Powell in '08???

GENERAL POLITICS

The views expressed by retired military leaders Maj. Gen. John Batiste, Maj. Gen. John Riggs, Gen. Anthony Zinni, Maj. Gen. Charles Swannack, Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, and Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld should resign may not have been coordinated, per se. But the generals in question in fact speak often to each other, and some are even coordinating political activities with colleagues here in the United States, according to Pentagon sources.

Some, in fact, are involved in a very quiet group of retired military officers who are behind a "Draft Colin Powell" effort, to see him run for the presidency in 2008. The operation is well funded, say sources familiar with the group, to the point that they are regularly polling the public on issues and even ticket makeup for a Powell run.

The Washington Prowler