Powell and Palin make more headlines

Last week, Barack Obama led John McCain by about 10 points in national polls, but events over the weekend may change that.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president.

This is a stunning turnaround for Powell, who has been so closely tied to the Bush Administration and, just a few months ago, supported Sen. John McCain. The Powell endorsement may be a blessing or a curse. On one hand, Powell, as secretary of state, led America’s charge to war in Iraq. On the other, he has really distanced himself from President Bush during his second term and has come out against the war. Will Obama supporters and independents be swayed by this or will they associate Powell’s support with his early role in the Iraq War?

Can the Obama powerhouse be stopped at this point? Given this latest endorsement, McCain’s questionable performance at last week’s debate (he seemed overly agitated at times while Obama appeared calm and in control), and Obama’s 10-point lead in polls seem to indicate that the Illinois freshman senator will make history in November.

But what impact will “Saturday Night Live” have? SNL has been skewering Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin since writers discovered she and former SNL headwriter Tina Fey may very well have been separated at birth. Well, Palin made an appearance on SNL last night along with her doppelganger, Tina Fey. Go to NBC.com to watch the opening bit in case you missed it.
So what does last night’s show mean for the McCain campaign? It shows that the campaign has a sense of humor and can find ways to relate to the younger crowd. Both of these are good but we’ll have to wait and see if this gives McCain any sort of bump in the polls.

The Big Lipowsky

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