Colin Powell backs same-sex marriage but makes no presidential campaign endorsement

Former Secretary of State General Colin Powell appears on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, August 28, 2011, in Washington, D.C. / CBS News

(CBS/AP) WASHINGTON - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said he has "no problem" with same-sex marriage on Wednesday.

The former Pentagon Joints Chiefs chair who oversaw the implementation of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the 1990s made the comments to CNN.

"In terms of the legal matter of creating a contract between two people that's called marriage, and allowing them to live together with the protection of law, it seems to me is the way we should be moving in this country. And so I support the president's decision," Powell said.

President Obama publicly backed same-sex marriage for the fist time in early May.

Powell said he has "a lot of friends who are individually gay but are in partnerships with loved ones, and they are as stable a family as my family is and they raise children. And so I don't see any reason not to say that they should be able to get married under the laws of their state or the laws of the country."

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Powell also declined on Tuesday to renew the presidential endorsement he gave Barack Obama four years ago, saying he wasn't ready "to throw my weight behind someone" at this time.

The former chairman of the military's Joint Chiefs of Staff and Cabinet member under President George W. Bush demurred when asked if he was backing Obama again. A longtime GOP figure, Powell caused a stir in Republican political circles four years ago by endorsing Obama over war hero Sen. John McCain, calling Obama a "transformational figure."

Not so this time, Powell said on NBC's "Today" show. At least, not yet.

"It's not just a matter of whether you support Obama or (Mitt) Romney. It's who they have coming in with them," he said.

Pressed to say why he was holding back on giving Obama his blessing a second time, Powell said: "I always keep my powder dry, as they say in the military."

He said Obama had "stabilized the financial system" following the deep recession of 2008-2009 and had "fixed the auto industry." Powell also said he thought the country was on the right path toward ending the war in Afghanistan.

But he also said he thought Obama needed to work more on the economy and said he thought that he owed it to the Republican Party to listen to the proposals that likely nominee Romney will be offering, particularly on the economy.

Powell said he's "still listening" to Republican ideas, calling Romney "a good man" and saying he wasn't ready to make a commitment to Obama.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Obama appreciated Powell's endorsement four years ago.

"It's up to him and every American to decide whom they will support going forward," he said. Carney said Obama has worked to fulfill the commitments he made on national security and domestic policy issues, two areas important to Powell.

Powell has been an enigmatic figure in the Republican Party, and his name often has been mentioned in both presidential and vice presidential speculation. He was the first black head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Last year, Powell told graduates of South Carolina's premier historically black university that, among other things, he had been particularly heartened by a recent event.

"That was when President Obama took out his birth certificate and blew away Donald Trump and all the birthers," he told students at South Carolina State University. That was a reference to those who doubt Obama was born in the U.S.

Powell also supported Obama in getting the U.S. Senate to ratify the New START treaty with Russia, trimming the nuclear stockpiles held by both countries.

[saturn05]

For those religious folks, I don't care what you believe because of your interpretation of the bible. If you follow Leviticus, you better follow the word of the whole Old Testament, not just pick and choose what you want to spew at the world. I am glad Powell backs the rights of all. Gays and lesbians deserve equal protection guaranteed by our U.S. Constitution. I god is going to punish the world for homosexuals, then he should feel the same way against heterosexuals since they sin constantly by adultery, spousal and child abuse, serial killers(mostly straight men), and on and on and on.

[slownewsday_5000]

by gerryrichard

where are the greeks today?

----

In Greece, mostly.

[slownewsday_5000]

by gerryrichard
thats a big no,son..show me where i condemned anyone to the abyss...
---
Who cares? You simply don't even TRY to act as your Jesus would.

Matthew 15:8 is about YOU:
You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

That's about you.

[aubfmet]

Just remember to vote in November.

[slownewsday_5000]

Who are you voting for?

[aubfmet]

I'm voting for the best man.

[Gregmax68]

Who CARES what this limp noodle think?

[slownewsday_5000]

I do, as I would have supported him for President, had he run at any point in the past decade or so.

[bilrobi1]

Compare Gen Powell's accomplishments to, for instance ,you. Who comes looking "limp"? He doesn't agree with you,so you discredit everything this man has done for his country. I care much more about his opinion than I would yours.

[prevail21]

The general and former Secretary of State has lost his military bearing, good order and discipline. Not to mention the fact that not knowing God and what the Word says in Leviticus 18:22.

[slownewsday_5000]

Leviticus?

Do you also hunt for non-believers in your neighborhood and kill them?

[tryingtodogoodwork]

Pukified self-righteousness that will not "prevail".

[Molly-Pchr]

I'm more interested in a presidential endorsement. Who cares what he thinks of homosexuals?

[slownewsday_5000]

It was an endorsement of the president's stance... he specifically said that.

[slownewsday_5000]

by chipsmydog

Because, as you well know, genuine Christians tend to be conservative.

------

"GENIUNE"??? The Religious Right? LMAO!! Only if you think Jesus as president would wage wars of aggression and ignore the sick and poor....



"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians - they are so unlike your Christ" - Gandhi

[slownewsday_5000]

by gerryrichard May 23, 2012 8:33 PM EDT
youll find out soon enough that the word of God will have the final say..john 12:48...butt heads with that..

----

Your religious beliefs only apply to those who share them.

Funny, though - I see you attack, hate, etc, none of what Jesus taught. Read Matthew 7:1-5

.

[slownewsday_5000]

Again, you don't understand that the Bible calls you a hypocrite. Jesus would never recognize you as one of His.

[Jaylah54]

Obviously the bible-thumpers, quoting all of their scriptural references, will never get it through their heads that the US Constitution is the supreme law in the United States. Not their version of the bible.

So please quote me a passage of the US Constitution, stating that discrimination is lawful.

[tryingtodogoodwork]

Your fantasy, gerry. And one that much of the rest of the world has outgrown. All round the world, we're seeing the death throes of religion. This is a very fine thing indeed. Another couple of hundred years and we may even evolve into a fairly civilized world-society.

[an00b1z]

Amen to that.