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Colin Powell undecided on 2012 choice
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says there are some "interesting" presidential candidates for the 2012 Republican nomination - but that he's not sure yet who he'll be voting for.
Powell, who served under former President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005, endorsed President Obama in the 2008 election. But in an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Powell said "I haven't decided" if he'll vote for Mr. Obama this time around.
"I haven't decided who I'm going to vote for," Powell told CBS' Bob Schieffer. "Just as was the case in 2008, I am going to watch the campaign unfold."
Powell, a Republican, emphasized that he won't base his decision on party affiliation alone: "In the course of my life I have voted for Democrats, I have voted for Republicans, I have changed from one four-year cycle to another, and I've always felt it my responsibility as a citizen, to take a look at the issues, examine the candidates, and pick the person that I think is best qualified for the office of the president in that year," he said, "and not just solely on the basis of party affiliation."
Powell declined to name a Republican frontrunner in the race.
"I think there are some interesting candidates, but I don't think any one of them has really emerged into the leading position," he said. "If you follow the press and the polls, every three days it's another leader on the Republican side."
"Let's see if anybody else is going to join," he added. "We've got a long way to go."
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Lucy Madison Lucy Madison is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
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