Interestingly, the few things the government seems to do really well (defense, for example, as you pointed out) often align with the responsibilities of government as laid out by the Founders. Coincidence? I think not.

His statement makes me want to vomi.:
“The people want their problems solved,” Powell also says in the interview. “And very often, it’s government that has to do that. So let’s have good government, effective government, whether you call it limited or not.”

The only time government needs to solve our problems is after government has caused the problem in the first place. Get government out of our way and watch what we can do!

Note that he didn’t say “I was wrong.” He mumbled some crap about spending too much. Those same people don’t care how much we spend as long as taxes go up on corporations and the rich. If there’s a shortfall it will be the fault of the Evil Republicans who serve the Rich.

As far as Obama is concerned, he doesn’t need Powell, the general served his purpose and can now be safely cast aside.

now he has ruined his credibility with these independents and squishy gop’ers. he shows himself as just wanting to be on the winning team, in the popular clique, with the race-transcendent crowd. (tribute to w.a. on that last sentence.)

so who still thinks general powell is a big deal? african-americans, who called him a sell-out during his service to president bush? liberals, who hate america’s military greatness and partly blame powell for his plea to the u.n. to drag us into iraq? the obama administration, who no longer has a need for this turncoat?

i’m thinking that his endorsement of president obama wasn’t the good career move that he thought it was.

Obama is doing exactly what he said he was going to do and this was obvious to any thinking person before the election.

The fact that Gen. Powell and so many other Americans were blinded by Obama’s charisma instead of looking at his core beliefs still sends chills down my spine.

The ‘Uncle Tom’ monikers will get dusted off and brought out of storage because, after all, he’s not a real black man - remember?

Colin Powell has simply become an unelected, African-American clone of John McCain.

When the left doesn’t need him anymore, he’ll make noise like a Red-State GOP leader (ie, like right now). When his own party needs him in a crises, he’ll stab them in the back and run into the open arms of an adoring media.