Colin Powell says:
Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is no. That’s not America. Is there something wrong with a seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing he or she could be president? Yet I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion that he is a Muslim and might have an association with terrorists. This is not the way we should be doing it in America.
I feel particularly strong about this because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay, was of a mother at Arlington Cemetery and she had her head on the headstone of her son’s grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone, and it gave his awards – Purple Heart, Bronze Star – showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death, he was 20 years old. And then at the very top of the head stone, it didn’t have a Christian cross. It didn’t have a Star of David. It has a crescent and star of the Islamic faith.
And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan. And he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was fourteen years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he could serve his country and he gave his life.”
Unlikely Activist 
I cried when I watched this the first time. Powell is such an amazing man. I can’t tell you how thrilled I was when he endorsed Obama.
I’ll make a confession here. I’m one of those who previously voted for Bush. But it was Colin Powell who made me feel good about that decision. When he ultimately left the administration, I knew I had made a huge mistake.
Lezlie
Lezlie, I can completely understand that. I felt better about Bush’s administration when Powell was in office. He’s an exceptionally solid and respectable man.
CNN International had an interview with Powell on “the day after” (don’t know if you were able to watch it on CNN US). He was obviously barely able to keep his emotions about Obama’s election under control. That interview, together with Jesse Jackson’s tears, is one of the most memorable images of this election for me.