Ashcroft's rumored departure is atop Cabinet shakeup list

Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfeld also might leave.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
WASHINGTON -- Speculation swirled about Washington on Thursday over the future makeup of President Bush's Cabinet, with reports indicating Attorney General John Ashcroft is likely to leave the administration soon.
Secretary of State Colin Powell is another high-profile Cabinet official who, observers have speculated, may leave following years of reports of his being marginalized by others in the administration.
Senior Justice Department aides said Thursday that Ashcroft, whose tenure has been controversial at times, will probably leave before Bush's second inauguration, The Associated Press and CNN reported.
Lightning rod
Ashcroft, 62, has been at the center of the war on terror where he also been a lightning rod for criticism that his policies have encroached on civil liberties, particularly those of detained or accused Muslim immigrants.
His aides said Ashcroft has been worn down by the job. Earlier this year he was hospitalized and his gall bladder was removed.
If Ashcroft does leave, observers believe former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson could be in line to succeed him. If Bush chose Thompson, who left the administration in 2003, he would become the first black to serve as attorney general.
Should Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, 72, decide to exit, observers speculate that Condoleezza Rice, Bush's national security adviser, could become the first woman and black to be defense secretary.