Obama is a transformational figure

Dear editor:

I would like to let Kathleen Hiler know that I HAVE sought the truth about Barack Obama. I seek the truth by reading a variety of credible mainstream articles. I also do fact checking when I am unsure whether or not a candidate is using rhetoric and/or lies.

Gen. Colin Powell, one of the most widely respected, honorable and well known military figures of our time endorsed Barack Obama. The websites that Kathleen Hiler may be looking at probably accuse this most honorable person of choosing Barack Obama based on their shared ethnic background.

My question is this, if he has never done anything dishonorable and he has been a faithful servant to our country for all of his 70+ years, why would anyone believe that he would act any other way but honorably now by choosing a person based on their merit and capabilities rather than the color of their skin?

Gen.Powell states: "So, when I look at all of this and I think back to my Army career, we've got two individuals, either one of them could be a good president. But which is the president that we need now? Which is the individual that serves the needs of the nation for the next period of time? And I come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities -- and we have to take that into account -- as well as his substance -- he has both style and substance -- he has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president.

I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming into the world -- onto the world stage, onto the American stage, and for that reason I'll be voting for Senator Barack Obama."

How can anyone possibly think that General Colin Powell would vote for a "fringe terrorist" with an "Anti-American" agenda?

In the interview he also expresses great concern for the things that are being said by members of the Republican Party (HIS party) about Barack Obama.

Powell states: "And it is permitted to be said such things as, 'Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.' Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?

The answer's no, that's not America.... Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, 'He's a Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists.' This is not the way we should be doing it in America."

It is time for the people in our country from the smallest communities and rural areas to the largest of cities to stop and understand that just because people disagree with each other or belong to a different political party or religion, it does not mean that the other person is unpatriotic or somehow evil.

I am a "Blue girl in a Red State," yet I do not believe that my Republican friends and neighbors are evil or bad.

I understand that we have different philosophies and different priorities.

I understand that there is merit to being fiscally conservative, that family is VERY important, that industry should be allowed to prosper.

I also understand that the working poor deserve health care, that industry needs to be responsible, that "Drill Baby, Drill' won't solve our energy problems, and that if we aren't a strong viable country here at home, we cannot be any kind of example to those nations we most hope to influence.

Is it possible that maybe, just maybe Democrats and Republicans together can do more than Democrats and Republicans divided? That balanced representation and cooperation would be the healthiest thing of all?

Rebecca LampmanObama is a transformational figure