I can see the headlines and hear the commentary:
White House Staff Leaves Sinking Obama Ship Like Rats
The latest announced departure will be President Obama’s political guru David Axelrod. He will follow or join names as in Romer, Summers, Jones, Emmanuel, and a host of lesser characters.
In Axelrod’s case, it is not because he is a deserter. He will run Obama’s reelection campaign out of Chicago. Rahn Emmanuel, the chief of staff, likely will run for mayor of the city with broad shoulders and crooked politicians.
Not since the Nixon administration have I paid much heed to the inner sanctums of White House staffs. They come and go. It’s part of the job. Most are loyal to a fault and a few write “tell all” books with the smell of money to enhance their new careers
But I guarantee you some lazy media types will construe this as a mass exodus of a failed administration. About the closest we will ever know how the White House staff works is seen by reruns of the TV series “West Wing.” Conversely, fact can be stranger than fiction.
Sometimes those that quit or sacked result in better appointments. George Bush was served better by canning Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and hiring Robert Gates.
Also filling space and killing time is the second stage of these departures. Who will replace them? And, stage three: How will the replacement team serve the president better or worse as if it is some kind of marriage consummated in hell.
The thing is, White House staffs play a small part to make or break a presidency, but in the end, it is the president himself holding the bag.
As it stands now, Obama could appoint John Boehner chief of staff and Michele Bachmann as political adviser and he still couldn’t get dog catcher nominated for a federal job.
Cross posted on The Remmers Report
Comments are welcome. Link to my blogsite or go to my email address at [email protected] . Remmers’ varied career spans 26 years in the newspaper business. Read a more thorough resume on The Remmers Report.
Jerry Remmers worked 26 years in the newspaper business. His last 23 years was with the Evening Tribune in San Diego where assignments included reporter, assistant city editor, county and politics editor.