~Johno~
11-16-2004, 03:41 AM
Colin Powell has handed his resignation in as U.S. Secretary of States
There had been speculation that Powell, 67, would stay on, at least for part of Bush's second term, but he told reporters Monday that he had made no offer to do so. In his resignation letter dated Nov. 12, Powell, a 35-year army veteran and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Bush that, with the election over, it was time to "step down ...and return to private life." He said he would stay on "for a number of weeks, or a month or two" until his replacement was confirmed by the Senate.
Bush turned to his most trusted foreign policy adviser, Condoleezza Rice, to lead U.S. diplomacy during his second term, replacing Secretary of State Colin Powell, who often was out of step with more hawkish members of the administration's national security team.
A senior administration official said Bush on Tuesday would nominate Rice, another move in a significant cabinet shuffle that has included the exit not only of Powell, the administration's most prominent moderate, but also the resignation of Attorney General John Ashcroft, one of the administration's most outspoken conservatives.
Rice, who is considered more of a foreign policy hardliner than Powell, has been Bush's national security adviser for four years. But while she's known around the globe, her image on the world stage does not rival Powell's. The retired four-star general has higher popularity ratings than the president.
Also on Monday, the White House announced the resignations of Education Secretary Rod Paige, Agriculture Secretary Ann Venemen and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Don Evans resigned earlier this month, meaning six of Bush's 15 cabinet members are leaving.
Original source http://www.canada.com/
There had been speculation that Powell, 67, would stay on, at least for part of Bush's second term, but he told reporters Monday that he had made no offer to do so. In his resignation letter dated Nov. 12, Powell, a 35-year army veteran and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Bush that, with the election over, it was time to "step down ...and return to private life." He said he would stay on "for a number of weeks, or a month or two" until his replacement was confirmed by the Senate.
Bush turned to his most trusted foreign policy adviser, Condoleezza Rice, to lead U.S. diplomacy during his second term, replacing Secretary of State Colin Powell, who often was out of step with more hawkish members of the administration's national security team.
A senior administration official said Bush on Tuesday would nominate Rice, another move in a significant cabinet shuffle that has included the exit not only of Powell, the administration's most prominent moderate, but also the resignation of Attorney General John Ashcroft, one of the administration's most outspoken conservatives.
Rice, who is considered more of a foreign policy hardliner than Powell, has been Bush's national security adviser for four years. But while she's known around the globe, her image on the world stage does not rival Powell's. The retired four-star general has higher popularity ratings than the president.
Also on Monday, the White House announced the resignations of Education Secretary Rod Paige, Agriculture Secretary Ann Venemen and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Don Evans resigned earlier this month, meaning six of Bush's 15 cabinet members are leaving.
Original source http://www.canada.com/