Fox: "Colin Powell May Leave Bush Team"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,137545,00.html

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Colin Powell (search) has been evasive about his future, skirting questions about the timing of his widely expected departure after four rough-and-tumble years as America's chief diplomat.

In dozens of interviews, Powell has dismissed questions about his plans by saying with a smile, "I serve at the pleasure of the president."

Powell has long been considered to be a one-term secretary of state, irrespective of whether Bush was re-elected. Speculation has been rife for months about possible successors in a second Bush term. Among those mentioned are national security adviser Condoleezza Rice (search) and U.N. Ambassador John Danforth (search).

Last July, Bush suggested during an appearance in Philadelphia that he would be happy if Powell were to remain on. The remark went virtually unnoticed by the media but caught the attention of Powell aides. During a September interview with The Associated Press, Powell was asked whether he considered Bush's comment to be an invitation for him to stay on. "Time will tell. We will see," Powell replied.