Wave your hands and say, “The market will provide everything”. That is the justification for the McCain position. Since some people (such as Libertarians) believe that, well, it seems convincing to them. Check out the Mises Institute for why they believe that.
This morning, on Meet the Press, Colin Powell endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President. What effect do you think this will have on both campaigns?
To me this seems like a serious blow to the McCain campaign. I think a lot of people respect Colin Powell for resigning from the administration, admitting that the Iraq War was based on misinformation, etc.
Powell’s recommendation will have clout with the educated undecideds, but the party faithful will dismiss it as a black man supporting a black man. Not that there is any vestigal racial discrimination among the fundies… 
I think Powell’s endorsement will have a large effect on the undecideds, which is really all that matters. So it is good for Obama, and in a pretty substantial way.
I’m always curious about the timing of these kinds of announcements. Why wait until so late in the game? There were rumors in August that Powell was going to endorse Obama, but the convention came and went with no endorsement. Do you think they specifically held off in case they’d need a little boost late in the campaign? I’m guessing Powell will assume an important spot in Obama’s cabinet if he wins.
He had been saying pretty much since the beginning that we was going to endorse after he’d seen the conventions and the debates. That is just what he did.
That a life-long Republican was even considering endorsing a Dem is what the earlier news cycles were about.
But I imagine there is some good pragmatism there too. Helping the winner close the deal is awfully helpful in getting a cabinet position.
Powell would make an excellent secretary of defense. He has the credentials and the trust of the American people to play straight with military issues. Gates has brought neutrality after the Rumsfeld fiasco, but Powell could establish positive credibility both inside the military as well as in the civilian population. It would be a smart move politically and pragmatically…