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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Colin Powell backs Barack Obama | Colin Powell backs Barack Obama |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| US President George W Bush's first Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has endorsed Democratic election candidate Barack Obama for the White House. | US President George W Bush's first Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has endorsed Democratic election candidate Barack Obama for the White House. |
| He backed his fellow African-American over John McCain, the Republican Party's choice to succeed Mr Bush in the 4 November election. | He backed his fellow African-American over John McCain, the Republican Party's choice to succeed Mr Bush in the 4 November election. |
| He told NBC Mr Obama had the "ability to inspire" and was "inclusive". | He told NBC Mr Obama had the "ability to inspire" and was "inclusive". |
| "All Americans... not just African-Americans" would be proud of an Obama win, he argued. | "All Americans... not just African-Americans" would be proud of an Obama win, he argued. |
| This endorsement carries weight, says the BBC's Rachel Harvey reports from Washington. | |
| This is in part because, as a former chairman of the Joint chiefs of Staff and former secretary of state, Colin Powell's backing says to undecided American voters "I trust this man as the Commander in Chief and so you should too", our correspondent adds. | |
| Mr Powell's support will be seen as a significant boost to the Obama campaign a little over two weeks before voting day. | |
| This is not a decision Colin Powell has taken lightly, our correspondent says. | |
| He has spoken to both Mr McCain and Mr Obama regularly and watched carefully and he has concluded, he says, that Barack Obama has the style and substance to lead America in the future. | |
| But it is perhaps the sharp criticism of the recent conduct of John McCain's campaign, for being too negative and too narrow, that will do most damage to the Republican candidate, our correspondent adds. | |
| That approach, Mr Powell said, is not what the American people are looking for. | |
| 'Electrifying' choice | |
| "I think he [Barack Obama] would be a transformational president," Mr Powell told NBC's Meet The Press. | |
| It [an Obama victory] would not just electrify our country, it would electrify the world Colin Powellformer US secretary of state Profile: Colin Powell | |
| "For that reason, I will be voting for Senator Barack Obama." | |
| An Obama victory would should "not just electrify our country, it would electrify the world", he said. | |
| Mr Obama was better suited to handle America's economic problems, the former secretary of state said. | |
| "In the case of Mr McCain, I found that he was a little unsure as how to deal with the economic problems that we're having," he said. | |
| "Almost every day there was a different approach to the problem and that concerned me. | |
| "You got the sense that he didn't have a complete grasp of the economic problems that we had." | |
| Mr Powell had also been "concerned at the selection of Governor [Sarah] Palin" for running mate. | |
| "She's a very distinguished woman, and she's to be admired," he said. | |
| "At the same time, now that we have had a chance to watch her for some seven weeks, I don't believe she is ready to be president of the United States, which is the job of the vice-president." |