I said yesterday at the end of this post that I didn't think the Colin Powell endorsement would be very significant. I noted that Matthew Yglesias had made a good argument against my point of view, considering a different group of people.
Now, thanks to TPMtv's Sunday Show Roundup, I realize I forgot about another, perhaps even more important, audience: the chattering classes.
Two key points to watch for: First, there is near-unanimity among the talking heads that this will be something to talk about for at least a couple of days. At this point in the campaign, that's a non-trivial fraction of the time remaining. That's two days out of the final two weeks where the latest wingnuttery isn't getting airtime in any place but their little echo chambers. Second, note the number of Republicans shown who agree that This Is Important.
I think that among those mysterious people who have yet to decide who they're voting for, Powell matters, for the reasons given in the following. Moreover, at least some of these fence-sitters get their information from the Sunday talk shows, I'd guess. So, maybe the Powell endorsement does matter. I'd be delighted to be wrong.
I was going to say there was a third key thing to watch for: McCain's obvious seething when asked about the Powell endorsement. However, it's been so long since I've seen McCain speak through anything but clenched teeth that I'm not sure this counts. Anyway, on with the show.
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