Obama gains $150 million, Powell's nod

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By Stephen Dinan and Christina Bellantoni, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Sen. Barack Obama announced that he had raised more than $150 million for his campaign in September, collected the endorsement of former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell on Sunday and continued to see the kinds of signals that suggest he is positioned for a big night on Nov. 4.

The Democratic presidential nominee campaigned in the formerly solidly Republican state of North Carolina and fended off accusations from Republican opponent Sen. John McCain that the Illinois Democrat is a socialist because he told "Joe the Plumber" that he wanted to "spread the wealth."

Along the way he grabbed the endorsement of Mr. Powell, who served in President Bush's administration but who said that the Republican Party has veered too far right and that he was disappointed by the tone of Mr. McCain's campaign.

Mr. Powell, who was the nation's top military officer during the Persian Gulf War, said Mr. Obama has proved during the crisis on Wall Street that he is ready to run the country.

"I watched Mr. Obama and I watched him during this seven-week period. And he displayed a steadiness, an intellectual curiosity, a depth of knowledge and an approach to looking at problems like this and picking a vice president that, I think, is ready to be president on Day One," Mr. Powell told NBC's "Meet the Press."

The retired general also said that the McCain campaign's focus on Mr. Obama's ties to Weather Underground founder William Ayers "goes too far."

The McCain campaign said Mr. Powell's own history underscored how "unproven and inexperienced" Mr. Obama is - although Mr. McCain himself was more measured in an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," saying he respects Mr. Powell but that the endorsement "doesn't come as a surprise" and that he has his own endorsements from four other secretaries of state in Republican administrations.

Despite Mr. Obama's good weekend, Mr. McCain said on "Fox News Sunday" that he feels he is headed in the right direction.

"I've been on enough campaigns, my friend, to sense enthusiasm and momentum, and we've got it," he told host Chris Wallace. "I don't have to look at polls, but the polling numbers have closed dramatically in the last few days."

He pointed to several of the most recent polls that suggest he's closer than the six or seven percentage points by which he has trailed Mr. Obama for much of the month.