Colin Powell discusses his vision for the future

Technically, Colin Powell was not making a campaign stop yesterday when he spoke before thousands at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Center City. But with his rhetoric and gestures, the former chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff acted no differently than a presidential candidate. Powell served as the keynote speaker of a week-long conference of the American Society of Travel Agents. And although he has not yet committed to a 1996 run for the presidency, Powell spent much of his half-hour speech focusing on his past experiences in leadership and his vision of the future. "I know that there is a role for each and every one of us to play," Powell said. "I am searching for the role I should play." Powell said President Bill Clinton and the Democratic Party took over when people were looking for a change. But that change did not come, he explained. "Two years later, that party was not giving the American people what they wanted," Powell said, adding that the election of a Republican Congress was the public's response to Clinton's presidency. "At the end of that process, we are beginning a new journey into a new government," Powell said. Although Powell voiced support for the basic tenets of the Contract for America, he added that he did not want to see "less service" become the cost for "less government." In his speech, Powell displayed marked contrast to his traditionally stoic image, interspersing humor with more serious commentary. Powell first spoke seriously about the need for Fidel Castro to leave Cuba in order to achieve democracy in the country. He then quipped that during Castro's recent visit to New York, he wished someone had brought the Cuban leader to a publisher who would "offer him a book contract." "Trust me, I know," said Powell, who has just completed his own book tour. "He'll be gone in a week." Powell also joked about the first night of the Persian Gulf War. When he received a favorable report from General Norman Schwarzkopf, Powell said he had refused to trust it, turning instead to CNN "to see what was really going on." "[The public was] watching CNN, so that helped me to handle what was happening at home," he added on a more serious note. On the international front, Powell discussed the degree of change that various regions of the world have seen in recent history. On growing up in an age obsessed with Communism, Powell said he had difficulty accepting the possibility that the Cold War could end. He explained that he faced the same situation when apartheid ended in South Africa. He also paid tribute to slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated last weekend. "We lost a great citizen of the world," Powell said, adding that he believes the peace process will proceed. Powell briefly discussed his memoirs -- entitled My American Journey. He emphasized that the personal stories in the book meant more to him than the political incidents and leaders he discussed. "The story is the America which made it possible for a young, ordinary black youngster?to move up," said Powell, who has recently been criticized by GOP leaders for his advocacy of affirmative action. Powell stressed the importance of family -- both personally and nationally. The American people, he said, should come together and form a similar familial structure. "Keep believing with all your heart and soul in this great land, this great place which we are proud to call America," Powell said in a conclusion that resembled Clinton's campaign focus on a "place called Hope." Before speaking to the American Society of Travel Agents delegates, Powell attended a private gathering at the University Museum. American Express sponsored both events. According to the Associated Press, Powell was originally scheduled to speak at a small Missouri college. He canceled, however, saying he needed time to mull over his presidential candidacy decision. Yet Powell accepted American Express' invitation to speak in Philadelphia yesterday, receiving an undisclosed speaking fee that could be as high as $50,000, the AP said.

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