'''General Colin Luther Powell''', United States Army (Ret.) (born April 5, 1937) was the 65th [[United States]] [[Secretary of State]] (2001-2005) under President [[George W. Bush]] and is a [[liberal]] member of the [[Republican Party]]. As a General in the [[United States Army]], Powell also served as [[National Security Advisor]] (1987–1989), and as Chairman of the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]] (1989–1993) he became the highest ranking African American government official in the history of the United States.
==Military career==
While at City College Powell joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and later described it as one of the happiest experiences of his life: finding something he loved and could do well, he had "found himself." After graduating from City College in June 1958, he was granted a commission as an Army Second Lieutenant. Powell was a professional soldier for 35 years, during which time he held a variety of command and staff positions and later served as a General. During his military career Powell received the [[Purple Heart]], [[Bronze Star]] and the [[Soldiers Medal]].
==Presidential appointments==
At the age of 49, Powell became President [[Ronald Reagan]]'s National Security Advisor, serving from 1987 to 1989. He retained his Army commission (he was a Lieutenant General at the time of his nomination) while serving as National Security Advisor. After his tenure, Powell was promoted to 4-star General under President [[George H.W. Bush]].
From 1989 to 1993, General Powell served as chairman of the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]], the highest [[military]] position in the Department of Defense. During this time, he oversaw 28 crises, including the invasion of [[Panama]] in 1989 to remove General [[Manuel Noriega]] from power in 1989 and Operation Desert Storm in the 1991 [[Persian Gulf War]]. During these events, Powell earned his nickname, "the reluctant warrior". After the end of Persian Gulf War, Colin Powell outlined his vision for efficient and decisive military action. His plan is now referred to as the [[Powell Doctrine]]. The Doctrine expresses that military action should be used only as a last resort and only if there is a clear risk to national security by the intended target; the force, when used, should be overwhelming and disproportionate to the force used by the enemy; there must be strong support for the campaign by the general public; and there must be a clear exit strategy from the conflict in which the military is engaged.
[[Image:20010912-4-1.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Secretary of State Colin Powell, [[Vice President of the United States of America|Vice President]] [[Dick Cheney]] and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Hugh Shelton, President George W. Bush talks with the press about the previous day's terrorist attacks during a cabinet meeting Sept. 12, 2001. White House photo by Tina Hager. ]] Later as Secretary of State in the Bush [[administration]], Powell was tremendously popular among the American people. After the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], Powell's job became of critical importance in managing America's relationships with foreign countries in order to secure a stable coalition in the [[War on Terrorism]]. Powell is best known in the international community for testifying to the [[United Nations]] in 2003 about the specifics of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program and for failing to generate international support for United States' [[foreign policy]] in George W. Bush's first term.<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/03/17/1047749726236.html Failure of US diplomacy may claim Powell's scalp]</ref> After Powell left the [[National Security Council]], the fortunes for the United States markedly improved in diplomacy (with countries like [[France]]<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/25/AR2007062501691.html?hpid=sec-world Washington Post - Rice Breaks Ice With France's New Leaders]</ref>) and in the [[Iraq War]] after the [[troop surge]] was implemented in George W. Bush's second term. In 2008, he endorsed [[Barack Obama]], who had opposed the surge in 2007.
==Political views== Colin Powell is a [[liberal]] or moderate Republican who is [[pro-choice]] regarding [[abortion]], supports [[affirmative action]] and "reasonable" [[gun control]]. Although Powell was against [[gay]] marriage at the time (now he's supportvie of it<ref>http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76687.html</ref>), he helped craft the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy in the United States military, along with [[Bill Clinton]]. He has also been critical of the current policy in Iraq. In 2005, Powell telephoned two Senator's, [[Lincoln Chafee]] of [[Rhode Island]] and [[Chuck Hagel]] of [[Nebraska]] (also liberal Republicans) asking them to oppose the nomination of John R. Bolton as ambassador to the [[United Nations]]. In September 2005, Powell criticized the government's response to [[Hurricane Katrina]]. He also opposed [[Guantanamo Bay]] and stripping [[Geneva Convention]] protections from captured terrorists. Powell was mentioned as a potential running mate for [[John McCain]],<ref>http://www.aarpmagazine.org/people/colin_powell.html</ref>, but said he was no longer interested in elected office.
Powell has expressed support for homosexuals serving in the military,<ref>http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/powell-favors-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell/?_r=0</ref> and for phony same-sex unions as well.<ref>http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/colin-powell-expresses-support-gay-marriage/story?id=16416112.</ref>