Former Secretary of State Colin Powell Thinking Of Voting For Obama

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is considering voting for Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) in the general election, according to the Globe and Mail.

Powell, a retired army general who served as the first African-American Secretary of State during President George Bush's first term, said in a press conference before delivering a speech in Vancouver that he was not ruling out the possibility of his voting for Obama but made clear that he would not do so on the basis of race.

"I will vote for the individual I think that brings the best set of tools to the problems of 21st-century America and the 21st-century world regardless of party, regardless of anything else other than the most qualified candidate," he said.

Powell added that both Obama and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) were qualified to be President and that the choice would be a difficult one.

Powell has refused to endorse anyone the presidential race but made statements favorable of Obama in March, when he praised the junior Illinois senator's speech on race and "ability to organize a task" despite having little experience running a presidential campaign.