Bush to Make Personnel Announcement
WASHINGTON - President Bush, who has been making staff changes at the White House to reinvigoriate his second term, was making another personnel announcement Friday.
Bush's new chief of staff, Joshua Bolten, has made several changes since taking over last month.
Recently, longtime Bush adviser and confidant Karl Rove had the policy-making portion of his portfolio taken away so he could focus on the midterm elections and White House press secretary Scott McClellan announced his resignation. McClellan has been replaced by Fox News commentator Tony Snow.
McClellan's last briefing at the White House was Friday. His last day isn't until next week, but the president is traveling in Florida the first part of the week, meaning that McClellan will be briefing on the road.
Rove was allowed to keep his deputy chief of staff title, but was stripped of day-to-day oversight of policy coordination. That job was given to Joel Kaplan, Bolten's former No. 2 when he was budget director.
Bush also named Rob Portman, a former six-term Republican congressman from Ohio who now serves as U.S. trade representative, to replace Bolten at the head of the Office of Management and Budget.
The vacant job of domestic policy adviser has not yet filled.
Other changes that have been expected included changes in the White House lobbying office run by Candida Wolff and the expected departure of communications chief Nicolle Wallace, whose husband recently moved to New York.
Officials have also done little to discourage speculation that Treasury Secretary John Snow is leaving.
Geez.
Well, I guess Patrick Kennedy is OFF the TV now.