Last week, former Secretary of State Colin Powell threw his support to President Obama, offering strong praise for the president's record, while raising questions about Mitt Romney's judgment. Yesterday, Powell's endorsement was used as the basis for a radio ad launched by the Obama campaign.
Overnight, Team Obama went a little further, turning Powell's on-air comments into a television ad.
For those who can't watch clips online, the ad shows Powell endorsing the president and explaining:
"When he took over, we were in one of the worst recessions we had seen in recent times, close to a depression. And I saw, over the next several years, stabilization come back in the financial community. Housing is starting to pick up. The president saved the auto industry. The actions he's taken with respect to protecting us from terrorism have been very, very solid. So I think we ought to keep on the track that we're on."
The use of that last phrase was especially interesting. For quite a while, polls have shown a large percentage of Americans saying the nation is on the "wrong track." For the Obama campaign to include Powell's hope that we "keep on the track that we're on" suggests the president's team believes there's been a shift in public attitudes, and there's less of a public appetite for dramatic change.
This ad will air, by the way, in 10 states -- Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Note that Pennsylvania and Michigan are not on the list, but Minnesota is.