Powell, Former Bush Cabinet Official, Supports Obama

Oct. 19—Colin Powell, a former Army general who served in three Republican administrations, declared his support for Barack Obama in an endorsement that may enhance the Democratic presidential nominee's standing to be commander in chief.

"I think he is a transformational figure," Powell said on NBC's "Meet the Press" today. "He is a new generation coming onto the world stage, onto the American stage, and for that reason I'll be voting for Senator Barack Obama."

Until now, Powell, the first African-American U.S. secretary of state, had stayed out of the political race between Obama and Republican John McCain. The endorsement could help allay voter concerns Obama lacks national security and foreign policy experience.

Obama said he is "beyond honored" and "deeply humbled" to get Powell's support. "This is a city and a state that knows something about great soldiers," Obama told a crowd of 10,000 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, home to Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base. "A great soldier, a great statesman and a great American has endorsed our campaign to change America."

Powell's endorsement caps a weekend in which Obama's momentum has swelled. As polls show him with a steady lead, the Illinois senator today announced his campaign raised $150 million last month, more than doubling his previous record. In Missouri, a battleground state that is traditionally Republican, Obama yesterday attracted some of the largest crowds of his campaign, 100,000 at a St. Louis rally and 75,000 in Kansas City.

Record Fundraising

McCain, appearing on the "Fox News Sunday" program, said Obama's record fundraising and spending could lead to a "scandal" and attacked his opponent for opting out of the public financing system designed to limit big-money donations from private contributors.

He also sought to play down Powell's endorsement, remarking that it wasn't a surprise. He said he will "continue to respect and admire Secretary Powell."

In endorsing Obama, Powell said, "It isn't easy for me to disappoint Senator McCain in the way that I have this morning and I regret that." Still, Powell said that he was concerned about the negative direction McCain's campaign has taken recently, mentioning attempts to tie Obama to 1960s radical William Ayers.

'A Little Narrow'

"I understand what politics is about—I know how you can go after one another and that's good," Powell said. "But I think this goes too far, and I think it has made the McCain campaign look a little narrow. It's not what the American people are looking for."