Colin Powell criticizes Cheney for claims in memoir

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell on Sunday accused Dick Cheney of taking "cheap shots" for publicity in his new memoir "In My Time" and suggested that readers shouldn't believe everything the former vice president claims.

"My head isn't exploding and I haven't noticed any other heads exploding in Washington, D.C.," Powell told CBS "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer Sunday when asked to respond to Cheney's promise that "heads would explode" after reading his book. "I don't see any heads laying on the street," Powell later added.

In a blistering interview, Powell characterized Cheney's story as a "rehash" of events from seven and eight years ago and Cheney's promises as something one would read from a "gossip columnist" or in a "supermarket tabloid."

"Mr. Cheney has had a long and distinguished career and I hope in his book that's what he will focus on, not these cheap shots that he's taking at me and other members of the administration who served to the best of our ability for President Bush," Powell said. The former secretary of state went on to specifically shoot down several of Cheney's accounts and lob some criticism of his own.

Powell said that contrary to Cheney's claims, the former vice president deserves no credit for Powell's resignation. Powell said that he presented his dissenting views on the Iraq War to President Bush and was publicly supportive of Bush's positions. And Powell challenged another line of criticism in the Cheney book by insisting that he and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage don't deserve to be squarely blamed for the Valerie Plame scandal.

Powell excoriated Cheney for his "almost condescending" criticism of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former CIA director George Tenet. "Dick overshot the runway with that type of comment," Powell said of the "exploding heads" claim.

You can watch video of the interview below:

Cheney and Powell have a history of opposition that has only grown more pronounced since the Bush administration left power in 2009. Cheney fired a shot across the bow that year by calling Powell a Republican traitor for supporting Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

When asked Sunday if Powell is planning to again support Obama in 2012, Powell was noncommittal. "I haven't decided who I'm going to vote for," Powell replied. "Just as was the case in 2008, I'm going to watch the campaign unfold." Powell added that he has a history of supporting candidates in both major parties and suggested Obama should not take Powell's support for granted this time out.

"In the course of my life I have voted for Democrats, I have voted for Republicans, I have changed from one four-year cycle to another."