Guide Note

On August 13, 2008, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol reported that Colin Powell would likely announce his endorsement for Barack Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. However, Powell spokesperson Peggy Cifrino denied Kristol's report and said that Powell would not speak at either the Democratic or Republican national conventions.¹

Fast Facts

1. Powell was Secretary of State from 2001-2004
2. Powell praised Obama on CNN in February of 2008²
3. Powell has unofficially advised both Obama and John McCain¹
4. Powell is a long-time member of the Republican Party
5. The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for August 25-28, 2008
6. Powell is a former member of the Bush administration

"This is not an absolute done deal, but these people are very confident that Powell will endorse Obama."—Bill Kristol

"Colin Powell will not be at either convention. There’s absolutely no truth to this."—Powell spokesperson Peggy Cifrino

In a June 2008 column for The Washington Post, the conservative pundit Robert Novak wrote that "Colin Powell probably will enter Obama's camp," and referred to "Powell's expected endorsement" of the candidate."³ Though the statement in Novak's column did not provide evidence of an impending endorsement, analysts on political blogs seem to have interpreted the word of the Washington DC insider as evidence in itself. The Huffington Post ran the headline, "Novak: Powell Will Endorse Obama,"⁴ while Time Magazine's The Page speculated that Powell could be "the surprise keynote speaker at the Democrats’ convention in Denver."⁵