Powell Denies Departure Rumor

State Dept. Says Report He'll Leave After This Term Is Baseless

(CBS/AP)  The State Department on Monday vigorously denied a report that Secretary of State Colin Powell planned to leave his post in early 2005, and not serve during a second term if President Bush is re-elected.

The Washington Post, citing "sources familiar with the conversation," reported that Powell deputy Richard L. Armitage recently told national security adviser Condoleezza Rice that he and Powell will leave on Jan. 21, 2005, the day after the next presidential inauguration.

A State Department spokesman says that discussion never happened and blames a summertime news drought for the report.

"There's no basis to the story at all," said Philip T. Reeker. "There was no such conversation. It must be August."

The Post said Powell has indicated to associates that a promise to his wife, Alma, rather than any policy disagreements with others in the administration, is a key factor in his intention to serve only one term.

Powell was widely touted as a potential Republican presidential candidate after retiring from the Army as chief of staff during the Clinton administration, but announced he would not run even as polls indicated he had overwhelming popularity with American voters.

Although never publicly confirmed, it was widely reported at the time that Alma Powell's firm opposition was the reason that Colin Powell decided not to try a run for president.

It has been widely anticipated that Powell would serve only one term. But Powell, who turned 66 in April, has consistently declined to respond to speculation about how long he planned to head the State Department, but has made clear that he has many interests beyond government service, including a commitment to improving education opportunities for black Americans.

"I serve at the pleasure of the president," he said last month. "That's the only answer I've ever given to that question, no matter what form it comes in."

The report on Powell's intentions touched of speculation on who might replace him, should Mr. Bush secure a second term. The president's most trusted foreign policy advisor, Rice, would certainly be on the list, but a lot could happen in the next 18 months, reports CBS News White House Correspondent Peter Maer.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is also a possible candidate. To the consternation of many in the administration, Gingrich has gone public with some stinging criticism of the Powell foreign policy approach. While he could be interested in the job, he might not be first in line for it in an administration that prizes loyalty.

Were he to leave, Powell would be following a fairly consistent pattern. It is more common for secretaries of state to serve during a single presidential term than to serve across two terms.

Of the 27 secretaries who took office in the 20th Century, only four served longer than a term. Cordell Hull served President Roosevelt from 1933 to 1944, John Foster Dulles aided President Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959, Dean Rusk worked under Presidents Johnson and Kennedy from 1961 to 1969, and George Shultz held the post from 1982 to 1989 under President Reagan.

Henry Kissinger was secretary of state for Presidents Nixon and Ford from 1973 to 1977, but no presidential election occurred during Kissinger's term.