White House staff changes continue
Press secretary announces his resignation and Karl Rove gives up some of his responsibilities.
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan Wednesday announced his resignation and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove relinquished part of his portfolio as the shakeup continued at the highest levels of the White House.
President Bush announced that OMB Deputy Director Joel Kaplan will serve as deputy chief of staff for policy, with Rove ceding his control over the policy development process while maintaining his purview over political matters. Kaplan, Rove and Joe Hagin all now serve as deputy chiefs of staff, at least for now.
"The White House is going through a period of transition," McClellan said during a brief appearance with Bush on the White House South Lawn. "Change can be helpful, and this is a good time and good position to help bring about change," McClellan said, adding, "I am ready to move on." Bush thanked McClellan for a "job well done."
The departure of McClellan and the diminution of Rove's responsibilities are a clear signal that newly installed White House Chief of Staff Bolten is unmistakably in charge. Rove and McClellan are both part of the tightly knit group of Texans who first accompanied Bush to Washington; it was never clear to outsiders just how subordinate Rove was to former Chief of Staff Andrew Card.
Kaplan will now work to revise a policy process that failed to move Bush's top two second-term domestic priorities: Social Security overhaul and tax reform. Rove's new assignment will free him -- assuming he remains at the White House -- to focus his energies on maintaining Republican control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections, which is viewed as vital to Bush's agenda.
Speaking to reporters later aboard Air Force One, McClellan said Rove would continue to be involved in policy on a "strategic" level, while Kaplan would "focus on the day-to-day management of the policy process." Kaplan's departure also allows incoming OMB Director Portman to choose his own top deputy.
Sources said Wednesday the White House has had conversations with Tony Snow of Fox News about replacing McClellan. One source indicated that Snow, on his Fox news radio show, said it was an "honor" to be talked about in the media as a possible replacement for McClellan.
Another top prospect, sources said, is former Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke. Some speculation also centered on former White House Deputy Press Secretary Trent Duffy and Dan Senor, who served as spokesman for the U.S-led Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority.
McClellan traveled with Bush Wednesday to Tuskegee, Ala. -- as did Rove -- and it appeared McClellan would stay on until his replacement is installed. He started as press secretary in July 2003. Kaplan has served as OMB deputy director since 2003.