Who couldn't see this coming?

CNN.com - Colin Powell resigns - Nov 15, 2004

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has submitted his resignation to President Bush, the White House said on Monday.

Powell is the most prominent of four Cabinet officials whose resignations will be announced Monday, sources told CNN.

The others will be Agriculture Secretary Anne Veneman, Education Secretary Rod Paige and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, the sources said.

I am actually very surprised that he lasted this long. The writing has been on the wall for more than two years on this one. After the speech to the UN in the buildup to the war he must have been already packing his bags. It is unfortunate that he didn't have the cojones to get out when it became clear that he was being used as a tool. I would have had much more respect for him.

Actually, truth be told I still have respest for Mr. Powell. He has had to play the straight man to the biggest bunch of clowns on earth and he has done it well. Even placing his office in harms way with the administration when the right thing needed doing. But some of the later toadying and bootlicking sat poorly with me. (As I'm sure it did with him.)

After all of the above being said though, I think we are going to miss him at the helm of the ship of State. He was a calming influence even if he could not fully control the direction of the administration. Anyone more hawkish in that seat could be very bad indeed.