N states," a spokesman said, "are crucial states for us. No candidate has
ever won the Presidency without winning an N state or two."
|
|
