The Daily Background

Fox News:

Sources say former Secretary of State Colin Powell will endorse Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention, Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol told FOX News exclusively on Thursday.

“He may well give a speech at the Democratic convention explaining his endorsement of Obama,” Kristol said, citing inside sources.

“This is not an absolute done deal, but these people are very confident that Powell will endorse Obama,” Kristol said, adding that he thinks Powell still has “a high respect” for John McCain, Obama’s Republican rival.

Powell spokeswoman Peggy Cifrino strongly denied the report.

“There’s absolutely no truth to it whatsoever,” Cifrino told FOXNews.com. “Colin Powell will not be at either convention. There’s absolutely no truth to this.”

Background
In an item I wrote Tuesday:

With the convention only two weeks away, it’s almost certain that the actual keynote speaker has already been decided– they’re just keeping it under wraps so they can make a big splash by announcing it later on.

So, who could it be? One theory that’s been floating around is that it’ll be a high profile Republican defector, somebody like Chuck Hagel or Colin Powell, in a turncoat move similar to what Zell Miller did for the GOP in 2004. Any guesses on who will fill the slot Obama did four years ago?

The keynote speaker turned out to be Mark Warner, but that doesn’t mean that Powell couldn’t still get a primetime speech and be remembered as the Zell Miller of 2008…

Of course, it’s not like Kristol hasn’t ever been wrong before…

Update: From the Huffington Post:

Former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski tells the Huffington Post that he “expects” Gen. Colin Powell to endorse Barack Obama for president.
[…]
In response to an emailed question, Brzezinski agreed with Kristol, writing simply: “I sort of expect he [Powell] will.”

Update 2: ABC News casts doubt on the idea that Powell could attend the convention:

Gen. Colin Powell told ABC News on Wednesday that he will not be going to the Democratic National Convention, disputing a suggestion made earlier in the day on the Fox News Channel by Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol.

“I do not have time to waste on Bill Kristol’s musings,” Powell told ABC News. “I am not going to the convention. I have made this clear.”

After telling ABC News by phone that he would not be going to the Democratic National Convention, Powell ended the conversation without entertaining any follow-up questions as to whether he would be crossing party lines to endorse Obama.
[…]
While Powell was emphatic about his intention not to attend the Democratic National Convention, his endorsement in the presidential race remains an open question.

Notice that Powell’s spokesman and his own denial have centered around the idea that he could attend the convention. Neither he nor his spokesman have specifically denied Kristol’s contention that he will eventually endorse Obama.

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