Secretary of State Colin Powell is somewhat reminiscent of America’s first secretary of state, Thomas Jefferson. Like Jefferson, Powell is a man of the people. And, like Jefferson, he is at odds with his president. It is of note that Jefferson did not stay on in President George Washington’s second term.

The analogy, of course, is limited to a few elements. Jefferson and Powell were among the most esteemed men in the nation before taking office as secretary of state. Both men adhered to views counter to those of the presidents they served.

The essence of the analogy is to examine what happens when two highly respected, even great, men diverge from the path of the president who appointed them. This is not a simple matter of the normal comings and goings of Cabinet secretaries. That happens in every presidential administration. What is unusual is that Colin Powell entered into office more popular than the president who appointed him. The same could not be said of Thomas Jefferson when compared with George Washington, but Jefferson was clearly regarded as second to none after the president. Even Vice President John Adams and Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton were not held in comparable public esteem.

What can be predicted for Powell from Jefferson’s experience? Jefferson left the Cabinet, formed a political party the Democratic-Republicans to compete with the Washington-Adams-Alexander Federalists. He waited out Washington’s re-election, then ran against Adams for the presidency in 1796. Coming in second, he became Adams’ vice president, a recurrence that was prevented by passage of the 12th Amendment. In 1800, he ran again and won, making Adams the nation’s first one-term president.

Colin Powell has been continually urged to seek the presidency, but under notable pressure from his wife, he has so far declined, but not in Shermanesque terms. In 1884, Gen. William T. Sherman declined similar offers, saying, “If nominated I will not run; if elected I will not serve.”

Meanwhile, Powell has made his political views clear. He is pro-choice. He is the Cabinet’s foreign policy soft-liner to the point of being dubbed the “Lonesome Dove.” And, he is a staunch advocate of a variety of social programs that aid minorities and the poor.

Yet, despite his differences with the administration, he appears to be insulated by popularity, making him the first “tenured” Cabinet secretary since 1868 when President Andrew Johnson faced impeachment over his attempted firing of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton in defiance of the Tenure of Office Act.

But, Powell could conclude that his differences with the president are so significant that he will feel honor-bound to resign. Conversely, he may conclude that he can accomplish more by remaining, hoping to stem the tide of a vision that he does not share.

Either way, duty more than ambition may finally motivate Powell, like Thomas Jefferson, to seek the highest office himself. Or, he may find he has more in common with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the undisputed leader of the Republican moderates. In that scenario, a McCain-Powell ticket might be possible, or Powell might simply choose to support McCain and thereafter join a McCain Cabinet. It is even possible that Powell may decide to bolt altogether and join the Democrats. Whatever he chooses, we assume he is rereading Jeffersonian history.