Five days earlier, on Nov. 10, Colin Powell was reflecting about the future of U.S. diplomacy in his State Department office. Bush had just been re-elected. Powell himself remained a very popular figure--in fact, more so than the president or any members of his cabinet.
There were even a few bright spots. There was some hope of a breakthrough in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Iraqis would soon enjoy their first democratic elections, raising the possibility of a better future. Most of all, Donald Rumsfeld was rumored to be on his way out. Then, the phone rang. "The president would like to make a change," said White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card. The President requested Powell's resignation letter by Friday.
Powell and his chief of staff, Lawrence Wilkerson, spent the following days at CIA headquarters trying to build a convincing case that Iraq had nuclear, biological and chemical military programs.
Powell knew that his integrity was at stake. Others did not seem to care much about that. "You've got high poll ratings; you can afford to lose a few points," Cheney told him before the speech.
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=364568
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