OTHER White House Shakeups

In other words, not Karl Rove. But Time magazine keeps hoping against hope for something, and floats the trial balloon that Chief of Staff Andrew Card may be on his way out, and leaves unspoken the hope that he'll take Karl the Great with him. Fat chance.

What caught my eye in David Frum's blurb on this Time story is Card's rumored destination:

Andy Card likewise deserves the thanks of a grateful nation. It would though be a truly reckless move to send him to the Treasury department. Alan Greenspan's retirement has brought the country a new and untested Fed Chairman at a time when financial markets are as skittish and fearful as at any time since the S&L and banking crisis of the early 1990s. Markets clearly approve the selection of Ben Bernanke, but if a crisis should erupt, they would want to know that the whole financial team is as skilled as possible. That argues for a technically gifted Secretary of the Treasury, not a political figure.

Nobody would describe John Snow as an effective secretary. But if at this nervous moment he is to be replaced, he should be replaced with a figure who can truly command confidence. If the dollar suddenly slides or GM goes bankrupt or something bad happens in China, every investor will look to the US Treasury for leadership and reassurance. And if the only leader they see is Andy Card, nervousness could well transform itself in an instant to panic.

Paul O'Neill, John Snow, and then Andrew Card? What is George W. Bush's aversion to strong Treasury Secretaries? It makes it all the more remarkable in hindsight that he managed to get two major tax cuts enacted.

If Snow is going to get pink-slipped, would it really be too much to ask to go with somebody who actually believes in the Administration's economic policies and is capable of effectively championing them?

If the President doesn't have Steve Forbes' phone number, it shouldn't be all that difficult to find.