What’s the effect of Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama this morning on Meet the Press?

Matthew Yglesias suggests that “It’s a signal to every right-of-center person who maybe thinks the GOP has gotten too right-of-center that Obama’s okay.” That may be true, but I’m skeptical that endorsements matter very much.

I suspect that the practical effect will be to put the spotlight on the sleazy attacks on Obama’s race, religion, patriotism, etc. that Powell denounced. To date, reporting on those smears has been limited because Obama has frequently decided not to engage (for good strategic reasons). Powell’s statements create the conflict needed to sustain press coverage.