Hints of a Colin Powell or Condi Rice Endorsement for Obama

There's huge buzz again in Sen. Barack Obama's camp that former Secretary of State Colin Powell is readying an endorsement of the Democrat running for president against the retired general's old pal, Sen. John McCain. It started last week as the first-term senator was preparing for his so-far-successful overseas trip this week. Insiders suggested that Powell would either endorse Obama or appear with him before the trip began, but it didn't happen, leading some to say that Powell is interested to see how Obama handles himself on the world stage. Allies to McCain, meanwhile, say that Powell isn't a lost cause. Talk of a post-trip endorsement heated up again today after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice teased CNN's Wolf Blitzer on her upcoming endorsement. On Late Edition yesterday, Rice said that she has decided whom to vote for but declined to indicate her choice. Many Republicans took that as suggesting she's going to back Obama, who has been very critical of the Bush-Rice foreign policy. But some administration officials said that Rice was simply refusing to get involved in the presidential race and will most likely back McCain.