WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush has chosen national security adviser Condoleezza Rice to replace Colin Powell as secretary of state in his second term, a senior administration official said Monday.

Powell said earlier Monday that he won't serve a second term. The retired four-star general often clashed with more hawkish members of the administration on Iraq and other foreign policy issues.

The Army man for 35 years said he would stay on "for a number of weeks, or a month or two" until his replacement was confirmed by the Senate.

The unidentified official said Rice would be replaced by Stephen Hadley, deputy national security adviser.

The White House on Monday also announced the resignations of Education Secretary Rod Paige, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. Veneman had said last week she wanted to stay.

That brings the number of Cabinet chiefs leaving to six out of a total of 15 in what's shaping up as a major second-term shakeup. Bush's second term begins with his inaguration Jan. 20.

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Powell's Life: A Summary
Background: Abraham | Veneman | Paige
Bush Statements: Ashcroft | Evans
Images: The Bush Cabinet
Interactive: Bush's Agenda For 2nd Term

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In announcing his resignation, Powell said he's been pleased with his job, but it's simply time for him to step down.

Speaking to reporters Monday at the State Department, Powell said he would be working hard until the very, very end. He will go about his usual schedule, which included a meeting Monday with the Israeli Foreign Minister. He also will attend a multinational conference on Iraq next week.

He said he and the president came to a "mutual agreement" that it was time for him to resign. Powell said this was always part of the plan, that he always intended to serve a single term.

In his letter of resignation, Powell said he is "pleased" to be part of the team that fought terrorism and liberated Afghanistan and Iraq.

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Powell Resigns, Thanks Bush For Opportunity

In a letter to Bush dated Friday, Powell said merely that it's time for him to return to private life.

Powell's departure was long expected after four tumultuous years in which he was often at odds with administration hawks. U.N. Ambassador John Danforth has been mentioned as a possible successor along with Rice.

For months, Powell had been noncommittal about his plans for a second Bush term.

Abraham is widely credited for his work to protect nuclear materials, especially in Russia. He managed to convince the White House to spend more money on atomic security in the former Soviet Union.

But Abraham wasn't as persuasive when it came to the administration's overall energy plan. The proposal from Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force didn't make it through Congress.

On Abraham's watch, gas prices leaped above $2 a gallon and oil topped $50 a barrel. Even so, Abraham resisted calls to use the nation's oil reserves.

Paige was the first black secretary of education. As he leaves office, he's being defined by a single phrase: No Child Left Behind. The sweeping accountability law was the centerpiece of Bush's domestic agenda and was passed and implemented during Paige's tenure. The law attempts to hold schools to specific standards.

Paige drew fire earlier this year when he called the National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers union, "a terrorist organization" because the union had been highly critical of the No Child Left Behind law. He later apologized for the comment.

Meanwhile, Veneman, the nation's first female agriculture secretary, weathered the first case of mad cow disease in the nation's history. The case was reported in December 2003, and since then, Veneman oversaw the implementation of new screening methods to prevent further cases.

Attorney General John Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Don Evans quit soon after the president's re-election. Bush has yet to name a replacement for Evans. Last week, Bush picked White House counsel Alberto Gonzales to take Ashcroft's place.

World Leaders Praise Powell

World leaders who have openly disagreed about the Bush administration are nearly unanimous in their praise of Powell.

His British counterpart said Powell was both a great soldier and a great statesman. An official at the United Nations said Powell looked at problems from many sides at once.

Nations that disagreed with the United States on Iraq said they're sorry that Powell is leaving. Germany's defense minister is expressing regret about Powell's resignation but said he respects his decision. In France, the head of one think tank said they always believed that Powell was a moderate and was forced to do things with which he didn't agree.

In the Middle East, one analyst said folks there will always remember that Powell visited Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat when he was confined to his compound in Ramallah.

Powell To Be Remembered For 2003 U.N. Appearance

In nearly four years at the State Department, Powell has had to cope with divisions abroad and, apparently, some within the Bush administration.

He reportedly differed with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on some big issues over the past four years.

Back in February 2003, Powell made a forceful presentation to the U.N. Security Council, demanding action against Iraq. He said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, though no evidence has surfaced to back that up.

Powell had a 35-year career as a soldier, rising to the rank of four-star general. His last post, from October 1989 to September 1993, was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In that position, he oversaw the U.S. military during the first Gulf War.

He was raised in New York City's South Bronx and later graduated from City College of New York.

Between his military service and time at the State Department, he wrote a best-selling autobiography and led a nonprofit group called America's Promise -- The Alliance for Youth. He was also frequently mentioned as a possible presidential candidate.