Cabinet Reshuffles

Apperantly Powell has indicated he is done at the end of this term.

State Dept. Changes Seen if Bush Reelected (washingtonpost.com)

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and his deputy, Richard L. Armitage, have signaled to the White House that they intend to step down even if President Bush is reelected, setting the stage for a substantial reshaping of the administration’s national security team that has remained unchanged through the September 2001 terrorist attacks, two wars and numerous other crises.

(via Calpundit)

But I don’t think this is actually a big deal. Well, the fact that he is signalling it this early perhaps shows another insight into the obvious tension between Powell and the neocons on many issues and Powell’s frustration with that. But as I posted as a comment at Calpundit, it is standard operating procedure for presidents to reshuffle their entire cabinets between terms. The whole cabinet submits their resignations, and the president reappoints who they want where they want, which is usually significantly different than the first term.