Anyone who opposed the war in Iraq is probably ambivalent to Colin Powell’s public pronouncements, given his role in promoting that war, with questionable assertions, on the world stage. Still, Powell’s recent endorsement of Barack Obama is important. The former general is viewed favorably by a large percent of the population (at least in this 2004 poll). Beyond that, though, he stands at the embodiment of a lifelong moderate Republican shivering as he stares into the abyss of today’s far-right party.