Romney Campaign Official Drops Race Card

NewsBreakerOct 26 '12

CBSNews.com At the height of an election that has been characterized as among the most racially polarizing in years, top Mitt Romney surrogate John Sununu on Thursday suggested that Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State under George W. Bush, endorsed President Obama in part due to race. Sununu, the former Republican governor of New Hampshire and the co-chair of the Romney campaign, downplayed the significance of the endorsement to CNN's Piers Morgan, and suggested Powell, a Republican who also endorsed Mr. Obama in 2008, had a "slightly different reason" for doing so than other prominent politicians. "When you take a look at Colin Powell, you have to look at whether that's an endorsement based on issues or he's got a slightly different reason for endorsing President Obama," he said. "I think when you have somebody of your own race that you're proud of being president of the United States, I applaud Colin for standing with him." The Romney campaign later walked back Sununu's statement, sending out an email on his behalf calling Powell a "friend" and expressing "respect" for his decision. "I do not doubt that it was based on anything but his support of the President's policies," Sununu said in the statement. "Piers Morgan's question was whether Colin Powell should leave the party, and I don't think he should." The Obama campaign didn't appear to comment on the remark, and the Romney camp limited its response to the statement it sent out on behalf of Sununu. But some argued that the comment highlighted the ongoing influence of racial presumptions in America. New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker, who is African-American, on Friday called Sununu's comments "disrespectful," "dumb," and "unfortunate," and said "we should talk about those issues and presumptions that still often exist." In the final days of an increasingly tight race, however, Booker argued that voters should be focusing on "the candidates themselves, what their plans and platforms are." Host @DavidBegnaud delivers breaking news and today's trending buzz in 45 seconds.