Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell is expected to be named the next secretary of state by President-elect George W. Bush Saturday.
The announcement will take place at 11:30 a.m. CST at Crawford Elementary School in Texas, near Bush's ranch.
Though there has been no official word from Bush or the Bush team, all indications are that the Saturday press conference will be used to announce Powell's appointment. When asked for specifics by reporters in Austin on Friday, Bush said, "There's a lot of rumors, and there's going to be a lot of rumors between now and when I name my Cabinet. I would hope people would give me the benefit of allowing me to name the person on our own timetable. And so I would ask that -- that -- that the folks wait till tomorrow, when I name the person."
Powell served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Bush, and for a short time under President Clinton. He is the first African-American to hold that position.
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