The Contemporary Presidency: The Bush White House: First Appraisals

Abstract

When disputed election of 2000 ended with Supreme Court's decision on December 12, it effectively shortened presidential transition to less than fifty days and complicated incoming administration's personnel problems. Chief among George W. Bush's immediate hiring decisions was choice of senior White House staff, those advisers with whom he would have most day-to-day contact. Selecting an ideal White House staff is confounded by a host of factors: satisfying president-elect's personal preferences, honoring political obligations, finding experts with appropriate ideological hue, and achieving diversity goals. While these were Bush's initial goals, terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, required instant adjustments that resulted in structural, procedural, and staff changes. This article examines Bush's first crack at assembling his White House and assesses its early performance as well as staff and structural changes made in wake of terrorist attacks. In an effort to gain perspective on Bush record, we compare his staff to initial staffs of his three immediate predecessors--Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan. More specifically, we examine appointments to Executive Office of President (EOP), including such senior staff members as national security adviser and director of Office of Management and Budget. The conventional wisdom was that President Bush hired an older, wiser set of advisers than President Clinton, who had rewarded the kids--hard-working, youthful campaign staffers (Stephanopoulos 1999, 148; Houston 1993, 22). Furthermore, while Clinton worked hard to assemble a team that looked like America, Bush hired establishment Republicans, particularly those with a conservative bent. However, staff biographies published in National Journal reveal remarkable similarity between two administrations. (1) Adding Presidents George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan into comparison provides a long-term look at presidents' initial staffing, revealing additional similarities as well as important differences. This article identifies unique features of President Bush's staffing organization as well as recent additions. Part two will discuss presidents' first attempts to staff White House from 1981 through 2001 and demonstrates key demographic characteristics and concludes with an evaluative discussion of Bush operation. Inaugural Innovations Although President Bush's staff possessed qualities similar to those of his predecessors, he imposed his own ideas about running a White House by making structural changes within EOP, reflecting his administration's priorities, goals, and general approach to governing. He began his term by adding two new units: Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI) and Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI). He bolstered Office of Vice President, and his cabinet was given both standard and untraditional functions (Nakashima and Milbank 2001, A1). The events of September 11, 2001, additionally imposed various structural and procedural changes that affected cabinet and White House staff Each innovation represented a break with Clinton presidency, although in some cases, there were roots in prior administrations. The OSI, led by Bush confidant Karl Rove, was designed to think ahead and devise long-term political strategy. is an effort to solve problem that consistently dogs White House staffs: pressure to respond to unexpected events and to react to daily news cycles, which causes presidential advisers to lose sight of big picture (Milbank 2001a, A1). The equivalent during Reagan administration could have been Office of Planning and Evaluation, led by Richard Beal, a colleague of pollster Richard Wirthlin. It is hardly unusual for presidents to create offices designed to ensure their political longevity. …