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Agreed with those who say that the endorsement would be crucial for independents and moderate Republicans. But I had this discussion yesterday with a co-worker who is both a conservative and a veteran and who is voting Democratic for the first time in his life, and he pointed out to me that Powell's endorsement could have a crucial impact on one other really important group: the armed forces. Not just in winning the election, but *afterwards.* A lot of these guys, he says, are by nature more likely to trust one of their own, no matter how fucked-up he is, than a civilian, especially a liberal former college professor. By endorsing Obama, Powell would be communicating that as commander-in-chief, this guy is O.K. That's important. Of course good soldiers are dedicated to their country's missions, no matter who's in charge, but as far as confidence and morale go--that's another story.
