Endorsements

There is a growing list of Republican stalwarts who are endorsing Barack Obama for President. the most impressive for me, at least, was the seven minute monologue by Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State under George W. Bush. There might be personal motivations for his endorsement, as eloquent and thoughtful as it was. Powell might have seen an opportunity to distance himself further from the failed policies of the Bush administration, its failed war on terror, its failed war in Iraq and Afghanistan, its ruthless denial of civil rights and civil liberties.

But what is Charles Fried's motivation? Charles Fried is the former Solicitor General for the United States under Reagan and now a professor at Harvard Law School. He asked that his name be removed from several McCain committees, and publicly announced that he had voted for Obama by absentee ballot.

Christopher Hitchens, the author and columnist, also endorsed Obama, calling Sarah Palin a "disgrace."

Christopher Buckley, the son of William F. Buckley and founder of The National Review, endorsed Obama in The Daily Beast and was fired from the magazine his father started.

Lincoln Chafee, the former Senator from Rhode Island, one of the last moderates in the Republican Party, has supported Obama since well into the primaries.

Then there are the newspapers:
The New York Times ran a thorough and unreserved endorsement on October 23, 2008.

Washington Post wrote its endorsement on October 17, 2008, again without reservations.

Way back in February, the Los Angeles Times endorsed Obama.

And did I mention the Chicago Tribune, endorsing Obama, the first Democrat in its history?

And now for some humor: Catch Will Farrell as Bush endorsing a reluctant John McCain played by Darrell Hammond from SNL with Sarah Palin, of course it was Tina Fey, mugging for the camera.