In your Opinion who would have made a better President: President Obama or Former National Security Advisor Colin Powell?

Powell m I st definitely !

Don't forget that he was also Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State. The man had tremendous leadership experience and credibility. However, I would hold off on deciding on whether or not he would have made a better president than Obama because no one really knows what his positions is on major issues. That being said, if he was the candidate running against Obama in 2008 or 2012, I would have voted for him.

General Powell hands down. I think after the situation while he was Sec'y of State put a sour taste for politics in his mouth. I would not be opposed to Sec'y Rice running either.

Colin Powell. He was fair, tough, and a deep thinker.

The General.

Strongly agree that GEN Powell would have been a great POTUS.

He would have been great, I know this because he never ran despite pressure and support to do so.

It can be fun to play with Alternative History, and to that end, perhaps he would have been a good President--my guess is he'd have been a good one--but he didn't want to run, so we'll never know. Now had he run at some point in the last 20 years, I think he would have had a good chance of becoming the 1st President who was black, but him being black is of little consequence to me personally; the politics of demographics do not interest me, though I understand others might have a different view point on that.

In the end, we cannot draft the President, and I can respect the wishes of those who, for whatever their reasons, do not want the job-hell, they may be the most selfless of all. Almost seems there is an irony in the idea that the person who wants the job the least, may be the best person for it...if you believe in that idea of course.

SPC Andrew Griffin It is not something you can really quantify. Mr. Obama has had some good points, but overall I oppose a lot of what he has done. The affordable health care act, his naive view on gun violence, the expansion of NSA monitoring everyday Americans, and his use of executive orders to push through agenda items opposed by congress are a few of the issue I have with Mr. Obama. I am not naive enough to think he is the only President to use executive orders to get his way. I think part of the reason that his appear so wide spread is maybe more a product of the instant access to information world we live in now.
As for Gen. Powell, I cannot say because he did not run. I think that it would have been a much different election cycle last time around had the General been the Republican candidate instead of Romney. I respect General Powell greatly. I will not go so far as to say that he would have been better or worse simply because there is no way of knowing.
One thing I have noticed is that the office breaks men down. A person goes into the office with ideas, thoughts, and a vision for where they will lead the country. That is slowly eroded by the reality that is the Washington Political Quagmire. Hopes and aspirations go into the quagmire, and bitter men with broken promises come out.
The other thing to consider is the other two branches of government. The makeup of the Supreme Court would be drastically different as Mr. Obama has chosen two and a half justices during his tenure as President. I highly doubt that General Powell would have appointed either of the two justices that Mr. Obama has had confirmed, nor would he likely have nominated Justice Merrick. So that would be one major difference. Additionally, the President cannot succeed without being able to negotiate with Congress. Right now we have a Democrat controlled Senate working with Mr. Obama, only countered by the Republican controlled House. If General Powell were in office, the congressional balance would be flipped.
Where I do see General Powell as having the advantage over Mr. Obama is personality. General Powell is much less a polarizing figure than Mr. Obama is. Further as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Dessert Shield/Storm, and father of the Powell Doctrine employed during that campaign, General Powell had to work with coalition leaders from different nations with different world views. This continued in his time as Secretary of State. This ability to work with others would be a huge asset when dealing with congress. Mr. Obama was a Freshman Senator when he became President. He did not have time to develop those skills which General Powell would have developed during his career.
The other Advantage the General Powell would have in a presidential campaign is his stellar military record.

So while I cannot say with any confidence which would be a better President as one has been President, and the other has not run, I can say that I think that in an election between the two that I would choose General Powell over Mr. Obama.

Their stances are very similar, but Colin Powell has military experience, so one can arguably say Powell.