General Colin Powell has surprised everyone. He was the Republican Party's surest bet against Bill Clinton returning for a second term. In fact, most opinion polls gave him an easy sailing against Clinton if the polls were held now. Suddenly on Wednesday, in a hurriedly summoned press conference, he said in his usual taciturn, unambiguous and very soft way he would out run for presidency or as a running mate in the 1996 polls. About the 2000 polls he said, with evident unenthusiasm, future Is future, giving no ground to media to build wordy castles on.

His standing aside certainly makes Republican hopefuls Dole and Gingrich and a pair of others happy although the chances of the party as a whole takes a heavy dent. But it was not this handful alone that got back their peace of mind. There was an air of unsuppressed relief in the White House club. Surprisingly it was the admirers of Colin, a big and broad swath of American political opinion, who liked the decision and it evidently brought more Americans to admire him than ever before.

Although the popular general said he did not feel quite up to the presidency height lacking the passion and commitment that were required by the Job, no one seemed to take him at his words. The presidency politics was so down and dirty all the way that Colin found nothing in it to enchant and lure him. This was one theory. The other was that United States tradition of assassination of men at the highest office of the nation had daunted him, made all the more «poignant by the murder of Yitzhak Rabin only days before. Mrs Powell's denial that this was no factor in the Colin decision only underscored its prob-ability.

Whatever his true reason, General Colin Powell has opted not to become the first black president and make history. Such an opportunity would not possibly present itself in another two or three decades.