Sully, 

The Powell endorsement will test the GOP practice of trashing "heretics". When you consider what has happened to John Murtha, Richard Clarke, Chuck Hagel, Scott McClellan, and just last week, Chris Buckley - whose conservo bona fides are genetically coded - you see a pattern of immediate trash and smear. Will they do this with Colin Powell? The Powell UN presentation of faux documentation on behalf of the Administration he served will continue to raise eyebrows among die hard Democratic opponents of the war but I sense that with the general voting public, Powell still commands a reservoir of respect. If the McCain campaign and his GOP allies start to trash him - and remember he is African American and given this race, that could get very ugly - I think it will backfire big time. 

PS - Spent last night taking the evening Hearst Castle tour with my oldest compadre. What a magnificent experience. The Old Crazy Right Wing Mogul sure knew how to spend his father's millions. And like many billionaires, he turned his father's millions into billions. Great experience. Stunning views of the Pacific.