A day after Colin Powell made big news by announcing his endorsement of Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential hopeful said the Republican Powell will have a role in his administration.

"He will have a role as one of my advisers," Obama said on NBC’s "Today" in an interview aired Monday. "Whether he wants to take a formal role, whether that’s a good fit for him, is something we’d have to discuss.”

Powell, a four-star general and President Bush’s former secretary of state, would be a huge asset to Obama’s foreign policy team, particularly when combined with Sen. Joe Biden, Obama’s vice-presidential running mate.

Obama told NBC that Powell did not let him know ahead of time before he crossed party lines and endorsed him on "Meet the Press" Sunday. But Powell has no plans to campaign with or for Obama before the November 4 election.

"I won’t lie to you, I would love to have him at any stop," Obama said with a grin Monday. "Obviously, if he wants to show up he’s got an open invitation."

Calling Obama a "transformational" figure who would "electrify our country … [and] the world,” Powell on Sunday said his decision over who to endorse was a tough one. Powell is a friend of John McCain, a fellow Vietnam War veteran, and he supported McCain’s 2000 presidential campaign before George W. Bush won the Republican nomination.

But he said that the Arizona senator’s "unsure" response to the ongoing economic crisis and his selection of Sarah Palin, a running mate whom Powell doesn’t "believe is ready to be president of the United States" disappointed him.

Powell also doesn’t like the recent negative tone of McCain’s campaign.

"I watched Mr. Obama," Powell said, and "he displayed a steadiness, an intellectual curiosity, a depth of knowledge … in not just jumping in and changing every day, but showing intellectual vigor."

In a telephone interview with The Washington Post, Powell said his decision had been "emerging since the conventions, when I heard the convention speeches, saw who the vice-presidential candidates were and then watched the debates."

"The real question," he said, "was whether to go public … I just felt I had to, and I crossed that bridge last week."

McCain on His ‘Underdog’ Status 

Meanwhile, McCain said Sunday he’s "very happy" with the way his campaign is going, despite his "underdog" status in the polls, CNN reports.

"We’re going to be in a tight race and we’re going to be up late on election night. That’s just — I’m confident of that. I’ve been in too many campaigns, my friend, not to sense that things are headed our way," McCain told FOX News on Sunday.

The most recent polls show Obama with no more than a six-point overall lead in the presidential race.

"I love being the underdog. You know, every time that I’ve gotten ahead, somehow I’ve messed it up," McCain said.

Asked if Gov. Sarah Palin has become a drag on his ticket, McCain said, "as a cold political calculation, I could not be more pleased."

"She has excited and energized our base. She is a direct counterpoint to the liberal feminist agenda for America. She has a wonderful family. She’s a reformer. She’s a conservative. She’s the best thing that could have happened to my campaign and to America," he said.

That “liberal feminist agenda” comment, by the way, has raised havoc on many blogs. 

"I couldn’t agree more. For example, Palin is directly opposed to the feminist ‘agenda’ of battling violence against women and giving women control over their own bodies,” according to one post on Feministing.com.

“Somebody has been listening to Rush’s [Limbaugh] ‘feminazi’ rants a little too much,” adds Crooksandliars.com.