WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush nominated national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, one of his closest confidants, to replace departing Secretary of State Colin Powell.
"The secretary of state is America's face to the world, and in Dr. Rice, the world will see the strength, the grace and the decency of our country," Bush said with Rice at his side in the White House.
The president also announced that Rice's deputy, Stephen Hadley, would replace her as national security adviser, a post which, unlike secretary of state, does not require confirmation by the US Senate.
"Steve is a man of wisdom and good judgment. He has earned my trust. And I look forward to his continued vital service on my national security team," Bush said in prepared remarks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.
Listing US diplomatic priorities for his second four-year term, Bush said Rice would prosecute the global war on terrorism, pursue efforts to end the Arab-Israel conflict and help spread democracy across the Middle East.
"During the last four years, I've relied on her counsel, benefitted from her great experience and appreciated her sound and steady judgment. And now I'm honored that she has agreed to serve in my cabinet," he said.
He omitted any mention of repairing trans-Atlantic relations frayed by the March 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, a task he had cited as a top goal just last week when he said the first overseas trip of his new term would be to Europe.
Both the president and Rice paid tribute to Powell, who announced on Monday that he was leaving after submitting his resignation letter on Friday. Powell was absent from the brief ceremony.
"He has been one of the most effective and admired diplomats in America's history," Bush said of Powell, who was frequently on the defensive in the face of more hawkish policymakers on key issues like North Korea and Iraq.
Powell "has helped to rally the world in a global war. He's helped to revolve dangerous regional conflicts. He has been tireless and selfless and principled, and our entire nation is grateful for his lifetime of service," said Bush.
"It is humbling to imagine succeeding my dear friend and mentor, Colin Powell," said Rice. "Colin Powell has been a great and inspirational secretary of state. It was my honor to serve alongside him, and he will be missed."
If her nomination is confirmed by the Senate, Rice, 50, would become only the second woman to hold the top cabinet post, after Madeleine Albright, Powell's predecessor.
Bush's Republicans have 55 Senate seats to the opposition Democrats' 44 seats -- plus one independent who often votes with them -- but Rice may face tough questioning on the failure to find the weapons of mass destruction cited to justify the war in Iraq and on the failure to thwart the September 11 attacks.
By tapping one of his closest confidants for the State Department, Bush is proceeding with a post-election overhaul that would seem calculated to boost his personal control over key agencies.
Rice's nomination came after Bush moved to replace Attorney General John Ashcroft with the president's official government lawyer, Alberto Gonzales, who also served as his legal adviser when Bush was governor of Texas.
Bush also successfully replaced former CIA director George Tenet with Republican Representative Porter Goss, whose plans to shake up the agency have sparked seething discontent and uncertainty among its staffers.
Goss on Monday announced the resignation of the two top leaders of the CIA's clandestine service, who were widely reported to have quit to protest heavy-handed treatment of their branch by Goss chief of staff Patrick Murray.
Critics charge Goss has launched a purge at the Central Intelligence Agency, which Iraq war supporters first accused of underestimating the threat posed by Iraq before the March 2003 invasion and then blamed for exaggerating weapons of mass destruction intelligence after such arms were not found.
Asked about talk of a CIA purge, White House spokesman Scott McClellan rejected the idea, saying that "anytime there's a change in leadership, naturally you're going to expect that there will be other changes made."

11/16/2004 - 18:58 GMT - AFP