Powell: Republicans have work to do

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, once thought likely to be the first black U.S. president, said Tuesday the Republican Party has "a lot of work to do."

Powell crossed party lines to endorse Barack Obama and has agreed to work with the new administration on a service initiative for young people. But he told ABC News that he still considers himself a Republican.

He said that Republicans need to recognize that the United States is becoming a majority-minority country.

"And the party's got a lot of work to do," Powell said. "They got to take a deep look at itself -- the party does. And I hope the leaders will do that, and I hope to play my part in it."

Powell called Obama's inauguration a "celebration of American democracy."

"And then when the president-elect came down and took his oath of office, that was a time for all of us to kind of get a tear in our eye," Powell said. "And I'm not ashamed to say, in fact I'm proud to say that I was tearing up along with everybody else."