When retired general, former Chairman of the Joint Chief's of Staff, and our current sitting President's previous Secretary of State Colin Powell last week placed his political endorsement for Presidency of the United States behind Democrat Barack Obama, conservatives on both sides of the socio-political landscape, from grassroots ‘Jesus-Is-My-Co-Pilot' fundamentalists to mainstream ‘left-of-center' conservative moderates, sat up and took notice. It was an endorsement that could not be ignored, nor regarded lightly.

In fact, regardless of anyone's political ideology, Colin Powel's long-awaited political identity in election 2008 was an event unto itself that, simply, transcended political, and racial boundaries.

The term ‘hero' is used in far too loose a fashion, and this is no exception: Powell is no ‘hero.'

However, Powell is as close as any single person can come, to being almost by point-counterpoint definition, a true American patriot.

Born in Harlem, in 1937, Colin Luther Powell, Legion of Merit recipient, personal friend and advisor to Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and most recently, George W. Bush, is an American patriot with impeccable credentials and career milestones unilaterally conceded as nothing short of stellar. Yet, for the most part, and as a soldier true and true, Powell has never outwardly betrayed his own personal political leanings throughout the majority of his long and steadfast career.

In fact, Powell has maintained himself as a registered ‘Independent' throughout practically all political seasons, with only occasional ‘labeling' to any conscious political party. Only twice in his career did Powell ever provide any indication of any political affiliation whatsoever: First, in 1964 while openly supporting the presidential campaign of Democratic candidate Lyndon Johnson, and then again in 1995 when he announce that he'd recently registered as ‘Republican'. Powell candidly quipped in a subsequent interview "I only registered as a republican."

One year later, while addressing the Republican National Convention, Powell received the riotous applause normally reserved only for rock stars while a transfixed nation, regardless of personal political affiliation, watched the veteran war leader of poignant and cautious words, effortlessly trade service revolver for the seasoned diplomatic diatribe of a soldier turned statesman.

That was it: One place in the spotlight of center stage was all it took.

Colin Powell walked onto that stage as America's highest-ranking ‘Negro Soldier' (the stigmatic perception he would forever seek to quash) ultimately and exited the stage as a ‘race-less', colorless, true American patriot, void of anything other than a fervent love of these United States of America. Colin Luther Powell transcended race and would spend his subsequent years keeping at bay the salivating political wolves that fervently pursued his candidacy for President of the United States.

"I am not willing to put my family through what a run for our Nation's highest elected office would surely entail... Not at this time." Powell stated, repeatedly, whenever pressed to the wall about whether or not he would personally seek the Nation's highest office.

And with that, the proverbial dangling carrot would dangle to conservatives and liberals alike for political seasons and years to follow. Always in the back of their minds would be Powell's suggestive afterthought and, what exactly, he meant by it: "...Not at this time..."

THIS time?

Those words would echo for years and haunt both the political left and the political right, each of whom fervently desired to claim Powell as "their own."

But Powell's endorsement last week was different.

As a general political rule, the voting populace doesn't give a collective rat's ass about who endorses who come election time. But this was the proverbial exception to that rule. Colin Powell was that Holy Grail, often spoken about yet rarely attained, that each political affiliation coveted so earnestly and diligently.

Currently, each political junket understands the potential ramifications that a Powell endorsement would bring: A steak into the heart of the opposing candidate on these final fortnight's of 2008's historic election days.

Receiving, or more poignantly not receiving, an endorsement such as Powell's was on par with a condemned man not receiving his final meal before execution; essentially, what else would there be to be done? Nothing at all; appealing or complaining was futile because the future is actually the past. We can try, we can hope to change the future but in the end nothing matters and the past is, essentially, pointless.

In these waning days, not receiving an endorsement like that of Colin Powell's is on par with Christ passing the body of bread around at the Last Supper and then getting to dining attendee #14 and saying "oh, so sorry... No more... Not for YOU at least... Go figure"

As such, the same is true in politics: The past is pointless.

It's as simple as that.

Ironically enough, the McCain/Palin camp already had an interview speech on Powell's non-endorsement of McCain prepared and pre-rehearsed prior to being wheeled-out on national television in a supposed ‘interview -format' with John playing down the former Secretary of State's eloquent sidelining of McCain.

Instead, McCain and Palin should have worked on their concession speech, because what the two delivered looked like a befuddled Saturday Night Live skit, or perhaps more aptly, ‘crazy old Grandpa' and ‘Peg' from "King of the Hill" ranting fervently about anti-Americanism and dual-party paranoia.

Powell's endorsement of Obama was yet another strategically placed exclamation point in Barack Obama's 2008 quest for the White House. By seemingly exponential bounds the Obama juggernaut, in its blunt cross-boundarism and flagrant redefinition of once-hallowed political boundaries, is redefining American politics.

Indeed, there is so much political cross-over and bleed through, that any sideline observer could conclude nothing other than the obvious fact that the United States of America is ushering in the relatively freshman 21^st Century amidst true and absolute change.

So now we are a Nation on the cusp of change...

Election 2008 will mean either one of two groundbreaking transitions for our beloved Nation's political identity: Either a Black Man will be President, or a woman will be Vice-President.

These are the two undisputed facts that are to begin America's transition into a Brave New Country.

As citizens of the leading free world Nation, we are morally bound in civic duty to not just vote through rote mechanics but, truly, to seize and TAKE OWNERSHIP of the place our ancestors have earned for us in the right to secure our national identity through our People's unified collective voice.

Today and right now, my friends, is the tomorrow that we stumbled through only yesterday; and what a difference a day can make.

Just as Colin Powell made compelling and intelligent, linear conclusions about endorsing a sophomore Illinois senator, who, oh yeah, happens to be a Black American, for the Presidency of the United States ahead of his 25 year close and personal friend, John McCain, Powell based his decision upon the simple and basic truth as a Nation moving forward in our past successes, we hold certain truths to be self-evident, and that, likewise, all men are created equal.

Change is needed because the status quo that brought us from yesterday to today no longer works. We are now amidst change, my friends, and this change will be monumental, poignant and irreversible.

As the eloquent retired General noted: "Barack Obama is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming into the world, ushering America onto the World stage."

Poignant. Eloquent. True.

Everything that has preceded us, as individuals, as families, as citizens, as townships, as cities, as states all are colliding together at this point to deliver us from ‘way back then' to ‘way up now.' All that has come previously will be cohesively gelled together to be the unification propelling our Nation into a new political dawning.

All that has proceeded will be the writings in history books, just as today - these important days in this important and relevant time in our Nation's history - are themselves predisposed as ciphers in history's annals of tomorrow.

Barack Obama is more than transformational; Obama transcends race relations, politics and the status quo of stagnation.

We are indeed a Nation in the midst of transition, growing exponentially by leaps and bounds. Sometimes the greatest leap an individual, or a Nation for that matter can make, is a leap of faith.

Barack Obama is truly, a transcendiery candidate.

God bless these United States of America.

.

© 2008 - R. MARTIN BASSO & 3 Doves Media

.