Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama

Watch the video:



The former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and George Bush's first Secretary of State, Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama for president this morning. As he is known to do, he gave a very clear, level-headed assessment of the situation and stressed the importance of choosing a leader whose direction you believe in. Watch the video above -

As much momentum as Obama has gained since the first Sarah Palin skit on SNL, and the economy turning sour, and the perfect 4-0 debate performance by his ticket, there's still a little over two weeks until election day on November 4th.

Moderates and swing states have been flocking to Obama recently - as more and more people see him as the only reasonable option to put the country back on a positive path (in a poll this week, 89% of Americans believe the country is heading in the wrong direction - a record high - only 7% believe the country is heading in the right direction). The inspiring rallies in St. Louis and Kansas City yesterday, drawing his two biggest crowds of the campaign so far (100,000 in St. Louis under the Arch, and 75,000 in KC at the Liberty Memorial) are further evidence that people are eager for a new vision.

As I hinted above, the math is really starting to pile on Obama's side - but that doesn't mean it's over. The easiest path for Obama to get elected is to win all of Kerry's states in 2004 (CA, CT, DC, DE, HI, IL, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NY, OR, PA, RI, VT, WA, WI) + Iowa + New Mexico + any one of the following states (in order of likelihood):

Virginia
Colorado
Florida
North Carolina
Nevada
Ohio
Missouri

As of today, Obama is leading in all of these states. Remember, he needs just one to win. McCain on the other hand, needs to win all 7, plus a major Kerry state (MI, MN, PA or WI) to be elected. Right now, that's looking like a tough challenge.

And the "new" battleground states have been a fixture of the Republican base of the last few decades:

Indiana
West Virginia
Montana
North Dakota
Georgia
Arkansas
South Dakota
Nebraska
Mississippi
Louisiana

If Obama were to take one or more of these states, we'd really be looking at a game-changer - something that could re-define American politics for the next generation.

Here's the current electoral map:


From electoral-vote.com

Bottom line, VOTE, VOTE, VOTE - even if you think your vote won't matter, VOTE! This is a historic election. Be a part of history.

If you're one of those that are still undecided, take a look at Obama and McCain on the issues, or a tax cut calculator to see how your beliefs match with the candidates. Or, follow my favorite new website, fivethirtyeight.com to get some detailed analysis.