In a story that really shouldn't be news, the Hill reports that Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama marks a split with his son, Michael "Mr. Potatohead" Powell, the horrible, horrible former FCC Chairman who has been lambasted many a time on this here blog.
The younger Powell, you may recall, masterminded the FCC's maniacal anti-indecency crusade after Congress rejected his comparably maniacal and no less misguided attempts to deregulate the telecommunications industry. The indecency crackdown has subsided and Potatohead has left the Commission, but every now and then a court ruling pops up resoundingly handing the FCC its own ass in striking down some excessive fine or other flagrant abuse of power.
More interesting than the family feud, however, is the seemingly close ties between McCain and Potatohead. Apparently young Powell has donated $2,000 to the McCampaign, and the article speculates that "If McCain becomes president he could appoint Powell to several administration positions."
This statement appears to be supported only by the fact that Potatohead "still has much of his career in front of him" and "has lined up solidly behind McCain." Still, I find the idea of Secretary Potatohead more than a little disturbing.
I declare that "Mr. Potatohead" to be my favorite political nickname.