Wednesday, April 19, 2006
McClellan Quits. Rove Shifts. Any Questions?
Well, actually... yes.
As predicted by PTF and just about anyone else who's been following the foibles of the Administration, McClellan's resignation was seen as coming for a long time now. So, given Josh Bolten's "pep talk" to the Administration staff, warning of shake-ups and telling them, ""if you're thinking about leaving sometime in the near future, now would be a good time to do it...," do you think this was Bush's call, or McClellan's?
It is not at all uncommon to go through several people in the position of Press Secretary. The job is incredibly demanding, and I can only imagine how difficult it would be to lie for President Bush day after day after day....
Here's the thing - more often than not, the Press Secretary will try to find a break in the news cycle, or a slow point, to step aside and allow for a smoother transition. Do Bush, McClellan, and the Administration believe this to be a "break in the news cycle?"
But this shift is largely smoke and mirrors, regardless of who made the decision. It doesn't mark a change in the policies of the Administration. It only changes the name of the person who will be sent out to lie about it.
More interesting is the shift of Karl Rove from his responsibilities related to policy within his Deputy Chief of Staff position, moving him to focus more on midterm elections. One might posit that he's been moved back to a position that he does best - rather than helping to shape failed policy, he's back to spreading lies against opponents of Republican opponents, and fixing elections.
So, is the shift with Rove ultimately a promotion or a demotion? Regardless, it keeps Rove out of the bright light of the White House, and places him back into the grassroots of the campaign trail, where he tends to slither better, anyhow.
Tags: Bush, McClellan, Rove, Administration, resignation, Press Secretary, Deputy Chief of Staff
Posted by FleshPresser at 11:44 AM /
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As predicted by PTF and just about anyone else who's been following the foibles of the Administration, McClellan's resignation was seen as coming for a long time now. So, given Josh Bolten's "pep talk" to the Administration staff, warning of shake-ups and telling them, ""if you're thinking about leaving sometime in the near future, now would be a good time to do it...," do you think this was Bush's call, or McClellan's?
More interesting is the shift of Karl Rove from his responsibilities related to policy within his Deputy Chief of Staff position, moving him to focus more on midterm elections. One might posit that he's been moved back to a position that he does best - rather than helping to shape failed policy, he's back to spreading lies against opponents of Republican opponents, and fixing elections.
