"You don't have to carry a card to be a member."

Posted at 11:48 AM on July 8, 2009 by Tim Nelson

Gen. Colin Powell seems to have fully made the transition from Cold Warrior to diplomat. He was in Minneapolis this morning to speak to the 92nd annual Lions Club International convention.

He had a brief press availability before his speech. The political questions came fast.

First: "Would you be willing to go on with Rush Limbaugh to talk about the Republican Party, since he seems to think you're not really a member any more?"

Powell responded: "Well, I am a member. And you don't have to carry a card to be a member. And I don't need to go on with Mr. Limbaugh. He understands my position and I understand his."

Well, then. That's that. Powell did, however note that he is on a man-to-man footing with the Democratic chief executive. "I have regular conversations with Mr. Obama and his staff," Powell noted, when asked about his recent knock on the administration for "amassing a huge, huge national debt."

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