Decision ‘08

A New Chief of Staff

White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. announced his resignation this morning after nearly 5-1/2 years as President Bush’s top aide. Bush said Card will be replaced by Joshua B. Bolten, the director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Bush made the announcement in the Oval Office at 8:30 a.m. Card will serve until April 14 to provide a transition period, but the move could presage broader staff changes as Bolten takes over an operation hobbled by political problems heading into a crucial midterm election season.

Indeed, I’ve been quite vocal about my feeling that the President has been the victim of poor political handling, beginning at least with Katrina and perhaps before. Anything that will change the personnel dynamic can only be a good thing at this point…

UDPATE 8:40 a.m.:RedState welcomes it:

Andy Card has served the President well for more than five years. We cannot, however, say that he has served conservatives or the Republican party well. He is, among other things, fingered as the man behind the Harriet Miers nomination that caused a fracture in the base and emboldened conservatives to fight the President. He also deserves some blame for the mishandling of the Dubai Ports Deal.

Rumored for a month, it is about time Mr. Card resigned. We are looking forward to Mr. Bolten’s tenure in the office of White House Chief of Staff. Mr. Bolten has been in the Office of Management and Budget where he has privately been a reasonable voice willing to control spending. We have been disappointed with the budget process as led by the White House, but we understand that Mr. Bolten favors more restraints and executive action to control and cut spending than Mr. Card ever did.

Georgia10 offers this hilarious ‘analysis’ at Daily Kos:

Yet here, what is interesting is that up until last week, the President was stubbornly insisting no shake-up was needed. The fact that Bush, who has steadfastly insisted his staff would remain, has now accepted the resignation of Andy Card proves again that this is a weak President forced to listen to a very, very frightened party threatened with losing its majority status come November.

Like Scooter Libby, the Vice-President’s Chief of Staff who resigned because of the Plame scandal, Andy Card is in the midst of another scandal–warrantless spying. It was Card (along with Gonzales) who went to Ashcroft’s hospital bed in 2004 to get the approval to keep the illegal program alive. I’m sure the pundits will be abuzz with how this staff shake-up may invigorate the President’s second term, but no matter how much new blood Bush brings in, there’s no saving this failed Presidency now.

Yes, the ‘warrantless spying scandal’. That’s really setting the world on fire, isn’t it? How’s that Feingold censure resolution coming, anyway? 3 supporters, still?

Firedoglake is equally reasonable:

Bolten has worked with Bush since his time in Texas — nothing like looking to your circle of cronies first for someone. Wouldn’t want anyone who would irritate the President with pesky truthiness or anything…

Whatever…it’s a good thing these guys aren’t blinded by partisanship.

John Hinderaker is puzzlingly bored:

Andrew Card resigned this morning as President Bush’s Chief of Staff. It’s inherently a thankless position; when is the last time a Chief of Staff was popular among a party’s activists? The Chief of Staff often gets blamed when things go poorly, but, conversely, rarely receives credit when things go well. I doubt that the change will make any difference, except maybe cosmetically, but it may satisfy some of those who have been demanding “change” in the administration.

I strenously disagree…

12 Responses to “A New Chief of Staff”

1 Dennis Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 9:04 am
“Bolten has worked with Bush since his time in Texas — nothing like looking to your circle of cronies first for someone.”

And I’m certain the author was up in arms when Bill Clinton chose his kindergarten classmate as his first chief of staff.

Aside from that, I’m probably a bit closer to Hinderaker’s position. Perhaps Bolten will take on a stronger role and reinvigorate things. I don’t know anything about him, so I can’t judge. But I suspect the fortunes of the Bush presidency will probably be more dependent on things no chief of staff can control, like how Iraq or the economy looks six months to a year from now.
2 peter Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 9:32 am
I’m just waiting for the first pun using Card’s name (shuffling the deck, etc.) –
3 Mark Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 9:40 am
Oh, they’re all over the Daily Kos and Firedoglake posts in the comments - example here…
4 All Things Beautiful Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 10:40 am
The Card Shuffle

The White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card resigns today. I guess the shuffling of the deck and the dropping of the Card as Ed Morrissey puts it, was inevitable.
5 Shawn Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
I read a article AOL had on this earlier today. It speculated that Card might run for Governor or Senator in Massachusetts. Yeah, I’m sure that would go over real well. Could any ex-Bush official run in Massachusetts these days for anything and have a prayer of winning?
6 peter Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 3:55 pm
Colin Powell could win a statewide election in Massachusetts.

Also, Senator Edward Brooke, who was both black and Republican, was a Senator from Massachusetts for many years.
7 Ryan Bonneville Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 5:23 pm
I’m with Hinderaker: yawn. Who cares about the chief of staff? Real life isn’t the West Wing. I want to see the (fantastically less important, in terms of actual power) Vice President switcherooed.
8 Shawn Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 5:40 pm
You think so Peter? Colin Powell versus Ted Kennedy this November. Who do you think wins?
9 peter Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 6:26 pm
I was thinking more of the governor’s race than the Senate race –
10 Shawn Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 8:34 pm
I’m not too sure about that. If Andy Card jumped into the governor’s race right now (screwing up a potentially winning candidacy of Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey), I have this strange vision of John Kerry and Ted Kennedy biovating all over The Bay State, blaming Andy Card for every misfire of the Bush administration. I see Kos and the nutroots funneling crazy amounts of money behind whoever the democrats pick. I see the race becoming Card=Bush, and there’s no way anyone could overcome that in Massachusetts.

I don’t live in Massachusetts, and I don’t have some sort of great knowledge of Massachusetts politics, but that seems like the way it would go.
11 Dennis Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 10:27 pm
Well, if that would drive the Democrats to spend obscene amounts of time and money on Massachusetts of all places, it might not be the worst move for the Republicans to make.
12 Shawn Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 10:39 pm
Well, if Howard Dean is willing to put big bucks into getting Tim Kaine elected for the one-term governership of Virginia, the sky truly is the limit!