It looks as though the White House staff shake up that wasn’t going to happen, is happening. Andy Card is out as Chief of Staff.
White House chief of staff Andy Card has resigned and will be replaced by budget director Josh Bolten, an administration official said Tuesday.
President Bush was expected to announce the shake up during a meeting with reporters with reporters later Tuesday morning in the Oval Office of the White House.
The move comes amid a sharp decline in Bush’s approval ratings and calls from Republicans for the president to bring in new aides with fresh ideas and new energy.
Since Bolten has done such a bang up job as budget director, I believe it’s probably safe for all of us to put bags over our heads and pretend that the next three aren’t happening. Think of puppies and kittens. It’s better that way
[Update] Alohaleezy also has a diary on the Card resignation which includes a poll. Also, have a look at this story to get some idea (as if you needed it) of the dishonesty of the budgets produced under Bolten.
I don’t think Josh Bolton is the seasoned “senior adviser” the old-line conservatives were hoping for. Bush has promoted another crony from within, another ego-stroker to stand between him and reality.
Good point. The idea of a shake up is usually to flush out the inept conies, not promote them.
Loved this comment:
The idea of a shake up is usually to flush out the inept conies, not promote them.
This is true is you live, work, or study in a reality based world. Or if you have just a modicum of native common sense.
Bush did go to Harvard Business School. Probably heard something mentioned about that there Peter Principle
Most likely Bush was in a chemically induced state most of the time, so he only got the FIRST part which states that successful members of a hierarchical organization are eventually promoted to their highest level of competence. And since the boy kings has only failed UPWARD in his own life, he never really heard or paid attention to the conditional clause that follows:
after which further promotion raises them to a level at which they are not competent.
At least this is tangible evidence of Bush’s uncertainty. Nobody really resigns, their previously signed resignations are simply pulled from the file drawer.
I just wrote a diary about this. Maybe you should delete mine, seeing you have front paged this.
Sorry Alohaleezy. I should have checked for a diary. No need to delete.
Gotta like Steve clemons’ take on Card’s resigning
Mom Bush is SPRING CLEANING
I don’t know, of course, but it seems to me that perhaps the emails that Rove gave to Fitzgerald might have led higher than Cheney’s office, indicating that Bush or his “people” were in the loop. If such were the case, it would seem that Bush would be reasonably expected to know what was happening — unless, as with Reagan on some issues, his staffers decided he didn’t need to..
Logically, then, Fitzgerald would start looking higher, possibly after making some sort of deal with Rove (or not, except I can’t see Rove turning otherwise) and blood pressures would go up in the Oval Office back rooms and possibly the office itself.
In response, Card might resign, to take the heat off Bush himself (and I saw somewhere that he’s actually been longer in the CoS position than most, so he may well be very tired of dealing with it) and, if he’s indicted, stall the issue until after the mid-Terms and then fall on his sword – possibly right next to Scooter Libby who would be playing the same role in the lower office.
The criminal acts are white-collar issues which do not involve pharmaceuticals or Democrats having sex, so Card and Libby will do at most a few weeks or months at Club Fed somewhere with their financial needs doubtless taken care of by Bushco loyalists or prospective/future employers.
Sometime in 07, maybe early 08, they could both be declared “rehabilitated” and eased back into nice comfy slots in the K Street Revolving Door.
Okay, they’d be convicted felons, but so what? They’re bureaucrats, not elected officials — nobody’ll notice. In recent GOP administrations, that’s kind of a union card for front-line staffers. It’d also be possible that Bush would pardon them at some time… and in the meantime, Bush/Rove and Cheney got off the hook, Card and Libby are much more employable since it’s proven they’ll take one for the team, and everyone goes home happy and healthy and well-paid.
Until Abu Gonzales invokes one of the secret laws to indict Fitzgerald. (Note to DHS/NSA: I don’t have any idea whether there IS anything in the secret laws which would permit this and as I have no actual ties to the case, I have no way of determining whether there IS such a law… but it’d make sense, no? “Make an example of him” historically has been one of the US Government’s favorite tactics when dealing with rebels, dissidents, opposition of any sort, and Bushco has raised it to an art form.)
This is one busy Tuesday. Truthout.org has this piece by Leopold this AM.
Fitzgerald Will Seek New White House Indictments
Hadley, Rove or both!!!!
From your (and their) lips to the Flying Spaghetti Monster’s . . . um, auditory phalanges. Or whatever. The more indictments we can get and the faster they come, the happier I’ll be — especially if they show up in time to affect the midterms.
It may be wishful thinking, but I am hoping that Repubcorp™ is finally starting to get a different answer to the question, “Who are you going to believe, me or your own lying eyes?”
May Fitz be touched by His Noodly Appendage
How interesting!
Before I saw your posting, I was over at the WaPo reading about the press conference announcing the transition, at which Card commented:
“Ecclesiastes reminds us that there are different seasons,” he said. “There is a new season.”
Now is it just me, or does this seasonal reference remind you of the “Aspen turning” comments?
New Theme Song for the Administration?
Kevin Phillips laments over at Huffpost,, Is it Time to Recall Bush?
Looks like the Aspens are turning. When Fitz rings the bell, many will be quoting more than pages in the Bible.
Though it may be wishful thinking, maybe the press finally covering implicating memos is a sign of a change of season in the media.