US Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama said yesterday that if he is elected, he will ask former Secretary of State Colin Powell to serve as an advisor in his administration.

"He (Powell) will have a role as one of my advisers. He has already served in that function, even before he endorsed me." Obama said on NBC's Today show.

"Whether he wants to take a formal role, whether that's a good fit for him, is something we'd have to discuss," he added.

Powell, a retired four-star general and widely-respected Republican, crossed party lines to back Obama last Sunday as he described Republican presidential nominee John McCain's campaign as petty and troubling.

Analysts said the endorsement will help Obama tackle criticism that he is too inexperienced on foreign policy and military issues to become president.

Powell, a 71-year-old African American, had advised former president Ronald Reagan and served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under former presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton.