by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright March 29, 2006
All Rights Reserved.

ccepting the resignation of his chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., President George W. Bush began what amounts to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Card served Bush for over five years, during which time Bush watched his post-Sept. 11 approval ratings skyrocket to nearly 70%, only to watch them plummet to the mid-thirties. Choosing Card's replacement, 51-year-old Budget Director Joshua B. Bolton, signals that Bush plans to go down with the ship, picking a loyal insider over cleaning house. While the Princeton and Stanford Law graduate has all the right credentials, he lacks the new paradigm needed to turn around the White House's current tailspin. “They still need men and women of stature and gravitas in a number of slots there in the White House. They need to bring in some experienced hands to get a handle on things,” said former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), concerned about Bush's low approval ratings on midyear elections.

      When House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) was forced to resign due to criminal indictments, the White House lost a valuable ally on the Hill. DeLay's resignation derailed Bush's legislative agenda, creating the lamest of lame ducks. Bush tried to close ranks on Iraq, where spiraling violence and growing impatience has taken its toll on his approval ratings. Hiring Bolten gives Bush security but doesn't reassure congressional Republicans that the White House plans to turn a new leaf, changing policies that have dug Bush into a deep hole. “Josh is a good guy—just not what this White House needs. They need a renovation, not just a new front door,” said a former Reagan staffer, who spoke anonymously, because he still consults with the administration. While Card resigned apparently without pressure, the White House has taken a PR beating in recent months.

      Card was the model of duty and loyalty, in at dawn and out when the president retires in the early evenings. Before serving “W,” Card worked for Bush's father as chief of staff from 1988 to 1992. With all the bad news, Bush picked Bolten with hopes of mending fences with Congress, no longer on the same page with Iraq and Bush's domestic agenda. While Bolten has dealt with the Hill in his capacity as Budget Director, he still faces problems over Bush's liberal immigration policy. Bush favors a flexible guest workers' program, while GOP congressmen seek tougher immigration laws. Bolton has worked for either Bush 11 out of the past 18 years, leaving it unlikely he'll challenge Bush's foreign or domestic policy. “He's very loyal, something this administration values,” said G. William Hoagland, budget advisor to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.).

      Picking Bolten was a safe play for Bush, unwilling to admit defeat in both foreign and domestic policy. Bush's Iraq policy has played havoc with the budget, forced to beg the House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Budget Committee for more and more tax dollars to fund the war. Bush believes Bolten's policy experience helps convince legislators to support his foreign and domestic policy agenda, including fighting the war on terror and passing permanent tax cuts. “Josh is a creative policy thinker. He's an expert on the budget and our economy. He's respected by members of Congress from both parties. He's a strong advocate for effective accountable management in the federal budget, “ said Bush, touting his new chief of staff. There's no magic bullet to winning over Congress when 65% of the public believes the White House mismanages domestic and foreign policy.

      As a senior policy advisor to the president, Bolten was responsible for the aborted plan to overhaul Social Security, allowing beneficiaries to invest a portion of payroll taxes into the stock market. After Bolten left Bush-41's White House as a general counsel to the U.S. Trade Representative, he took a lucrative job in London with Goldman Sachs International, bolstering credentials as an economic whiz. He became a real advocate of investment banking, playing a crucial policy role in Bush's economic plan, including his controversial tax cuts. After Sept. 11, Bolten worked on domestic security issues, eventually replacing Mitch Daniels as director of the Office of Management and Budget. Bolten was heavily involved with Card in aborted Medicare reform, the Katrina debacle, and failed pick of White House counsel Harriet Miers to replace Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

      Picking Bolten signals that Bush has no intention of changing course in the remaining three years of his term. Bolten, like Card, offers no fresh ideas or ability to challenge the president on key domestic and foreign policy issues. “They need people who can give the president honest appraisals, and not just the same group that has gotten him into trouble in the second term,” said an unnamed White House advisor. Like former presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon during the height of the Vietnam War, the White House has developed a bunker mentality when it comes to Iraq. Bush doesn't want to hear the bad news, only self-fulfilling prophecies about “victory.” Bolten promises to insulate Bush from reality and give him more bad advice about domestic and foreign policy. While Bush hopes Bolten will get him more bang out Congress, it's just more wishful thinking.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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