Gen. Colin Powell to David Gregory on NBC's " Meet the Press "

GEN. COLIN POWELL, to David Gregory on NBC's "Meet the Press": "There's ... a dark vein of intolerance in some parts of the [Republican] party. What do I mean by that? What I mean by that is they still sort of look down on minorities. How can I evidence that? When I see a former governor [Sarah Palin] say that the president is shuckin' and jivin'. That's a racial-era slave term."

POWELL, on the nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel for Defense Secretary: "It might be useful just to stand back and take a look at this man overall: A young man who volunteered to go to Vietnam. ... He was wounded twice. He came back from Vietnam, he went to school under the G.I. Bill ... He supported President Reagan in his run for office, and ... received a deployment as deputy director of the Veterans Administration. To show you the kinda courage this guy has, ... he quit after one year because he felt the Veterans Administration was not doing a good job for veterans ... He knows what war is, and he will fight a war if it's necessary. But he's a guy who will do it with great deliberation and care. ... He is a fellow he speaks his mind. He sometimes gets in trouble with those who thinks he should not speak his mind, but he says what he believes and he sticks with it."

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