Colin Powell may support Democrat or Independent in ‘08


WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican who served under President Bush, said Friday he may not back the GOP presidential nominee in November, telling CNN that “I am keeping my options open at the moment.”

“I have voted for members of both parties in the course of my adult life,” Powell, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “And as I said earlier, I will vote for the candidate I think can do the best job for America, whether that candidate is a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent.”

Powell also offered praise for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, calling him an “exciting person on the political stage.

“He has energized a lot of people in America,” said Powell, who briefly weighed his own run for the White House in the mid-1990s. “He has energized a lot of people around the world. And so I think he is worth listening to and seeing what he stands for.”

Powell, who has largely steered clear of politics since leaving the administration in 2004, noted that the next president will need to work to restore America’s standing in the world.

“I will ultimately vote for the person I believe brings to the American people the kind of vision the American people want to see for the next four years,” he said. “A vision that reaches out to the rest of the world, that starts to restore confidence in America, that starts to restore favorable ratings to America. Frankly, we've lost a lot in recent years.”

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I have a lot of respect for Powell,it's good to keep your options open!

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"Destiny must be shaped and not left to mere chance."..Spencer Collins

I too have respect for Powell.
I remember him saying (during Bush Sr.'s term) that he hadn't declared for a presidential candidate since he was harassed by Alabama cops due to a ---"All the way with LBJ"--- bumper sticker
But this election season is already more interesting than I ever expected! LOL Great for a political junkie like me.

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Salty

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The DEmocrat will serve better the country if Powell will join. He has good leadership and has true vision to america. maybe he can help to end war in Iraq..

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To be a poet or nothing.

I do respect Powell too. It's just that any political reform need also another word-- vision. I don't think he Powell has vision.

Are you suggesting he may have a place in an Obama administration?
I think he just knows he commands a certain amount of respect and wants to help the candidate of his choice.
But if he was a cabinet member or whatever, it depends on the post what he's allowed to accomplish. He knows how to take orders and give recommendations. Then it is up to the president to have "vision".

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I am suggesting that Powell is just a statesman, just statesman under Bush Administration. If I remember, he supports the war against Iraq.

He was commander under Bush I in first Iraqi war. Then picked for a cabinet position under Bush II. More and more Rumsfeld and Rice opinions were sought over his. Since he left whitehouse, I think he has indicated he would have done things differently, but was not the one making the decisions. His was in a precarious situation. A soldier, a Democrat, working for a Republican administration.
He is a well liked figure by many Americans. So his coming out for any candidate (also since he mainly stays out of politics) carries weight.

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Salty

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I respect also Collin Powell and his vision to America when he was still part of the administration. It's good that he was supporting Democrat and even eyeing Obama as a good candidate

Collin Powell has left many legacies while under the Bush administration. What I like about this guy is that he knows what good leadership is...

Ditto.
I can't help but wonder how he would have done if he had the Republican nomination.

I was pretty annoyed he didn't run, but it's his decision to make.