The Bush administration's lead official on Iraq policy has told the White House he plans to leave in the coming weeks, U.S. officials said on Saturday, ahead of Iraq's planned elections. Robert Blackwill had been mentioned in speculation about President George W. Bush's second-term foreign policy team, with some observers pegging him as a possible successor to national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. Blackwill told Rice several weeks ago he would leave soon after the U.S. election, said a White House official who declined to be identified. His departure was first reported by The Washington Post. Blackwill, a former U.S. ambassador to India, was tapped by the White House in August 2003 to be coordinator for strategic planning to Rice and manage the administration's Iraq policy. He was widely credited with reshaping the administration's policy by focusing on ending American control of Iraq and establishing the temporary government. Blackwill was closely involved in selecting the Iraqi interim leadership. --More 0052 Local Time 2152 GMT
