I was about to say just that.
This endorsement is certainly useful in its effect on the republican side. But to all those who were against the Iraq war, Colin Powell has long ceased to mean much, be it as a stateman or -- as a person.

The main weak point of the Obama campaign is, IMO, the accusation of socialism. The senator does have the most leftist vote in the Senate, supports full pro-choice rights and so on. It's delicate to play the pragmatic leader in these conditions. Unless Obama moderates his leftwing inclinations, he risks losing the elections on moral issues - or dividing America even more into "progressists" and "bigots".

Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last! (Martin Luther King)