Politics can do strange things to people...and misinformation can do even worse thing to people.  Couple that with the fact that the average person is pretty dishonest and you are just asking for trouble.

I find the Right a bit more hateful than the Left, but then again I am probably biased.  But the only people on the Left I see teeming with hatred are generally the environmentalists (and often for good cause, because we rape the environment in the butthole daily).  You have your Michael Moore variety liberals too.  But the Left has been justified in sending out a bit more hate for the last eight years, because this country has really taken a nosedive in terms of respectability and standing up for the Constitution.

I think most of the hate on the Right originates from the Religious Right, ironically.  They should be the peacemakers in the party, but they are generally the loony ones.  You get them into a room with the Republicans who actually have sane ideas and I think the sane Republicans even kind of give into all the hating.

It's just crazy that they just hate so much based on race, religion, or political beliefs this election.

Part of the reason why Republicans are better at winning elections than Democrats is because they are more willing to say the other guy is wrong. But this is election has turned into outright hate for the black Muslim socialist (or so they've labeled him).

I downloaded the podcast of Meet the Press. Powell is so full of win. He stuck to the topic and didn't deviate. He said he would endorse Obama, vote for him but wouldn't campaign.

He cited 3 things that really caught my attention, especially from a GOPer - the narrow focus of the McCain campaign, the choice of Sarah Palin and his behavior during the financial crisis.

Powell understands leadership and the timing was awesome. Plus, it really takes aims at retirees in Fla., North Carolina and Va. And the timing of it - Sunday on Meet the Press will keep this in play for at least 3 days.

McCain said he isn't surprised, but I would be if my friend of 25 years and in my party went a different direction.

And I so love how folks like Limpnoodle and Pat Buchanan are saying it was racial. Please. The man is a Republican and has worked with two presidents. He understands the military and Washington, and knows who would make a good president.

If it was racial, why didn't he endorse Obama months ago? He hadn't made up his mind. And that heifer in Minnesota - Bachmann - and Ayers sealed the deal for Powell.

I can't wait to see what McCain will counter with.

You summed it up pretty well Madskillz. Powell, like Buckley last week, did a great job explaining why a conservative wouldn't vote for McCain.

It's likely that had McCain been able to convince him to he'd be on his VP ticket... the man is one of the greatest military minds of our time... not on the level of Patton or anything, but still very well possitioned.  He's a black man who didn't use his race as a stepping stone, but went and earned his way up through, no doubt, very tough opposition.  I greatly respect him even if he was a Army General and not a Marine :p

A to the men. I also watched part of Hardball Sunday where Buchanan made his racist remark. I take his statements with a grain of salt, but he really went there with his comment and with Bachmann's anti-American Obama rant.

The real question the GOP should ask is - how far have we moved from our values that Powell, a good soldier who contributed to McCain's campaign - he believed in it enough to give his hard-earned to - go from being a contributor to endorsing the *enemy.*

Buchanan was talking about 'How can he abandon his party when it's sinking?!' Easy - it's really, really lost its bearing.

I really see a new right growing out of this, my question will it be a moderate right (like most Republican voters are currently), or a far religious right or corporatism*. Let's hope it's the former.

*That's a nice way to say fascism.

So is Powell a Marxist, a socialist, or a communist, or all of the above?

What is rather interesting is - he supports affirmative action - which most GOPers don't. I really wish the program was expanded to add disadvantaged children of all races, though. I definitely respect Powell and think this is a painful blow for McCain.

I really wish there were some federal grants for graduate studies... I still got two left, right?

So how long before Fox News "contributors" start more direct attacks on Powell?