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Everyone following the US presidential campaign was all a-buzz this weekend at the news that retired general and former GWB Secretary of State Colin Powell would be appearing on NBC‘s Meet the Press this morning. There was much speculation that Powell, who is a Republican and served in the cabinet of GWB, would be appearing on the show to formally endorse Senator Barack Obama‘s candidacy for President of the United States of America. While it was not confirmed that Powell would be endorsing any candidate on Meet the Press, it was widely speculated that he was planning to do so … this morning, on live television, he did just that:

Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president on Sunday morning as a candidate who was reaching out in a “more diverse and inclusive way across our society” and offering a “calm, patient, intellectual, steady approach” to the nation’s problems. The endorsement, on the NBC public affairs program “Meet the Press,” was a major blow to Senator John McCain, who has been a good friend of Mr. Powell for decades. Mr. Powell, a Republican, has advised Mr. McCain in the past on foreign policy. Mr. Powell told reporters after the taping of “Meet the Press” that he had been disturbed in recent weeks by the negative tone of Mr. McCain’s campaign, particularly its focus on Mr. Obama’s passing relationship with William Ayers, a 1960s radical and founder of the Weather Underground. The McCain campaign has sought to promote the idea that Mr. Obama is “palling around with terrorists,” in the words of Mr. McCain’s running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, because of Mr. Obama’s weak links to Mr. Ayers. “I thought that was over the top,” Mr. Powell told reporters. “It was beyond just good political fighting back and forth.” Mr. Powell did offer Mr. McCain a small dose of solace by calling him a different kind of Republican, although one who would support the party’s standard positions. “As gifted as he is, he is essentially going to execute the Republican agenda, the orthodoxy of the Republican agenda, with a new face and a maverick approach to it, and he’d be quite good at it,” Mr. Powell said. “But I think we need a generational change.” In offering his endorsement, Mr. Powell becomes the highest profile Republican to add his support to the Democratic ticket. Aides said it was not yet known whether the two men would campaign together – or what Mr. Powell would do alone – in the final two weeks of the presidential campaign. Those talks, aides said, were underway on Sunday … Mr. Powell met with both Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama in June in preparation to make a possible endorsement. He has said repeatedly in recent months that he wanted to wait until after the political conventions and the presidential debates before making a decision … Mr. Powell also told reporters on Sunday that he was troubled that a number of Americans believe that Mr. Obama is a Muslim, although he did not directly link that supposition to the McCain campaign. At a recent town-hall style meeting, Mr. McCain told an audience member who said she thought that Mr. Obama was an “Arab,” “no, ma’am, he’s a decent family man.” “These are the kinds of images going out on Al Jazeera that are killing us around the world,” Mr. Powell said. “And we have got to say to the world it doesn’t make any difference who you are and what you are. If you’re an American you’re an American.”

Before offering his vigorous endorsement of Barack Obama for President, Powell spoke very thoughtfully about how he came to his decision to endorse. He explained that he had been good friends with McCain for many years and didn’t come to his decision without much consideration. But, he says, he has come to realize that McCain is not ready to lead the country thru its current economic crisis nor does he believe that McCain has the judgment to make the right choices for our country (he cited McCain’s decision to elevate the, in his estimation, unqualified Sarah Palin to the office of Vice President. Powell contends that she is nowhere near ready to occupy that position). He, in turn, believes that Obama has shown steady leadership thruout his campaign, has showed intellectual vigor and offers a definitive way of doing the business of governance that will serve our country well. He also talked much about Obama‘s inclusive nature that will unite our country rather than the Republican’s divisive nature that is further damaging our country. After the jump, watch video of Colin Powell offering his endorsement of Barack Obama in his own words …

Tim Russert was honored this morning as Meet the Press, the NBC News show that he is most known for, opted out of reporting their usual weekly news round-up and decided instead to pay homage to the man who sat in the Meet the Press moderator’s chair for the past 16 years. This week, that moderator’s chair was left empty … and the rest of the show was devoted solely to his memory:

Tim Russert’s chair was empty on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, two days after his unexpected death. But Russert was very much present on the full-hour tribute to this giant of political journalism who hosted NBC’s public-affairs program for more than 16 years. “His voice has been stilled,” began Tom Brokaw, who led the conversation, “and our issue this sad Sunday morning is remembering and honoring our colleague and our friend ….” Brokaw and a half-dozen others were seated in front of the “Meet the Press” set and its angular table, left vacant, where Russert had presided as recently as last week. Brokaw noted that Russert had a large wooden sign in his office that read: “Thou Shalt Not Whine,” which Brokaw then supplemented with “Thou shalt not weep or cry this morning. This is a celebration.” But a bit later he choked up, recalling Russert’s words of awe at how far a working-class kid from Buffalo like himself could rise: “What a country!” he would marvel. Among those gathered were presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and political pundit Mary Matalin, with Maria Shriver — the former NBC News correspondent and currently California’s first lady — on a remote hookup. All agreed that Russert was tough but fair in his interviewing, and that he, as a former political operative himself, loved politics and politicians. What he didn’t like, said consultant-pundit James Carville, was an elected official or anybody else who wasn’t prepared to face him. “The biggest insult to him was someone who came on and … didn’t take the show seriously,” Carville said. It was a mistake they quickly regretted, because Russert took his stewardship of “Meet the Press” as a sacred trust … However fitting Sunday’s tribute, it was a cruel irony that Russert had become the big story, particularly in the midst of a like-no-other presidential race that he was covering with his customary gusto. Guests he had planned to grill Sunday were senior officials from both campaigns. All that changed with Russert’s death from a heart attack Friday. He was stricken while preparing for the broadcast at his network’s Washington bureau.

Today’s episode of Meet the Press was the most fitting tribute that they could’ve pulled together for Tim Russert, the man and the news reporter. It’s still so shocking that he has been taken from us so suddenly … just 2 days ago! Again I say, our country lost a giant in news media … he will surely be missed and can never be replaced.

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