Former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) for president on Sunday’s Meet the Press, saying the Democratic candidate represents “a new generation coming onto the world stage.” Powell, who helped justify the invasion of Iraq in 2003, said he anticipates a “continued drawdown” of troops from Iraq regardless of who wins the November election.

In an interview with the Today show Monday morning, Obama said Powell will serve as an adviser in his administration, and said he was already serving in that function before the endorsement announcement.

CLIMATE CHANGE: The New York Times compares the candidates’ approaches to climate change, noting that they agree that the Bush administration’s policies on the issues were “far too weak.”