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POWELL:I've never missed any job I have been in because there's no point in it. So I always look forward. And I have got a lot of opportunities now. I'm having great fun back in private life. And looking forward to more opportunities coming along.
KING: And don't miss anything about public life?
POWELL: No. I'm not exactly out of public life. I'm staying involved. I'm doing a number of things that are in the public sector and the private sector. But I don't miss government. It's not that I didn't enjoy government. I do. I enjoyed all of my years in the government, all the assignments I was privileged to have. But I'm always looking forward. And I don't look back and say, I missed that. I didn't miss the Army after I left it even though I loved every one of the days I spent in the Army for over 35 years. I love the Army with all my heart. But missing it is another matter.
KING: You look forward, and politics you're ruling out?
POWELL: Ruling out, no politics.
KING: Do you stay -- when you say you stay involved, does that -- are you a consultant to people? Does government call on you? Industry? Who do you talk with and to?
POWELL: Well, the first thing I did after leaving government was to start my business back up, and that's being on the lecture circuit. And that's great fun, it gets me around the country and I learn so much about the country. I have also undertaken some business interest. I'm now a limited partner with one of the great venture capital firms in Silicon Valley, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. And they're involved in leading energy technology issues and fuel cells and all sorts of things.
KING: Are they buying the baseball team?
POWELL: I'm coming to that too. Yes. So I have got a little Silicon Valley, and it's on the West Coast. And I'm excited about that. On the East Coast, in Washington, I'm working with Steve Case, who used to head AOL, and a new group he has formed, Revolution Health Group. And a number of us have invested with Steve in order to put this company together and to do what we can to push the consumer- driven health care market by giving consumers more choice over the dollars they put into health care and how they use those dollars to provide for their families. And that's exciting. That's my East Coast and West Coast business activities.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: ... red states?
POWELL: We're getting there. Who knows? Who knows? It's early, Larry. It's early.
Also in the Washington area, I'm participating in an investment program, an investment team to buy a team. We're bidding on the Washington Nationals. And we hope the team led by Mr. Fred Malek, an old friend of mine, will prevail. We hope that Major League Baseball...
KING: What has held that up? They were supposed to select it in August, they were supposed to select it Labor Day.
POWELL: Larry, it's a very interesting group, Major League Baseball, the owners. And I've spoken to Commissioner Selig a few times and hope they'll make a decision soon. And I'm quite confident they'll do it on the basis not just of price but which team -- which group bidding for it has the strongest connection to the community. And that's where I think we have an edge.
KING: Is it up to $450 million?
POWELL: Minimum, I think, yes.
KING: Would -- if you got the team, would you be an activist?
POWELL: Yes. I intend to be activist...
KING: General manager?
POWELL: I don't think so. We want a winning team.
KING: OK.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: But you would be active?
POWELL: I would be active. I would be more than just a passive investor. I'm not a major investor, but I'm an investor. But I would also be very interested in the foundation that the team is going to create because we have made the pitch that not only do we think we could run a good baseball team. But we think we could make a major contribution to the young people of the Washington, D.C., community -- the greater Washington, D.C., community by investing in the boys and girls activities and getting baseball going again in the inner city with minorities. And I think we have a strong suit there to present to the community.
KING: Did I read somewhere you are were also going to buy a minor league team?
POWELL: No.
KING: No?
POWELL: No.
KING: Back to other things, touched a lot of bases.
POWELL: I believe I'll just touch a couple of other bases, if I may.
KING: OK. Sure.
POWELL: A couple of other things I'm interested in.
KING: You're writing a book, I'll bet.
POWELL: Not -- no, not yet.
KING: No?
POWELL: No. I'll put that off for another time. But a couple of other things I'm interested in. There's a Colin POWELL Policy Center at City College of New York, my alma mater. And I'm the founder and I'll be a visiting professor there. And what I like about CCNY, it's such a great school.
KING: Lavender, my lavender.
POWELL: Lavender, my lavender. And for over 100 years it has educated the children of the immigrants of New York City. They did it for me 50 years ago. They're still doing it today. And so I'm going to be deeply involved in building up that center not just as another think-tank but as a place where young people from New York City who have come from all over the world can get an education and can contribute to the city and contribute to the broader society.
I'm also taking over chairmanship of the Eisenhower Fellowship Program where we bring in fellows from around the world to study here in the United States. We need more of that kind of activity. I've replaced Henry Kissinger as chairman, and I'll take that over from Henry next year.
And then finally, another activity I'm involved in -- among many others, but another one that is very special to me is the Vietnam Wall is perhaps one of the most magnificent monuments and memorials. And we wanted...
KING: The most visited, I believe.
POWELL: Right. And because it is the most visited, we want to build an educational center nearby, in no way doing anything with the wall itself, which is perfect. But a little distance away, an education center, probably underground so it doesn't disturb that part of our great Mall, so that people can learn more about that conflict and learn more about those who gave their lives in that conflict. And I'm the honorary chairman of that fund-raising effort. And also working the fund-raising effort for the Martin Luther KING Memorial in Washington, D.C., so I'm kind of busy. |