Colin Powell confirmed on “Meet the Press” that he twice met with Barack Obama to discuss foreign and defense issues. More significant: President Bush’s first secretary of state twice refused to say he’d definitely back the Republican nominee next year. “I’m going to support the best person that I can find,” he insisted.

Powell is hardly alone. A rising number of Republicans are disillusioned with their president and their party, and that’s bad news for the GOP heading into 2008.

Look at the Senate, where seven Republicans defied their leadership and voted to debate a Democratic resolution declaring no-confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The real number of unhappy Republicans is much higher. Sen. Arlen Specter got it right when he said, “There is no confidence in the attorney general on this side of the aisle.”

Or look at the latest Pew Research Center poll. Bush’s overall approval rating has slumped to 29 percent. Among Republicans, his support has dropped to 65 percent, down from 77 percent only two months ago and 95 percent five years ago.

Of course, any Democratic candidate has to be careful consorting with Powell, who sold the Iraq invasion at the United Nations using deeply flawed intelligence. The general’s once glistening reputation has dulled considerably, and his interview on “Meet the Press” showed why.