Out with the Old, In with the New

The Bush cabinet is undergoing a major shake-up in these weeks following the President's re-election. It's not an unusual circumstance; in fact, it's common for members of a cabinet to make their move to leave for greeener, more peaceful pastures after an arduous four years in the government. And the number who leave increases with the degree of stress under which they work. No one can deny that the years since 9/11 have been stressful for all levels of the national government, but senior administration officials are under constant scrutiny from a somewhat hostile press, a worried public, and a suspicious Congress.

The following is a run-down of resignations and replacements to date:

Colin Powell announced his resignation as Secretary of State on November 15, and the next day, the president nominated national security adviser Condoleezza Rice to take over Powell's position. Condoleezza Rice, if confirmed by the Senate as secretary of state, will cede her job as national security adviser to her deputy, Stephen Handley.

On December 3 President Bush nominated former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik to replace Tom Ridge as Secretary of Homeland Security. Ridge, the first person to fill the post created in the months following the September 11 attacks, resigned November 30.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson resigned December 3. Mark McClellan, the government's Medicare chief and brother of White House press secretary Scott McClellan, is Thompson's likely successor.

Earlier President Bush on November 10 named White House counsel Alberto Gonzales, a Texas confidant and one of the most prominent Hispanics in the administration, to succeed John Ashcroft, the much maligned and controversial Attorney General. As chief national law enforcer, he received severe and on-going criticism from liberal portions of the public and press, primarily regarding his advocacy of the provisions of the Patriot Act.

President Bush will likely allow Treasury Secretary John Snow to choose when and whether he wants to leave the post; analysts expect him to stay on at least temporarily to push domestic issues such as permanent tax cuts. Possible successors include White House chief of staff Andrew Card, and Trade Representative Robert Zoellick.

Department of Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham is stepping down, the White House announced on November 15. Several names have been offered as replacements, particularly Democratic Senator John Breaux of Louisiana and Tony Garza, presently U. S. Ambassador to Mexico.

Along with Abraham, Agricultural Secretary Ann Veneman and Education Secretary Ron Paige announced their resignations on November 15. Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns, a Republican attorney who grew up on an Iowa dairy farm, will replace Veneman and Bush's domestic policy advisor Margaret Spellings will replace Paige.

President Bush nominated Carlos Gutierrez on November 29 to replace Commerce Secretary Donald Evans; Evans resigned November 9 to return to Texas. Gutierrez, a native of Cuba, was chief executive officer of Kellogg Company of Battle Creek, Michigan.

Robert Zoellick, U. S. Trade Representative, is expected to depart, but no candidates stand out to succeed him, although possible successors include Gary Edson, former deputy assistant to the president for international economic affairs, and Grant Aldonas, undersecretary of commerce for international trade. The departures so far all seem to have been considered well in advance, and replacements in most cases have been made almost immediately. In other words, there are no surprises.

While speculation has flowed freely in the national press as to whom will be the next to go, the greatest concern had centered around Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Much of the press assumed he would go, although there were those who figured he would remain in office to complete the tasks he undertook almost immediately on entering office - that of reshaping the military to fit modern necessities, and, then, to waging successful wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Whether the secretary is "scarred by postwar violence and prison scandal in Iraq," or not, he has agreed to stay on at Defense after consulting with the president. And unlike the other positions, no name has been offered by the speculative press to succeed Rumsfeld.

There will be new faces in the president's cabinet, but they will be balanced with some of the old. In any event, it is not unusual to see a moderate makeover in any president's cabinet, and in no way do the changes signify dissatisfaction with the policies and practices of the Bush administration.