Who's Next?

President Bush's replacement of his chief of staff with another consummate White House insider is looking more and more like small change -- unless of course it turns out to be the start of something big.

In an interview with CNN en Español yesterday afternoon, Bush pretty bluntly suggested that Josh Bolten's accession to the job currently held by Andy Card could result in a lot more movement within the White House.

"[N]ow Josh's job is to design a White House staff that meets the needs of the President, which is one of the key -- most important needs is to make sure I get information in a timely fashion so I can make decisions," Bush said, in what sounded almost like an admission that the current staff doesn't meet his needs.

"Q Any more changes coming up?

"THE PRESIDENT: Well, Josh has just begun to take a look at the White House structure. And I haven't had a chance to talk to him about the future yet."

That last assertion seems decidedly unlikely, of course -- and it's highly suggestive that more moves are in the works. But whether we're just talking about further internal reshuffles -- or some real live new blood at high levels -- is not at all clear.

Michael A. Fletcher writes in The Washington Post: "White House officials emphasized that Bolten would have the prerogative to bring in fresh staff members and revamp operations to suit his leadership style. The White House must find a replacement for domestic policy adviser Claude A. Allen, who resigned after being accused of stealing from retail stores, and now a new budget director. At least one or two other senior officials are expected to leave for their own reasons by the end of the school year this spring, a senior official said.

"White House press secretary Scott McClellan would not speculate on the future of other high-level White House staff members, including Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, Bush's top political strategist, who has been under investigation by a special prosecutor in the CIA leak case."

David Jackson and Andrea Stone write in USA Today: "President Bush's new chief of staff will look at possible changes in White House operations and staff as the administration grapples with political problems that include falling approval ratings and strained relations with congressional Republicans."

So Far, Though, a Big Yawn

David E. Sanger writes in the New York Times that the change is "a step unlikely to satisfy calls within his own party for fresh thinking to address the administration's troubles.

"In turning to Joshua B. Bolten, his budget director, as the new chief of staff, the president stayed within what one close associate called a 'circle of comfort' and what Mr. Bush's critics consider a closed world that brooks little doubt or dissent. . . .

"People close to Mr. Bush said he deliberately chose an insider who understood how this White House operated, even at the risk of angering Republican members of Congress who have said the White House has failed to consult with them sufficiently and blundered on the response to Hurricane Katrina, the nomination of Harriet E. Miers for the Supreme Court and the handling of Dubai's effort to take over management of some American port terminal operations."