Another rat abandons ship - Bush's budget director Rob Portman resigns
posted by
Wally
8:07 AM
Citing "family reasons", yet another Bush official is getting out while the getting is good.In the latest of a string of departures of White House aides, U.S. budget director Rob Portman announced on Tuesday he is stepping down after just over a year on the job.
Portman's departure is among several changes in the White House staff recently. White House counselor Dan Bartlett, a longtime member of Bush's inner circle, plans to leave the administration within the next few weeks and will be replaced by former Republican party chief Ed Gillespie.
White House political director Sara Taylor and deputy national security adviser J.D. Crouch have also left. While Portman had the respect of both Republicans and Democrats alike, his replacement Jim Nussle, who was the Republican Chairman of the House Budget Committee from 2001-2006, isn't held in quite so high regard."The legacy of President Bush and former House Budget Committee Chairman Nussle is one of $3 trillion in new debt and six years of deficit spending," said Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who is a member of the House leadership.
Reuters In addition to his poor policy decisions leading the budget committee, he's seen as a dick. Another Bush nominee from the John Bolton school of statesmanship. Known for his combative style, he pissed off more than a few Democrats, taking pleasure in rolling over them on budget bills in the House. While this type of personality might "be just what President Bush desires for a White House budget director whose tenure will be dominated by battles with the Democratic-controlled Congress over spending," it's not going to make the confirmation hearings any easier for him.Already, Democrats are signaling that Nussle's combativeness may place his nomination - which is subject to Senate confirmation - in peril.
"Mr. Nussle has a reputation, deserved or not, of being an intense partisan, quite different from (outgoing budget director) Rob Portman," said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D. He said he had heard concerns about the nomination from about a half-dozen senators, and "there are going to be issues with this confirmation."
Guardian I would like to hope so, but with the lack of sack the Dems have been showing since taking power (remember the great "Iraq spending bill cave-in"), it's hard to believe they'll do anything except issue a few strongly worded statements before escorting him into office.
Just what we need, another combative asshole in the administration.
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