I would have liked Powell on the ticket with Obama but there is no way Powell would ever have won the GOP nomination for President in 96 or any other year for his nomination would split the South and bring on a landslide win for Clinton or Gore.
Powell eventually declared himself a Republican and began to campaign for Republican candidates in 1995.[citation needed] He was touted as a possible opponent of Bill Clinton in the 1996 U.S. Presidential Election, possibly capitalizing on a split conservative vote in Iowa[22] and even leading New Hampshire polls for the GOP nomination,[23] but Powell declined, citing a lack of passion for politics.[24] Powell defeated Clinton 50-38 in a hypothetical match-up proposed to voters in the exit polls conducted on Election Day.[25] Despite not standing in the race, Powell won the New Hampshire Vice-Presidential primary on write-in votes.[26]
Who might Powell pick for VP if he were to obtain the Republican nomination?
Dick CheneySomeone old, very white, and seriously conservative.
So who would have been in '96?
Polling said otherwise.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Powell#Potential_candidate
One can reasonable assume that a primary battle could well have reduced some of margin, but a potential 12 point gap is nothing to be dismissed out of hand.
A Powell victory is extermely plausable AH.
Winning a hypothetical exit poll matchup with Clinton after the GOP just lost the 1996 election and winning an actual election are different things but an election of a traditional Republican politician to the Presidency is not a bad thing.
What; a massively indecisive President?