Powell Doesn’t Rule Out Candidacy

Retired Gen. Colin Powell teased a Washington audience Monday night by disclaiming any passion for politics but then suggesting an independent candidacy might “throw some more fun” into the 1996 presidential race.

Powell gave no indication he wanted - or planned - to be such a candidate. But he didn’t flatly rule out the prospect, either, saying he would decide about his future after finishing his memoirs.

In an hour-long speech followed by several questions from his audience, Powell shed little new ground. He followed the script of a speech he has given dozens of times since retiring in September 1993 and joining the lucrative lecture circuit.