Negroponte to State: What's Going On?

The official explanation is completely disingenuous:

Mr. Negroponte previously served as ambassador to the United Nations and to Iraq, and administration officials say Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had been trying to recruit him to bring more Iraq expertise to her office.

Mr. Negroponte’s move to the State Department has been rumored for months. [ed. note: I haven't heard a peep] Ms. Rice was pushing to bring Mr. Negroponte in as her deputy, and officials in Washington speculated that the career diplomat might be more comfortable returning to the State Department.

Can you imagine George Tenet leaving the CIA to be Powell's deputy? Can you imagine Rumsfeld leaving the Pentagon to be Rice's deputy? If Rice had suggested to Negroponte that he be her deputy he would have looked at her like she had two heads and told her to ream herself.
So far I have come up with two scenarios that might explain this entirely unprecedented development. They are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

Scenario One: Condi Rice cannot handle her position as Secretary of State but there is no position to move her to. It would be too big of a blow for Bush to fire her but he cannot get rid of her by retasking her. Negroponte is being brought in to run the State Department, while Rice will remain a figurehead. After a period of time Rice may take a job in the private sector citing burnout or ill-health or something. Negroponte has been assured that he will take over the top spot at some not too distant point in the future, or has been satisfied that he will be in the principles meetings and this is just for show.

Scenario Two: This is another part of a Poppy Bush coup. First they forced Porter Goss out of the CIA, then they moved Robert Gates into the Pentagon, now they move Negroponte into the State Department and put former NSA chief (under Poppy Bush and Clinton) J. Michael McConnel in as Director of National Intelligence. Poppy's people know that Rice is untouchable, but they will use their old-hand Negroponte to control State and reassure our Sunni allies.
Why are they selling this as something that Rice wanted? Because it clearly indicates that she is unable to do her job and it undermines her authority. They are trying to blunt that perception by making it look like it is her idea.
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2007/1/4/05659/07968