Powell holds off on next endorsement, says Obama should focus on ‘governing’

Colin Powell is holding off on endorsing President Obama in the 2012
election, but said that he still views the president as a
“transformational figure.”

Powell, the former chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff and secretary of State under the Bush
administration, backed Obama for president in 2008. But on Sunday he
said that he would wait closer to 2012 to make his endorsements.

{mosads}”I will look at the needs of the country, the situation as I see
it, and I will evaluate both candidates and see which one I think is
best able to lead the country,” Powell said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Powell added that in 2008 Obama was the best pick, and praised some of the work he has done so far.

“We
had a country that was in recession. Heading into depression. We had
banks failing. We had a stock market collapsing. We were in difficulty.
And I thought that he was best able to deal with that with the advisers
he was surrounding himself. And we have stabilized our economy. So, I
think that worked out,” he said.

He backed Obama’s work on health reform and education and said that
Obama should “get credit” for his work. However, Powell warned Obama
that he now needs to focus on “governing” rather than worrying about
daily campaign problems or reacting to everything that comes out in the
news. Obama needs to “get above all of that.”

Powell said that Obama needs to “shift the way he has been doing things.”

“There
are so many rocks in our knapsack now that we’re having trouble
carrying it. I think the president has to, like a razor blade, just go
right after the single issue that is uppermost in the minds of the
American people, and that’s employment,” Powell said. For the American
people “the main attack is employment,” he added.

“I think he has lost some of the ability to connect that he had during the campaign,” Powell said.

Powell
said that he is still Republican. He considers himself moderate
Republican and has not thought about leaving the party, he said on “Meet
the Press.” He said he is not happy with his party’s shift to the right
but said that the Republicans still have “strength” in the two-party
system.

However, he said that the Tea Party will remain just a movement if
it does not start speaking to the issues as opposed to just presenting
slogans. He also said that there is nothing wrong with former Republican vice presidential candidate and Alaska
Gov. Sarah Palin
“animating” political life. Palin has boosted several Tea Party
candidates throughout the country.