He slammed Sarah Palin‘s “shuck and jive” comments from last year about President Obama and criticized Republican’s use of the word “lazy” to describe the president.

“Why do senior Republican leaders tolerate this kind of discussion within the party?” he asked.

The choice of the next Republican candidate may be less important than what the party actually stands for, Powell added.

“If it’s just going to represent the far right-wing of the political spectrum, I think the party is in difficulty,” he said.