In a Q & A with reporters following his much-anticipated endorsement of Barack Obama for president on NBC’s Meet the Press, former Secretary of State Colin Powell elaborated further on why he’s chosen to back the Democratic nominee. Powell cites both disgust with the reactionary tactics of the GOP (including Michele Bachmann’s call for an investigation into “anti-Americans” in Congress) as well as a need for more diplomatic, intellectual leadership–as motivation for his embrace of Obama.

–Adam Howard