Andy Card Resigns, Josh Bolten Takes His Place
Dan Froomkin has a great column today on Andy Card's resignation.
In most White Houses, the chief of staff is a godlike figure, putting his stamp on the presidency in almost every conceivable way. But in the Bush White House, political guru Karl Rove and Vice President Cheney loom much larger and have way more to do with what the president says and does than Card ever did. As long as they stay put, the rest may largely be window dressing.
As for Bolten, he writes:
Replacing Card with Joshua B. Bolten does not in any way satisfy the demands of those who were calling for new blood at the White House. Bolten was policy director of the 2000 Bush-Cheney presidential campaign and has been a top Bush aide since January 2001. He was Card's deputy chief of staff before taking his current job as director of the White House's budget office.
Who is Bolten?
Among Bolten's major achievements as deputy chief of staff: "He had a leading hand in drawing up Bush's economic proposals and plans for the new Department of Homeland Security."
His nomination at the time was hailed by conservatives, who saw him as a true believer.
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