Recasting the West Wing

last updated 8 January 2015

Washington, D.C.

Beset by low approval ratings and criticism that he has lost control of the political agenda, President Bush this week accepted the resignation of White House chief of staff Andy Card. Card will be replaced by budget director Joshua Bolten. "Josh is a creative policy thinker," Bush said. "He is a man of candor and humor and directness. No person is better prepared for this important position." Republicans have been calling on Bush to shake up his staff and bring in new aides with fresh ideas, and many welcomed the news. But Democrats said that Bolten, who has advised Bush since his first presidential campaign, is too much of an insider to make a big difference. Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, dismissed the move as "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic."