WP: GOP Star (Powell) to Skip Convention [View All]

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Powell, Following Cabinet Tradition, Will Stay Out of Fray

The most popular Republican in the country will not be speaking at the Republican National Convention. The party's number one asset, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, will not even be there -- and may not be in the United States, according to U.S. officials.

Throughout the Bush presidency, Powell has consistently scored better than his boss in public opinion polls, often by 20 points or more. In an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll in May, Powell was viewed favorably by 69 percent of respondents -- compared with 49 percent for President Bush and 39 percent each for Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

But in keeping with tradition, Cabinet officials do not speak at the conventions -- or other campaign events. So Powell will not appear.

"As secretary of state, I am obliged not to participate in any way, shape, fashion, or form in parochial, political debates. I have to take no sides in the matter," Powell told the Unity: Journalists of Color Convention on Thursday. Powell was a featured speaker at the 2000 convention and even campaigned with Bush.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46593-2004Aug6.html