POWELL SPEAKS UP

Colin Powell finally gave his views on the Simpson verdict in London, where he is promoting his book, in an interview with the BBC. The verdict, he said, "is not a metaphor for all race relations in the U.S. There is an enormous chasm. And sometimes we forget, when we see some progress and some blacks doing well . . . what we have left behind in our inner cities." Powell admit that racial tensions could present problems for him if he runs for president. "There are some people who see me as an American who happens to be black. But there are also many, many Americans who see me first as a black man, and we have to get that filter out of the way before they see me as an American," Powell said. The former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was asked during the interview whether a black man in Britain could have done as well as he has: "I wish I could be courteous," he said, "but I don't think it could have been."