
President George W Bush's first Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has endorsed Democratic election candidate Barack Obama for the White House. Backing Mr Obama over John McCain, the Republican Party's choice to succeed Mr Bush in November, he said the Democrat had the "ability to inspire". "All Americans... not just African-Americans" would be proud of an Obama win, he argued.
Senator McCain said he was not surprised at his "long-time friend's" decision. He pointed out that other former secretaries of state had backed his own candidacy, naming them as Henry Kissinger, James Baker, Lawrence Eagleburger and Alexander Haig - all Republicans.
"I think he [Barack Obama] would be a transformational president," Powell told NBC's Meet The Press. 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 economy, the former secretary of state said.
"In the case of Mr McCain... you got the sense that he didn't have a complete grasp of the economic problems that we had," he argued. Powell was also "concerned" at the selection of Governor Sarah Palin" for running mate believing her not ready for the White House.