Colin Powell was interviewed by Wolf Blitzer this afternoon in The Situation Room regarding the 2008 elections. Transcript highlights follow…

POWELL: I will ultimately vote for the person I believe brings to the American people the kind of vision the American people want to see for the next four years. A vision that reaches out to the rest of the world, that starts to restore confidence in America, that starts to restore favorable ratings to America.

Frankly, we’ve lost a lot in recent years…I am a Republican, but I am keeping my options open at the moment. And I am in touch with the candidates.

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POWELL: I said — I have voted for members of both parties in the course of my adult life. And as I said early, I will vote for the candidate I think can do the best job for America, whether that candidate is a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent.

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On Sen. Obama
POWELL: I think he is worth listening to and seeing what he stands for. There are some positions he has that I wouldn’t support, but that’s the case with every candidate out there. And I think every American has an obligation right now at this moment in our history to look at all the candidates and to make a judgment not simply on the basis of ideology, or simply on the basis of political affiliation, but on the basis of, who is the best person for all of America and which party and what does that party look like? And how does that candidate relate to that party and the different wings of the party? And which party and which candidate is best able to take America in a positive direction over the next four years?

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BLITZER: But I just want to be clear. You’re not ready to endorse John McCain right now?

POWELL: I am not in the endorsement business right now. I am an American citizen that is examining all of the candidates, listening carefully. And now that we have sort of cleared out the primary underbrush, if I may say that without being disrespectful to any of the candidates who have left, we now have a real campaign before us. And we’ll see how the Democrats sort this out. It looks like John McCain is going to be the Republican candidate. And I will watch and measure them well.