yous all is fired!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GWB]

Bye BYe mr. cosby! (ha ha i made a funny)

Secretary of State Colin Powell has told top aides he intends to resign from President Bush's Cabinet, high-ranking State Department officials said Monday.

Powell, who long has been rumored planning only a single term with Bush, told his aides that he intends to leave once Bush settles on whom to succeed him, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Word of Powell's imminent departure kicked off a new week of Cabinet shuffling for Bush, who is planning his second term.

"I do expect some announcements shortly regarding members of the Cabinet," White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters at the White House Monday morning. "There are a few resignation. I expect four today."

McClellan said he did not expect any announcements Monday on replacements, however.

The White House was preparing an announcement to confirm Powell's resignation. According to one official, Powell expects that his departure date will be sometime in January. It was not immediately clear whether he will leave before Bush's second inauguration on Jan 20.

Most of the speculation on a successor has centered on U.N. Ambassador John Danforth, a Republican and former U.S. senator from Missouri.

Powell has had a controversial tenure in the chief of state's job, reportedly differing on some key issues at various junctures with Secretary of State Donald H. Rumsfeld. Powell, however, has generally had good relations with his counterparts around the world, although his image standing has been strained by the U.S.-led war in Iraq (news - web sites).

Powell, a former chairman of the military Joint Chiefs of Staff, led the Bush administration argument at the United Nations (news - web sites) for a military attack to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), arguing a weapons-of-mass-destruction threat that the administration could never buttress.

Powell submitted his letter of resignation to the President on Friday. He will go about his usual schedule and will continue at full speed until a successor is named and in place, a senior administration said.

Powell was scheduled to meet later Monday with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and was to attend a meeting of Asian in Chile Wednesday and a mutinational conference on Iraq next week.

He told some two dozen staff members of his projected departure at the start of the day.

[hamilton]

Powell has had a controversial tenure in the chief of state's job, reportedly differing on some key issues at various junctures with Secretary of State Donald H. Rumsfeld.

Funny... last time I checked Donald Rumsfeld was Secretary of Defense.

[DevO]

I wish Powell made this announcement 2 weeks ago!

[AdamH]

I'm glad this has happened. Powell was a moderate republican being puppeted by either George or Cheney to be a mouthpiece for inane miliatary strategy. I hope he's leaving on principle.