The Rittenhouse Review

A Philadelphia Journal of Politics, Finance, Ethics, and Culture


Tuesday, March 28, 2006  

EXPRESSING THAT ABHORRENT PHRASE
Actions of the Lowest Order

The first thing that came to mind after hearing that White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. had resigned (see, among other items, "Andrew Card Resigns as White House Chief of Staff," by Peter Baker and Debbi Wilgoren of the Washington Post) was -- and let's all cringe together -- "That's an inside the beltway story."

And really, fundamentally, it is just that.

What has changed, other than the name on the doorplate? What will change? I'm having trouble seeing what that might be. This is no "shake-up." This is public -- actually, media -- relations of the lowest order.

Anyone paying attention can see that the bigger story today can be found here: "Fed Boosts Interest Rate to 4.75 Percent," by Nell Henderson.

We just can't have that jobless recovery getting out of control, can we?

[Post-publication addendum (March 29): The editors of the New York Times, addressing Card's departure, put it nicely today in "Not Quite What We Had in Mind": "If this is what passes for a shake-up in this administration, the next two and a half years are going to be grim indeed. This is a meaningless change, and it simply sends the message that Mr. Bush lacks the gumption to trade in anyone in the comforting, friendly cast of characters who have kept him cocooned since his first inauguration."]

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