I’m still quite frankly blown away by McCain’s polling at this point. It’s stunning to see the national polls where a generic Democrat beats a generic Republican by enormous margins and yet McCain is seemingly neck in neck with Obama. He shouldn’t be nearly this competitive. If I were a Democrat I’d be very close to pissing my pants.

This just isn’t what should be happening this year. I still think Obama is on a fairly safe track for the presidency, but goodness he’s facing an unexciting old guy running a fairly dilapidated campaign and Obama can’t break levels even approaching a generic Democrat. This should have the left very worried.

Once again, the Republican’s should be thanking their lucky stars they picked McCain. I can only imagine the trouncing any of the other candidates would be facing in the polls.

I also think Powell might appreciate Obama a bit more than James might give him credit for. And I don’t mean just because he’s black.

Powell put in his time. And I don’t get the impression that, from that experience, he has any more of a hankering to jump back in than he ever did.

Not sure if that’s the ever-churning rumor mill or something more substantial, but that story has been around for a long time.

I do find it funny that you’re assuming Powell would go McCain.

I made no such assumption, Brad. I merely postulated that Powell would be McCain’s best VP hope at this point.

I realize it is an unlikely scenario, but so is Powell offering Obama his endorsement, especially in a convention speech. I don;t think that is who Powell is.

As for Powell being friends with Biden, Biden is friends with McCain who is no doubt a mutual friend of both. The only new guy at the lunch table here is Barack Obama. He came with a big spork, and old friends respect a big spork.

But, the truth is, he hasn’t. And, by every indication, won’t. I can’t say never, because who knows, but I view it as at least as likely that Powell endorses Obama at the DNC and gives a convention speech there (remember, that is what Bill Kristol reported is going to happen, two weeks ago) as him being McCain’s running mate.

The truth is we don’t even know if Powell is going to vote for McCain, much less endorse him. The scant evidence could go in literally any direction. We do know he’s good friends with Joe Biden, by the way—I even read a few Dailykos diaries with titles like “DNC Surprise?” suggesting Powell might introduce him at the convention.

I find it hard to believe that, given all Powell himself has been through, and given how completely and totally he’s stayed out of electoral politics up until now, that he’d chose this particular cycle, with these particular candidates, to throw himself in the mix for. In short, James: you can’t say “never”, in regards to most anything. But it’s about as likely as McCain announcing Michael Phelps.

I do find it funny that you’re assuming Powell would go McCain. It was suggested on this blog before that Andrew Sullivan, when mentioning the possibility of Powell endorsing Obama, got roundly decried as a loon who had lost his marbles for being so presumptuous and making such a leap with no evidence.