It's been quiet on the cabinet reshuffle front, and I'm sure the Bushies are anxiously awaiting who gets tapped next to go to the front of the line. Time for an update.
Bush today nominated Carlos Gutierrez, CEO of Kellogg, to replace Donald Evans as Commerce Secretary. This time, there are no obvious White House connections, so I won't go crying cronyism over this one. But that's not to say there aren't any connections at all. Gutierrez, who arrived as a refugee from Cuba in 1960, is an active donor to anti-Castro causes, obviously something near and dear to the president and his brother. Clearly, the sanctions won't be going anywhere soon if he is confirmed.
The changes being reported for the economics team show that we haven't seen the last of overt cronyism, however. First, the vacancies. The Washington Post says that yet another cabinet member should start packing his bags now:
One senior administration official said Treasury Secretary John W. Snow can stay as long as he wants, provided it is not very long. He might stay as long as six months into the term, officials said.
Oh, and the likely name floated to replace him? None other than WH Chief of Staff Andy Card. Score one for the cronies! But where one crony wins, another loses, in this case chief economic advisor Stephen Friedman. As the Post reports, "Friends said Friedman announced last week that he was leaving because it became clear to him that he would not be named Treasury secretary." Pass a tissue.
But, I hear you ask, who will replace Friedman? Again, the Post sorts through the cronies for us
A possible replacement for Friedman is Tim Adams, who was policy director of the reelection campaign and was chief of staff to Snow and his predecessor, Paul H. O'Neill. But officials said Adams is more likely to become the deputy chief of staff for policy -- a job that came open when Harriet Miers, who currently holds the job, was named White House counsel.
Another possible Friedman replacement is Samuel W. Bodman, the deputy Treasury secretary, who has indicated he wants to leave that job. Adams could also succeed Bodman, officials said.
You can be sure there is more to come . . .
Please visit our earlier installments, Cronies Ascendant I, II and III.
And any speculation on who would replace Card? The word here in MA is that because Romney's slate of legislative candidates bombed, he might not run again in 08 and Card would return as the knight to save the Massachusetts Republican Party.
Posted by: Dominick | December 01, 2004 at 10:00 AM