Saying that President Obama "has lost some of the ability to connect that he had during the campaign," Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has called on the President to "shift the way in which he has been doing things."
On NBC's Meet The Press, Powell said the President had been trying to do too much, too fast -- that his agenda has been somewhat overwhelming and that "the American people feel that too many programs have come down."
"There are so many rocks in our knapsack now that we're having trouble carrying it," Powell added.
The retired army general and former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who served under both Presidents Bush said Obama should have focused "like a razor" on jobs and the economy right from the start of his administration.
"As far as the American people are concerned, the main attack is employment," Powell said.
And in a somewhat startling statement, Powell refused to say whether or not he would endorse Obama for a second term. After all, it was Powell who broke with the GOP to endorse Obama at a critical juncture in 2008.
Now Powell says he will evaluate Obama and a Republican candidate as the 2012 election nears.
And Powell noted that he still considers himself a Republican and hasn't thought about leaving the GOP.
"The Republican Party still has strength in it," Powell explained. "It has strength with respect to its feelings about foreign policy and defense policy and our place in the world."
Though he disagrees with Republican Party leaders on various issues, Powell said he is "not about to give up" on the GOP.
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