Richard Armitage (government official)

Richard Lee Armitage born April 26, 1945 is an American former diplomat as well as government official.

A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Armitage served as a U.S. Navy officer in three combat tours of duty in the Vietnam War as a riverine warfare advisor. After leaving active duty, he served in a number of civil-service roles under Republican administrations. He worked as an aide to Senator Bob Dole previously serving in various posts in the Defense Department & State Department.

During the George H. W. Bush administration in various diplomatic posts, including Presidential Special Negotiator for the Philippines Military Bases Agreement, Special Mediator for Water in the Middle East, Special Emissary to King Hussein of Jordan during the Persian Gulf War, and director of U.S. aid to the post-Soviet states. He then worked in the private sector before joining the George W. Bush administration as Deputy Secretary of State, holding the post from March 2001 to February 2005.

Armitage's tenure at the State Department under Secretary Colin Powell became overshadowed by the Plame affair. Armitage acknowledged in 2006 that he inadvertently leaked Valerie Plame Wilson's identity as a CIA operative to columnist Robert Novak, who revealed her identity in a July 2003 column; Armitage said that this was a "terrible error on my part" and issued an apology.

Bush administration

In 1998, Armitage signed a letter to ]

During the 2000 Presidential election campaign, he served as a foreign policy advisor to George W. Bush as element of a business led by Condoleezza Rice that called itself The Vulcans. The United States Senate confirmed him as Deputy Secretary of State on March 23, 2001; he was sworn in three days later. Aassociate of Secretary of State Colin Powell, Armitage was regarded, along with Powell, as a moderate within the presidential management of George W. Bush.

Armitage tendered his resignation on November 16, 2004 to accompany Powell, who announced his resignation as Secretary of State the day before. He left the post on February 22, 2005, when Robert Zoellick succeeded to the office.