Powell Says GOP Isn’t ‘Black Guy’s’ Party

Retired Gen. Colin L. Powell said on Sunday the Republican Party has failed to adequately represent America’s blacks, but he would consider serving as secretary of State under Republican George W. Bush if the Texas governor wins the presidency.

Powell, a prominent black Republican whose popularity during the Persian Gulf War led to calls for him to step up as a presidential candidate in 1996, has previously indicated he was not interested in running for vice president under Bush.

Powell said on “Fox News Sunday” that the Republican Party is dangerously close to being seen as a party for whites, especially because of its stand against affirmative action.

“It is certainly not seen as the black guy’s party. . . . It has not done well in the African American community,” Powell said in an interview taped on Friday.

“I think too often the Republican Party has said, ‘We know what’s best for you’ as opposed to listening to the African American community, understanding some of the despair that exists in the African American inner-city communities,” he said.

But Powell said that if Bush asked him to serve as secretary of State, he “would take it under consideration.”

Powell chaired the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War under the Texas governor’s father, former President Bush. Powell has previously said he is not interested in elected office.

The Republican Party, which plans to feature Powell prominently at its convention in Philadelphia next month, is trying to expand its support base and attract more blacks and Latinos who traditionally have voted for Democrats.

Powell acknowledged that he had differences with his party and is considerably more moderate on social issues than many of his colleagues. He urged them to accept different points of view, especially on abortion and affirmative action.

The retired general, who on Thursday was chosen by Republican leaders to serve on a national security panel, said he agrees with the party’s stance that the U.S. military needs more money and to improve morale.

“It’s our best insurance policy to keep us moving in this peaceful direction where economic forces are reshaping the world more so than military and political forces. But the insurance policy that we’ve got to have--armed forces in the United States--they’ve got to be No. 1 and we can’t shortchange them.”

Powell has spent the last three years leading America’s Promise, a nonprofit group that aims to encourage youths through mentoring, and said Republicans share his commitment to children.