Four years ago, former Secretary of State Colin Powell almost found himself excommunicated from the Republican Party when he publically supported Barack Obama over GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain for president. This year, he says, he wants to see what each candidate is offering before deciding whether he will endorse the president or his presumptive rival Mitt Romney. 

“[Obama] stabilized the financial system, he brought about stability in the economy, [and] he fixed the auto industry. I think he took us out — not completely out — he took us out of the most difficult problem we were facing at that time, which was an economy that was collapsing,” Powell said in an appearance on NBC’s Today show on Tuesday. “It’s improving, but not fast enough. His number one goal for the rest of this year, as it should’ve been for the whole four years, is to get the economy running again.”

Powell said he wants to learn more about what economic proposals Romney and other Republicans will make and that he owes it to the party to listen.

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(Photo: Courtesy Today Show/msnbc)