Bush shakes up staff
2006-03-28 21:44
Washington - Amid persistent calls for
a White House shake-up and sinking poll numbers, President
George W Bush accepted the resignation of chief of staff
Andrew Card and named administration insider Josh Bolten on
Tuesday to replace him.
Card is the highest ranking official to depart the White
House since the White House came under fire from even
Republicans seeking to revitalise Bush's struggling team.
In the Oval Office, Bush said Card had offered and he had
accepted his resignation.
He will leave the White House on
April 14 and return to private life.
"I have relied on Andy's wise counsel, his calm in crisis,
his absolute integrity and his tireless commitment to public
service," Bush said with Card and Bolten both at his side.
If Card had stayed on until September he would have become
the longest-serving chief of staff, surpassing the record
of Sherman Adams, Dwight Eisenhower's chief of staff for five
years and nine months.
Bush, who prides himself on loyalty and demands the same
from his staff, has resisted pressure to bring in new aides to
re-energise his second term.
Apart from Colin Powell stepping
down as secretary of state and Condoleezza Rice moving from
national security adviser to replace him, turnover at the
highest levels has been minimal.
With job-approval poll ratings for Bush at an all-time low
and Republicans worried about keeping control of the US
Congress in November's elections, some in Bush's party have
called for new blood in the White House staff, including
possibly bringing in an experienced political heavyweight to
spur changes.
Democrats welcomed the move, but doubted it would have much
effect.
"The good news is the administration has finally realised
it needs to change its ways but the problems go far deeper than
one staffer," said New York senator Charles Schumer.
"Simply
rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic ... without a
dramatic change in policy, will not right this ship."
Card, who was the person who notified Bush of the
9/11 attacks, praised the president for his leadership in crisis and
said: "I know I was a staffer and now I look forward to being
your friend."