On October 19, 2008, Colin Powell endorsed then Democratic candidate Barack Obama for president. The endorsement was announced on the NBC show Meet the Press.CNN: Colin Powell endorses Obama (October 19, 2008)

On August 13, 2008, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol reported that Colin Powell would likely announce his endorsement for Barack Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. However, Powell spokesperson Peggy Cifrino denied Kristol's report and said that Powell would not speak at either the Democratic or Republican national conventions.FOX News: Kristol: Colin Powell to Endorse Barack Obama (August 13, 2008)

In a June 2008 column for The Washington Post, conservative pundit Robert Novak wrote that "Colin Powell probably will enter Obama's camp," and referred to "Powell's expected endorsement" of the candidate.The Washington Post: Obamacans Worry McCain, by Robert Novak (June 26, 2008)

Though the statement in Novak's column did not provide evidence of an impending endorsement, analysts on political blogs seem to have interpreted the word of the Washington DC insider as evidence in itself. The Huffington Post ran the headline, "Novak: Powell Will Endorse Obama," while Time's The Page speculated that Powell could be "the surprise keynote speaker at the Democrats' convention in Denver." Powell did not appear at either convention.The Huffington Post: Novak: Powell Will Endorse Obama (June 26, 2008) The Page: Novak Sees Colin Powell Defection to Obama (June 26, 2008)

• Facebook: Group Seeking Powell's Endorsement