Is Colin Powell supporting McCain or Obama?

Answer 1

Colin Powell previously supported Barack Obama for president, however, there's no word on who he is supporting for president in 2016. Powell served as the 65th United States Secretary of State.

Answer 2

= Powell endorses Obama = Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor October 19, 2008 03:14 PM

By Joseph Williams, Globe Staff WASHINGTON -- Retired General Colin Powell, President Bush's former secretary of state and an influential Republican, endorsed Barack Obama today, a major political move which boosts Obama's credentials as a potential commander-in-chief and could influence moderate Republicans and independent voters -- two constituencies John McCain, Obama's GOP rival, is depending on to stay competitive with Obama in crucial swing states. Powell, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H.W. Bush, said Obama is "a transformational figure" who "brings a fresh set of eyes, a fresh set of ideas to the table" at a time the nation urgently needs it. "He has both style and substance," Powell said. "He has met the standard of being president."

"I think that Senator McCain, as gifted as he is, will go on to execute the Republican agenda" when the nation urgently needs a new direction, Powell said, noting that he and McCain have been friends for 25 years. Palin, Powell said, is clearly not ready to be president in McCain's place, a "troubling" prospect given the magnitude of complex problems the country faces: two wars, a financial crisis and crumbling national infrastructure and schools. "I don't believe she is ready to be President of the United States, which is the job of the vice president of the United States," Powell said. "We have two wars, we have an economic problem, we have education problems, we have infrastructure problems," Powell told reporters. "Those are the problems people want to hear about, not Mr. Ayers, not who is a Muslim and who is not a Muslim" he said, referring to Palin's stump-speech attacks on Obama and persistent false rumors from conservatives about the Illinois senator's faith. Though Obama is a Christian, his or any other candidate's faith is irrelevant, Powell said, because "if you're an American, you're an American. We have got to stop this kind of nonsense and pull ourselves together and realize the strength of this country is our diversity and our unity."

Excerpt from: http://www.Boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/10/powell_endorses.html Accessed on 10/19/08 at 8:36pm ET.