Here We Voters Sit, In A Field Of Weeds We’ll Miss Him Powell Offered A Chance For Conciliation

It’s too bad Colin Powell chose not to run for president of the United States. He had an excellent chance of winning.

His decision not to try may be called, someday, a disciplined choice to wait until he truly was prepared to run and win. Or, he may eventually be called a good man who turned away from the dehumanizing savagery of current political dialogue and modern campaigning.

For now, though, Powell is just the green grass on the other side of the fence. And here we voters sit, in a field of weeds.

Sure, Powell has weaknesses that campaign rigors would have exposed.

But he also has strengths not evident in the candidates who remain. With Bill “Swivel Hips” Clinton chasing the latest opinion polls and Republican front runners pandering to the religious right, there’s an integrity void Powell would have filled.

And, there’s a matter of balance. Congress, dominated by the right wing, is out to shred our social and environmental safety nets. A president who’d second every motion lacks the appeal of one who’d raise an occasional objection for the many Americans who don’t own a Fortune 500 corporation or carry a photo of Phyllis Schlafly in their wallet.

The president should represent the whole country. And while the country’s interests do justify a period of conservative reform, Powell offered middle ground between Clinton’s vacillation and the hard edges of the Republican right.

Powell has noted the “harshness” of the GOP’s agenda, and his own background helps him identify with people the ayatollahs tend to trample underfoot. Asked what he might have aimed to do as president, he said this: “Show leadership. Be a conciliator. Move the country forward toward lower government … less government. Put us in a more fiscally responsible platform, and try to inspire people. And try to restore a sense of family, restore a sense of shame in our society, help bring more civility into our society. … We have to work together. We’ve got to start finding common truths and not just believing that on the fringes are the truths.”

None of the major candidates who remain could say those words, without provoking snickers. That’s a serious problem, and that’s why Powell leaves such a void.

, DataTimes MEMO: For opposing view, see headline: Decision keeps GOP on the high ground

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