NOTE: We’ve moved this up because it’s breaking news. Newer posts are underneath so keep scrolling.
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan announced his resignation this morning. Also apparently Karl Rove’s role is shifting from oversight of policy development to campaigning for the fall elections.
COMMENTS & ANALYSES:
John at AMERICAblog:
“Who cares? Seriously. Bush gets rids of his spokesman? Ooh, big deal. The guy who is ordered to lie for him is going to be replaced by another guy who is ordered to lie for him. And this will significantly change the direction of this disaster of an administration how?
Shakespeare’s Sister: Rove’s Role Changes
In addition to the McClellatron’s resignation, Karl Rove will also step down from his role as White House policy advisor. Unfortunately, it’s only so he can concentrate more on the November elections. Yippee.
John Cole at Balloon Juice:
I have no idea what it all means, if anything, but if nothing else it shuold be fun to technorati rats + sinking + ship to get the predictable responses from one quarter of the blogosphere.
Michelle Malkin: TONY SNOW FOR PRESS SECRETARY?
That’s the buzz. Tune in to Tony’s show starting now.
Ezra Klein: Pick a Deck Chair, Any Deck Chair
So Rove is scaling back his duties to focus on the 2006 congressional elections while McClellan is leaving to spend more time lying to his family. They will be replaced with a sundry assortment of hacks and hanger-ons, in part because there’s no way anybody possessed of integrity or ambition is going to jump on the USS Bush while it capsizes. But on a larger level, none of this matters…
SHAKEUP: Scott McClellan’s departure will mean approximately zero for the course of human history. Perhaps more significant is Karl Rove’s surrender of his title as White House policy coordinator–although this has a whiff of semantics, given that Rove will continue as chief policy aide…
Pam’s House Blend – Buh-bye: Scott-bot out, Rove booted from ‘policy development’
I don’t see how shifting Turdblossom is going to make a bit of difference in the mix, since he’s running the political show no matter what office he’s sitting in. This bit of business is simply smoke and mirrors.
Bush did not immediately name a replacement, but Fox News reported that Tony Snow, a radio host on the network, had been approached, along with Dan Senor, former spokesman for the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq.
Atrios: Who The Hell Is That Stupid?
I think Josh is probably right, that part of the reason there isn’t going to be any “new blood” in the White House is that no one actually wants to join the team. Who’s Next? Frontrunners appear to be: Tony Snow, Baghdad Dan Senor, otherwise known as Mr. Campbell Brown, Jeff Gannon, Ron Silver and Toby Keith
Dana Milbank’s Washington Sketch: Much More Shaking Up to Come
Nobody’s safe at the White House these days, as new chief of staff Josh Bolten swings his axe…
My personal preference would be Stephen Hayes, but then that would mean he’d 1) be too tied to the admin and 2) would mean he wouldn’t have as much time to focus on the Iraq/AQ connections.
WASHINGTON – As expected, Scott McClellan is quitting his job as the human piñata of the press room. Not so expected is new Chief of Staff Josh Bolten’s decision to clip the wings of George Bush’s political alter-ego of 33 years, Karl Rove…