Powell, Contributions, and a Cold Shoulder

Between former Secretary of State Colin Powell's eloquent endorsement of Barack Obama and the impressive achievement of $150 million in recent campaign donations, the Senator from Illinois is overloading the news cycle.

Putting a slight damper on these results, Obama ran into a somewhat, shall we say inelegant, female diner at a North Carolina eatery who told him "get out of here" after flinging the word "socialist" at him three times. It's unknown whether he actually heard her or not. While he was making the rounds and chatting to the restaurant's customers, he offered his hand to the woman. She refused to take it. Apparently her fellow diners were moderately shocked: the man sitting beside her gave her a fierce look and said "be civil. Be courteous." Folks, this is the new "he's an Arab" lady.

Anyway, chances are that his feelings weren't too hurt: the Senator later spoke to a 10,000-strong, overflow crowd in a "conservative-leaning" part of North Carolina. That would be Cumberland County, home to Fort Bragg and other military institutions.

On another note, I've realized that Nate Silver's site, fivethirtyeight, is incredibly addictive. And illuminating. If polls compel, head over there now.

Aside: Marc Ambinder's summation of how Powell's support for Obama affects McCain and his campaign is noteworthy. Read it here.