Upside: Gen. Powell’s most important upside is that his upsides far outweigh his downsides. He scores high in every necessary category except gender. Although he does bring diversity to the ticket, he would be an excellent running mate candidate no matter what his ethnicity. Powell is a conservative who would bring valuable practical experience to the ticket, and his wide bipartisan appeal would be sure to undercut Obama’s base and attract crossover Democrats and independents. As a political figure that has remained out of the public since his divestiture with the Bush administration in 2004, a McCain/Powell ticket would provide immediate and sustainable media attention. His rift with President Bush and his public resignation as Secretary of State would also eliminate any further arguments that McCain’s presidency would mirror Bush’s.
Downside: Democrats would undoubtedly finger Powell as a warmonger and claim his appearance before the UN (when he attempted to convince the international community that Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction) was the single most important factor in the US decision to invade Iraq. Powell’s age would also become an important factor in the race, since both he and McCain are over 70. His presence in the race would almost force Democrats to go negative in an attempt to put McCain and Powell on the defensive for the duration of the campaign.
GOOD PICK? YES
Downside: Democrats would undoubtedly finger Powell as a warmonger and claim his appearance before the UN (when he attempted to convince the international community that Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction) was the single most important factor in the US decision to invade Iraq. Powell’s age would also become an important factor in the race, since both he and McCain are over 70. His presence in the race would almost force Democrats to go negative in an attempt to put McCain and Powell on the defensive for the duration of the campaign.
GOOD PICK? YES