Colin Powell not ready to formally endorse Obama or Romney

The former Secretary of State, Colin Powell said on Tuesday that while Obama has taken some significant measure during his four year term, at this point in time, he is not ready to extend a presidential endorsement like the one he did four years back.

An enigmatic GOP figure and a former chair of the military’s Joint Chief of Staff and Cabinet member, Powell turned the tables around causing a stir in the Republican Party, when he endorsed Barack Obama instead of Senator John McCain in the 2008 general elections. At that time, Powell had called Obama a “transformational figure” who can help turning the country around especially after the 2008 financial market collapse. This time, however, things appear to be going in a different direction.

In a recent interview with NBC’s Today show, Powell said he is not ready to “throw himself behind someone”, as yet. "It's not just a matter of whether you support Obama or (Mitt) Romney. It's who they have coming in with them," he said. When asked by Today’s co-host, Matt Lauer that what’s keeping him to support Obama like he did the first time, Powell said: "I always keep my powder dry, as they say in the military."

"I feel as a private citizen I ought to listen to what the President says and what the President's been doing,” said Powell, a Republican, during an interview on NBC’s “Today.”“But, you know,” he continued, “I also have to listen to what the other fellow is saying. I've known Mitt Romney for many years - good man."

While Powell praised Obama for stabilizing the financial system in the wake of 2008-2009 recession, fixing the auto industry and the direction he is moving to end the war in Afghanistan, he said there are more thing he could have done for strengthening the economy. On the other hand, Powell said that he owes it to the Republican Party to listen to what they, Romney in particular, has to offer with regards to the economy.

So are the winds shifting again? Will Powell endorse Romney instead of Obama this time? These are questions that can turn the tables the way they did four years back. The first African American Joint Chief of Army Staff erased the likelihood of becoming the first black President of United States, at the time Powell declined to run and support Obama instead, citing history as one of the major reasons for doing so.