I recently had -- or at least attempted -- to have a political discourse with my mother and my stepfather.

They have come to the brilliant conclusion that seeking absentee ballots from Florida was not worth the trouble because neither Barack Obama nor John McCain do much for them.

That is code, of course, for saying they really like Obama but wouldn't vote for him for reasons that are ... skin-deep?

Don't get me wrong. I didn't grow up in a racist household. But a president of the country, as opposed to a university or a union or something easier to swallow, seems beyond the comprehension of many somewhat sane people in this generation.

When mentioned this, my mother scoffed.

She said she would vote for Colin Powell in a heartbeat. When I asked why, I got the reaction I rarely get from her. She was muted -- for almost a full 18 1/2 seconds.

That was a few days ago.

This morning, we heard from Powell. The once-respected military man took the first step in redeeming a rep that will be forever tarnished for getting tangled in the web of lies spun by the current administration.

Powell endorsed Obama.

My prediction is that once there is a new president -- and it still seems likely that it will be Obama (although the Boston Red Sox have proven that comebacks do happen, particularly when they are like Viagra for the media) -- Powell will continue clearing his name and we will learn the true level of deceit perpetrated upon us in a buildup to a unnecessary war that put our economy on the road to ruin.