Who's Who in the White House
Updated: June 22, 2005
Short profiles and key stories about President George W. Bush's top advisers in the White House. The Top Two: Cheney | Rove
Senior Advisers: Bartlett | Card | Gerson | Hadley
Other Key Aides: Allen | Devenish | Hagin | Hubbard | Libby | McClellan | Miers | Wolff
The Top Two
Richard B. Cheney
Vice president
Date of birth: Jan. 30, 1941
Behind the curtain stands Dick Cheney, easily the most influential vice president in U.S. history. Cheney is a secretive and remorseless strategist, and the administration's foremost advocate of the unstinting exercise of power at both the international and domestic level. For instance, he was unwavering in his desire to go to war in Iraq. And his aggressive moves to restore power to the presidency lost since in the Vietnam War and Watergate eras have been hugely successful. In the second term, Cheney has even further expanded his own personal influence by putting his loyalists in key positions throughout the White House. Cheney himself does not poll well; he survived a slew of dump-Cheney rumors in the run-up to the 2004 election. Ironically, he is now constantly batting down rumors that he'll run for president in 2008. During the 2004 campaign, Cheney did not join in his boss's call for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. One of his daughters - the one who is not a senior State Department official - is a lesbian. But aside from that issue, Cheney and Bush have been eerily in synch since Day One. The only question is, behind closed doors, who synchs to who.
• Weaned on Politics, Cheney Daughters Find a Place at the Table, New York Times, May 31, 2005
• Hill to See More of Cheney Treatment, Washington Post, Jan. 20, 2005
• Cheney Upholds Power of the Presidency, Washington Post, January 20, 2005
• Cheney Exercising Muscle on Domestic Policies, New York Times, January 18, 2005
• Cheney energizes loyal base -- and foes, Chicago Tribune, July 2, 2004
• Cheney Was Unwavering in Desire to Go to War, Washington Post, April 20, 2004
• The Strong, Silent Type, Washington Post, Jan. 18, 2004
• How Dick Cheney Sold the War, Newsweek, Nov. 19, 2003
• Official Bio and Speeches
Karl Rove
Senior adviser and deputy chief of staff
Date of birth: Dec. 25, 1950
Karl Rove is a man of many nicknames. He is the "Architect" of Bush's victories; he is "Bush's Brain." The president alternately calls him "Boy Genius" or "Turd Blossom," a Texas phrase describing a flower that grows in manure. He is the mastermind of the White House, the instigator-in-chief responsible for a series of policies and political maneuvers aimed first at getting his boss re-elected, and now at creating a permanent Republican majority. In the first term, Rove was Bush's senior political adviser, officially in charge of strategic planning and political affairs. In early 2005, Bush also made him deputy chief of staff, so he now officially coordinates the policies of the National Security Council, the Domestic Policy Council, the National Economic Council and the Homeland Security Council. The result is that Rove is the poster child for how politics and policy have merged in the Bush White House. Traditionally, governing is a considerably different matter than running for office, where winning is everything. Not so with Rove. If he eventually starts losing, he could end up taking the blame for creating a divisive presidency, aimed more at achieving partisan goals than the common good. But if he keeps winning, he will be a kingmaker even as his boss becomes a lame duck -- and his legacy could be a GOP that is indeed the ruling party for decades to come.
• The Architect, PBS's Frontline, April 2005 (Includes priceless video, at the 4:45 mark, of a young Karl Rove lecturing Dan Rather about the importance of voter registration in the 1972 Nixon campaign.)
• With Bush Re-elected, Rove Turns to Policy, New York Times, March 28, 2005
• The Karl Rove Ascension, washingtonpost.com, Feb. 9, 2005
• Barbara Walters's Most Fascinating People, ABC News, Dec. 8, 2004
• The Many Faces of Karl Rove, washingtonpost.com, Nov. 8, 2004
• The Controller, New Yorker, May 12, 2003
• Rove's Way, New York Times Magazine, Oct. 20, 2002
• Official Bio
Senior Advisers
Dan Bartlett
Counselor
Bush's longest-serving aide, the ever-cheerful 34-year-old Bartlett started working for Bush during his first campaign for governor in Texas in fall 1993. During Bush's first term as president, Bartlett was communications director. He now occupies the post that was left vacant when Bush confidant Karen Hughes returned to Texas in 2002. Officially, the job puts him in charge of strategic communications planning. But unofficially, he's the explainer-in-chief. And he's got big shoes to fill. Hughes was considered uniquely capable of channeling Bush's thinking - and she was one of Washington's finest spinners ever.
• Profile: Presidential Counselor Dan Bartlett, ABC News, January 18, 2005
• Official Bio
Andrew H. Card Jr.
Chief of staff
Date of birth: May 10, 1947
The iron man of the White House, Card is the longest-serving White House chief of staff since the Eisenhower administration. And he runs the most buttoned-down, leak-proof, on-task, on-time, on-message White House in history. Indefatigable, and possessing an astounding memory, Card aggressively monitors -- and limits -- the information flow to the president. "The president has to have time to eat, sleep and be merry, or he'll make angry, grumpy decisions," Card said in a radio interview described in this column. "So I have to make sure he has time to eat, sleep and be merry. But I also have to make sure he has the right time to do the right thing for the country, and that he gets the right information in time, rather than too late." During the George H.W. Bush administration, Card was deputy chief of staff and transportation secretary. In the interregnum, he was the automotive industry's chief lobbyist. He is considered a potential candidate for governor in Massachusetts.
• White House suits Card just fine; Says he won't run if Romney decides against second term, Quincy Patriot Ledger, May 13, 2005
• Pressure Cooker; Andrew Card Has the Recipe for Chief of Staff Down Pat, Washington Post, January 5, 2005
• Andrew Card gets another chance as Bush's chief of staff, Knight Ridder Newspapers, Nov. 12, 2004
• A Powerful Player in the White House; Behind the Scenes, Chief of Staff Andy Card Rules With a Firm Hand, Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan. 26, 2004
• Official Bio
Michael J. Gerson
Policy and strategy adviser
As Bush's chief speechwriter in the first term, Gerson gets credit for soaring oratory that often transcended its pedestrian delivery. As an evangelical Christian, Gerson also gets credit for the injection of Christian themes, imagery and language into the White House communications strategy. Promoted in the second term to the position of policy adviser - and moved to a new office just around the corner from the Oval - fellow staffers call him the conscience of the White House.
• Soul of a Conservative, National Journal, May 14, 2005
• Bush Gets a New Voice for Second Term, Newsweek.com, January 5, 2005
• Bush's References to God Defended by Speechwriter, Washington Post, December 12, 2004
• For Bush's Speechwriter, Job Grows Beyond Words, Washington Post, October 11, 2002
• Official bio
Steve Hadley
National security adviser
Date of Birth: February 13, 1947
Easily the most low key and self-effacing national security adviser in recent history, Hadley is the smiling face of the hawkish policies advocated less charmingly by his mentor, Vice President Cheney. After four years of devoted service as deputy to Condoleezza Rice, Hadley moved across the hall into the big office in the second term. He's deeply loyal to Bush, unfailingly polite and widely liked -- but Hadley's job isn't just to formulate and promulgate policies. It's also to tell Bush things the president doesn't necessarily want to hear.
• So, What's Not to Like About Amiable Advisor?, Los Angeles Times, June 6, 2005
• Stephen Hadley walks out of the shadows and into the spotlight, Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 24, 2005
• Bush's Clark Kent, David Ignatius in The Washington Post, February 11, 2005
• Official bio
Other Key Aides
Claude A. Allen
Domestic policy adviser
Allen's most recent job before coming to the White House was as deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. His first job in politics was working for former Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) - an unusual choice for an African-American. Bush nominated Allen to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 2003, but Democrats blocked his nomination.
• White House adviser is loathed by some, but adored by others, Knight Ridder Newspapers, May 16, 2005
• Bush's Domestic Adviser Is 'a Jack of All Trades', Washington Post, March 29, 2005
• Official Bio
Nicolle Devenish
Communications director
After great success as chief spokesman for Bush's re-election campaign, the 33-year-old Devenish was hired as the White House's chief message communicator in January. Devenish was famously fired from a previous job, a long time ago, for being too cozy with reporters. But that's no longer a danger.
• New Aide Aims to Defrost the Press Room, New York Times, Jan. 10, 2005
• Californian gets out the White House message, Sacramento Bee, March 6, 2005
• Official Bio
Joseph Hagin
Deputy chief of staff
Date of birth: January 6, 1956
A former vice president at Chiquita Brands International, Hagin is in charge of the daily operations of the White House. He was deputy campaign manager in George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign.
• When the President Needs Someone He Can Trust, He Turns to Big Joe, Cincinnati Enquirer, Jan. 20, 2003
Allan Hubbard
National Economic Council director
Running Bush's National Economic Council is a particularly demanding job. But Hubbard, the third person to hold that position, is an old Bush friend and fundraiser. He went to Harvard Business School with Bush and raised more than $300,000 for Bush's presidential campaigns. The president of Indianapolis-based E&A Industries, Hubbard built a fortune making and selling Car Brite car wax. During the George H.W. Bush administration, he worked for Vice President Dan Quayle on his deregulatory campaign.
• Bush Picks Supporter as Economic Council Chief, Washington Post, January 11, 2005
• Bush Names Longtime Friend to Head Economic Council, New York Times, January 11, 2005
• Bush Pioneer Profile, washingtonpost.com
• Official Bio
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby
Vice President Cheney's chief of staff
Sometimes called "Dick Cheney's Dick Cheney," Libby is an important foreign policy adviser inside the White House. He's also the author of a highly-praised novel, "The Apprentice".
• Interview with Larry King, CNN, February 16, 2002
• Official Bio
Scott McClellan
Press secretary
The second most public face of the White House, Scott McClellan's job is to deliver the president's predetermined message to a room full of reporters who are often looking for something else. As time has passed - McClellan took over from Ari Fleischer in the summer of 2003 - he has gotten less and less subtle about simply repeating his talking points over again. Tensions sometimes run high when McClellan is fending off frustrated reporters trying to knock him off message. But pretty much every time, it's the guy with the podium who wins. McClellan's family is a political powerhouse; his brother, Mark McClellan, is the administrator of Medicare and Medicaid, and their mother is Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, who is running for governor.
• Blogger Hits the Wall, washingtonpostcom, April 5, 2005
• Official Bio
• Press Briefings
Harriet Miers
White House counsel
Date of birth: August 10, 1945
Miers was Bush's personal and campaign attorney back in Texas, where he also appointed her to head the Texas Lottery Commission. At the White House, she has been promoted twice, from staff secretary to deputy chief of staff for policy, and then to legal counsel. Bush once called her as a "pit bull in size 6 shoes."
• Quiet but Ambitious White House Counsel Makes Life of Law, Washington Post, June 21, 2005
• Miers' trek: from council to counsel, Dallas Morning News, March 3, 2005
• Bush Promotes Miers From Staff to Counsel; Aide Lauded for Integrity, Intelligence, Washington Post, November 18, 2004
• Official Bio
Candida "Candi" Wolff
Chief lobbyist
Date of birth: June 9, 1964
A former Cheney aide, Wolff spent a year on K Street as a corporate lobbyist before heading back to the White House to lead the president's uphill legislative charge.
• Official Bio
Useful Background Information:
• Who's Who in the White House
• West Wing Floor Plan
• White House Staff List and Salaries
• White House Correspondents
Senior Advisers: Bartlett | Card | Gerson | Hadley
Other Key Aides: Allen | Devenish | Hagin | Hubbard | Libby | McClellan | Miers | Wolff
Richard B. Cheney
Vice president
Date of birth: Jan. 30, 1941
Behind the curtain stands Dick Cheney, easily the most influential vice president in U.S. history. Cheney is a secretive and remorseless strategist, and the administration's foremost advocate of the unstinting exercise of power at both the international and domestic level. For instance, he was unwavering in his desire to go to war in Iraq. And his aggressive moves to restore power to the presidency lost since in the Vietnam War and Watergate eras have been hugely successful. In the second term, Cheney has even further expanded his own personal influence by putting his loyalists in key positions throughout the White House. Cheney himself does not poll well; he survived a slew of dump-Cheney rumors in the run-up to the 2004 election. Ironically, he is now constantly batting down rumors that he'll run for president in 2008. During the 2004 campaign, Cheney did not join in his boss's call for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. One of his daughters - the one who is not a senior State Department official - is a lesbian. But aside from that issue, Cheney and Bush have been eerily in synch since Day One. The only question is, behind closed doors, who synchs to who.
• Weaned on Politics, Cheney Daughters Find a Place at the Table, New York Times, May 31, 2005
• Hill to See More of Cheney Treatment, Washington Post, Jan. 20, 2005
• Cheney Upholds Power of the Presidency, Washington Post, January 20, 2005
• Cheney Exercising Muscle on Domestic Policies, New York Times, January 18, 2005
• Cheney energizes loyal base -- and foes, Chicago Tribune, July 2, 2004
• Cheney Was Unwavering in Desire to Go to War, Washington Post, April 20, 2004
• The Strong, Silent Type, Washington Post, Jan. 18, 2004
• How Dick Cheney Sold the War, Newsweek, Nov. 19, 2003
• Official Bio and Speeches
Karl Rove
Senior adviser and deputy chief of staff
Date of birth: Dec. 25, 1950
Karl Rove is a man of many nicknames. He is the "Architect" of Bush's victories; he is "Bush's Brain." The president alternately calls him "Boy Genius" or "Turd Blossom," a Texas phrase describing a flower that grows in manure. He is the mastermind of the White House, the instigator-in-chief responsible for a series of policies and political maneuvers aimed first at getting his boss re-elected, and now at creating a permanent Republican majority. In the first term, Rove was Bush's senior political adviser, officially in charge of strategic planning and political affairs. In early 2005, Bush also made him deputy chief of staff, so he now officially coordinates the policies of the National Security Council, the Domestic Policy Council, the National Economic Council and the Homeland Security Council. The result is that Rove is the poster child for how politics and policy have merged in the Bush White House. Traditionally, governing is a considerably different matter than running for office, where winning is everything. Not so with Rove. If he eventually starts losing, he could end up taking the blame for creating a divisive presidency, aimed more at achieving partisan goals than the common good. But if he keeps winning, he will be a kingmaker even as his boss becomes a lame duck -- and his legacy could be a GOP that is indeed the ruling party for decades to come.
• The Architect, PBS's Frontline, April 2005 (Includes priceless video, at the 4:45 mark, of a young Karl Rove lecturing Dan Rather about the importance of voter registration in the 1972 Nixon campaign.)
• With Bush Re-elected, Rove Turns to Policy, New York Times, March 28, 2005
• The Karl Rove Ascension, washingtonpost.com, Feb. 9, 2005
• Barbara Walters's Most Fascinating People, ABC News, Dec. 8, 2004
• The Many Faces of Karl Rove, washingtonpost.com, Nov. 8, 2004
• The Controller, New Yorker, May 12, 2003
• Rove's Way, New York Times Magazine, Oct. 20, 2002
• Official Bio
Senior Advisers
Dan Bartlett
Counselor
Bush's longest-serving aide, the ever-cheerful 34-year-old Bartlett started working for Bush during his first campaign for governor in Texas in fall 1993. During Bush's first term as president, Bartlett was communications director. He now occupies the post that was left vacant when Bush confidant Karen Hughes returned to Texas in 2002. Officially, the job puts him in charge of strategic communications planning. But unofficially, he's the explainer-in-chief. And he's got big shoes to fill. Hughes was considered uniquely capable of channeling Bush's thinking - and she was one of Washington's finest spinners ever.
• Profile: Presidential Counselor Dan Bartlett, ABC News, January 18, 2005
• Official Bio
Andrew H. Card Jr.
Chief of staff
Date of birth: May 10, 1947
The iron man of the White House, Card is the longest-serving White House chief of staff since the Eisenhower administration. And he runs the most buttoned-down, leak-proof, on-task, on-time, on-message White House in history. Indefatigable, and possessing an astounding memory, Card aggressively monitors -- and limits -- the information flow to the president. "The president has to have time to eat, sleep and be merry, or he'll make angry, grumpy decisions," Card said in a radio interview described in this column. "So I have to make sure he has time to eat, sleep and be merry. But I also have to make sure he has the right time to do the right thing for the country, and that he gets the right information in time, rather than too late." During the George H.W. Bush administration, Card was deputy chief of staff and transportation secretary. In the interregnum, he was the automotive industry's chief lobbyist. He is considered a potential candidate for governor in Massachusetts.
• White House suits Card just fine; Says he won't run if Romney decides against second term, Quincy Patriot Ledger, May 13, 2005
• Pressure Cooker; Andrew Card Has the Recipe for Chief of Staff Down Pat, Washington Post, January 5, 2005
• Andrew Card gets another chance as Bush's chief of staff, Knight Ridder Newspapers, Nov. 12, 2004
• A Powerful Player in the White House; Behind the Scenes, Chief of Staff Andy Card Rules With a Firm Hand, Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan. 26, 2004
• Official Bio
Michael J. Gerson
Policy and strategy adviser
As Bush's chief speechwriter in the first term, Gerson gets credit for soaring oratory that often transcended its pedestrian delivery. As an evangelical Christian, Gerson also gets credit for the injection of Christian themes, imagery and language into the White House communications strategy. Promoted in the second term to the position of policy adviser - and moved to a new office just around the corner from the Oval - fellow staffers call him the conscience of the White House.
• Soul of a Conservative, National Journal, May 14, 2005
• Bush Gets a New Voice for Second Term, Newsweek.com, January 5, 2005
• Bush's References to God Defended by Speechwriter, Washington Post, December 12, 2004
• For Bush's Speechwriter, Job Grows Beyond Words, Washington Post, October 11, 2002
• Official bio
Steve Hadley
National security adviser
Date of Birth: February 13, 1947
Easily the most low key and self-effacing national security adviser in recent history, Hadley is the smiling face of the hawkish policies advocated less charmingly by his mentor, Vice President Cheney. After four years of devoted service as deputy to Condoleezza Rice, Hadley moved across the hall into the big office in the second term. He's deeply loyal to Bush, unfailingly polite and widely liked -- but Hadley's job isn't just to formulate and promulgate policies. It's also to tell Bush things the president doesn't necessarily want to hear.
• So, What's Not to Like About Amiable Advisor?, Los Angeles Times, June 6, 2005
• Stephen Hadley walks out of the shadows and into the spotlight, Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 24, 2005
• Bush's Clark Kent, David Ignatius in The Washington Post, February 11, 2005
• Official bio
Other Key Aides
Claude A. Allen
Domestic policy adviser
Allen's most recent job before coming to the White House was as deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. His first job in politics was working for former Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) - an unusual choice for an African-American. Bush nominated Allen to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 2003, but Democrats blocked his nomination.
• White House adviser is loathed by some, but adored by others, Knight Ridder Newspapers, May 16, 2005
• Bush's Domestic Adviser Is 'a Jack of All Trades', Washington Post, March 29, 2005
• Official Bio
Nicolle Devenish
Communications director
After great success as chief spokesman for Bush's re-election campaign, the 33-year-old Devenish was hired as the White House's chief message communicator in January. Devenish was famously fired from a previous job, a long time ago, for being too cozy with reporters. But that's no longer a danger.
• New Aide Aims to Defrost the Press Room, New York Times, Jan. 10, 2005
• Californian gets out the White House message, Sacramento Bee, March 6, 2005
• Official Bio
Joseph Hagin
Deputy chief of staff
Date of birth: January 6, 1956
A former vice president at Chiquita Brands International, Hagin is in charge of the daily operations of the White House. He was deputy campaign manager in George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign.
• When the President Needs Someone He Can Trust, He Turns to Big Joe, Cincinnati Enquirer, Jan. 20, 2003
Allan Hubbard
National Economic Council director
Running Bush's National Economic Council is a particularly demanding job. But Hubbard, the third person to hold that position, is an old Bush friend and fundraiser. He went to Harvard Business School with Bush and raised more than $300,000 for Bush's presidential campaigns. The president of Indianapolis-based E&A Industries, Hubbard built a fortune making and selling Car Brite car wax. During the George H.W. Bush administration, he worked for Vice President Dan Quayle on his deregulatory campaign.
• Bush Picks Supporter as Economic Council Chief, Washington Post, January 11, 2005
• Bush Names Longtime Friend to Head Economic Council, New York Times, January 11, 2005
• Bush Pioneer Profile, washingtonpost.com
• Official Bio
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby
Vice President Cheney's chief of staff
Sometimes called "Dick Cheney's Dick Cheney," Libby is an important foreign policy adviser inside the White House. He's also the author of a highly-praised novel, "The Apprentice".
• Interview with Larry King, CNN, February 16, 2002
• Official Bio
Scott McClellan
Press secretary
The second most public face of the White House, Scott McClellan's job is to deliver the president's predetermined message to a room full of reporters who are often looking for something else. As time has passed - McClellan took over from Ari Fleischer in the summer of 2003 - he has gotten less and less subtle about simply repeating his talking points over again. Tensions sometimes run high when McClellan is fending off frustrated reporters trying to knock him off message. But pretty much every time, it's the guy with the podium who wins. McClellan's family is a political powerhouse; his brother, Mark McClellan, is the administrator of Medicare and Medicaid, and their mother is Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, who is running for governor.
• Blogger Hits the Wall, washingtonpostcom, April 5, 2005
• Official Bio
• Press Briefings
Harriet Miers
White House counsel
Date of birth: August 10, 1945
Miers was Bush's personal and campaign attorney back in Texas, where he also appointed her to head the Texas Lottery Commission. At the White House, she has been promoted twice, from staff secretary to deputy chief of staff for policy, and then to legal counsel. Bush once called her as a "pit bull in size 6 shoes."
• Quiet but Ambitious White House Counsel Makes Life of Law, Washington Post, June 21, 2005
• Miers' trek: from council to counsel, Dallas Morning News, March 3, 2005
• Bush Promotes Miers From Staff to Counsel; Aide Lauded for Integrity, Intelligence, Washington Post, November 18, 2004
• Official Bio
Candida "Candi" Wolff
Chief lobbyist
Date of birth: June 9, 1964
A former Cheney aide, Wolff spent a year on K Street as a corporate lobbyist before heading back to the White House to lead the president's uphill legislative charge.
• Official Bio
Useful Background Information:
• Who's Who in the White House
• West Wing Floor Plan
• White House Staff List and Salaries
• White House Correspondents
posted by Henry @ 2:41 AM
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