Don Evans To Save The Day?
Picture it. After New Hampshire. 2000. A frontrunning candidate gets his gourd handed to him by a "maverick" Sen. from Arizona. He looks at the triumverate -- Karl, Joe, Karen -- and decides he needs to right the ship. So he elevates longtime friend and finance chair Don Evans to be the first among equals. The candidate rolls on through South Carolina and wins the nomination.
If there is turnover in the White House, and if President Bush decides that he needs a trusted enforcer with credibility to get his administration back on track, insiders believe that Evans could be his first choice. In fact, Evans was seen entering the White House in the quiet of a late afternoon last week, and he's has already consulted with top Republican officials on potential damage control.
Evans departure from the administration in late 2004 was voluntarily; his family desperately wanted more time with him. But he's in Washington frequently as pres. of the Financial Services Forum. Evans is beloved by long-time Bushies in the White House, he is respected by Democrats and Republicans on the Hill, and even he maintains solid relations with the media.
If indictments push Rove or Libby out of the White House, and if CoS Andy Card either leaves or replaces John Snow at Treasury, another potential addition to the WH staff (culled from a variety of sources) are ex-RNC chair/nominee sherpa Ed Gillespie, though he has told friends he would not want the job. RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman will probably stay at the committee in part because Republicans believe his most effective influence on the Bush legacy will be a muscular GOP field and political operation in 2006 and 2008.
USTR/Ex-Rep. Rob Portman would be another top candidate. Bush trusts him, and he has solid relationships with most of the key power centers in Washington.
Other names mentioned as potential senior staff replacements: Karen Hughes, Marc Racicot, Clay Johnson, Josh Bolten, Maria Cino, Jim Dyke, Joe Hagin, Terry Nelson, Mark Wallace, Jack Oliver [MARC AMBINDER]
That's a long list of cronies, but, it's what they do. Marc Racicot would be a stretch. Hard to walk away from his new position as CEO at the American Insurance Association, part of the K Street Solution. And $1.5 mill a year. Politics doesn't always pay in the long haul. Private section is sometimes safer. The Repubs' moment in the sun is just about finished.
Happy Fitzmas to all!!
I agree. I can see Karen and Ken running back to help, but I expect some (most?) of the others are glad to be free and clear of the scandal. Stepping back into the muck and muddle of this White House seems to be the last thing they would want to do -- far better to avoid any harm to future prospects from the stench of dead duck.