THE POWELL ENDORSEMENT: Yes He Can

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NEW YORK TIMES: Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president on Sunday morning as a candidate who was reaching out in a “more diverse and inclusive way across our society” and offering a “calm, patient, intellectual, steady approach” to the nation’s problems. The endorsement, on the NBC public affairs program “Meet the Press,” was a major blow to Senator John McCain, who has been a good friend of Mr. Powell for decades. Mr. Powell, a Republican, has advised Mr. McCain in the past on foreign policy. MORE

POLITICO: Once considered a potential running mate for Sen. John McCain, Powell’s unassailable national security credentials could sway voters who are vacillating about whether Obama is ready to be commander in chief, and his endorsement of the Illinois senator would make a national security emphasis by McCain in the election’s closing days extremely difficult.  Powell, 71, a professional soldier for 35 years, has advised the last three Republican presidents. The general’s camp is being coy about what he might or might not say on Sunday. But some McCain advisers suspect, without being sure, that Powell will endorse Obama. “It’s going to make a lot of news, and certainly be personally embarrassing for McCain,” a McCain official said. “It comes at a time when we need momentum, and it would create momentum against us.” MORE

COLIN POWELL: Clarifying Endorsement With Reporters After Meet The Press

EDITOR’S NOTE: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 

obamagotellmama2_1.jpgEDITOR & PUBLISHER: The Obama-Biden ticket maintains its strong lead in the race for newspaper endorsements, picking up 25 more papers in the past day, including the giant Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune on Friday afternoon, and the New York Daily News, Miami Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer, Portland’s The Oregonian, Denver Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Salt Lake Tribune, Kansas City Star, Southwest News-Herald (Ill.) and Chicago Sun-Times late Friday or Saturday. This brings his lead over McCain-Palin by this measure of daily papers to well over 3-1, at 66-18, including most of the major papers that have decided so far. In contrast, John Kerry barely edged George W. Bush in endorsements in 2004, by about 213 to 205. MORE

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RELATED: Barack Obama raised more than $150 million in September, a stunning and unprecedented eruption ofPresidentsUSAgif.gif political giving that has given him a wide spending advantage over rival John McCain. Campaign manager David Plouffe, in an e-mail to supporters Sunday morning, said the campaign had added 632,000 new donors in September, for a total of 3.1 million contributors to the campaign. He said the average donation was $86. The Democratic National Committee, moments later, announced that it raised $49.9 million and had $27.5 million in the bank at the start of October. The party has been raising money through joint fundraising events with Obama and can use the money to assist his candidacy. Obama’s numbers are possible because he opted out of the public financing system for the fall campaign. McCain, the Republican nominee, chose to participate in the system, which limits him to $84 million for the September-October stretch before the election. MORE

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