Colin Powell |
Amid major changes in President Bush's Cabinet, Secretary of State Colin Powell announced his resignation today.
At a news conference, Powell, 67, said he would stay "a month or two" until a successor is in place.
He said it was never his intent to serve beyond the president's first term.
"We came to the mutual agreement that it would be appropriate for me to leave at this time," Powell said, dismissing reports he had offered to stay longer.
In a letter to the president submitted Friday, Powell wrote: "As we have discussed in recent months, I believe that now that the election is over the time has come for me to step down as secretary of state and return to private life. I, therefore, resign as the 65th Secretary of State, effective at your pleasure."
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and U.N. Ambassador John Danforth, former Republican senator from Missouri, are regarded as leading candidates to replace him.
Another possibility is Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.
A senior administration official told CBS News on condition of anonymity that Rice is "likely" to be Powell's successor.
Bush plans to replace at least half his 15-member Cabinet over the next few months, reported U.S. News and World Report.
The resignations of Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman and Education Secretary Rod Paige also were confirmed today.
The president's aim, according to a senior adviser, is to remove officials who have drawn controversy or who apparently have lost their desire to continue.
"The president believes it's always good to have some new faces in a new term," the adviser told U.S. News.
Attorney General John Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Don Evans already have announced their resignations.