George W. Bush Administration
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The Bush administration includes President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, Bush's Cabinet, and other select officials and advisors. The Bush administration took office on January 20, 2001, and continues through to the present day. The administration's term is scheduled to end at noon on January 20th, 2009, when the administration of the 44th President, to be elected in November 2008 is to take office.
There is one non-Republican present in Bush's cabinet: Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, the first Asian American cabinet secretary, who had previously served as Secretary of Commerce under Bill Clinton, is a Democrat. However, on June 23, 2006, Mineta announced that he was resigning, effective July 7. [link]
Bush's cabinet includes figures prominent in past administrations, notably former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who had served as United States National Security Advisor under Ronald Reagan, until his resignation and the subsequent appointment of Condoleezza Rice, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under George H. W. Bush and Clinton, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who had served as White House Chief of Staff and Secretary of Defense under Gerald Ford. Vice President Richard Cheney served as Secretary of Defense under George H. W. Bush.
Bush places a high value on personal loyalty and, as a result, his administration has high message discipline. He maintains a "hands-off" style of management that he believes prevents him from being tangled by intricacies that hinder sound decision-making. "I'm confident in my management style. I'm a delegator because I trust the people I've asked to join the team. I'm willing to delegate. That makes it easier to be President," he said in an interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC in December of 2003. However, critics allege that Bush is willing to overlook mistakes [link][link] made by loyal subordinates, and that Bush has surrounded himself with "yes men". [link]
Resigned Cabinet Members
Several members have now resigned from Bush's cabinet, including:- Colin Powell - Secretary of State
- Paul O'Neill - Secretary of the Treasury
- John W. Snow - Secretary of the Treasury
- John Ashcroft - Attorney General
- Gale Norton - Secretary of the Interior
- Ann Veneman - Secretary of Agriculture
- Don Evans - Secretary of Commerce
- Tommy Thompson - Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Mel Martinez - Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
- Norman Mineta - Secretary of Transportation
- Spencer Abraham - Secretary of Energy
- Rod Paige - Secretary of Education
- Anthony Principi - Secretary of Veterans Affairs
- Tom Ridge - Secretary of Homeland Security
Controversy
Bush's presidency has been characterized by a vigorous defense of executive privilege, evidenced in such acts as signing Executive Order 13233, which suspends the release of presidential papers, tight control of Congressional inquiries into White House officers such as in the 9/11 Commission's interviews with Condoleezza Rice, Bush and Richard B. Cheney, and the generally high level of coordination between the White House, Congressional Republicans and Senate Republicans in both of Bush's terms. Many commentators have claimed that deference to executive privilege was one of the principal considerations Bush's administration considered when he proposed his three nominations for the Supreme Court, and appointed John R. Bolton to the United Nations [link] [link].Cabinet
Other advisors and officials
- Director of National Intelligence - John Negroponte (2005-)
- Director of Central Intelligence - George Tenet (2001–2004), John E. McLaughlin (acting, 2004), Porter J. Goss (2004-2006), Michael Hayden (2006-)
- FBI Director - Louis Freeh (2001), Thomas J. Pickard (acting, 2001), Robert S. Mueller (2001–)
- National Security Advisor - Condoleezza Rice (2001–2005), Stephen Hadley (2005—)
- EPA Administrator - Christine Todd Whitman (2001–2003), Michael O. Leavitt (2003–2005), Stephen L. Johnson (2005-)
- UN Ambassador - John Negroponte (2001–2004), John Danforth (2004); John R. Bolton (2005-)
- FCC Chairman - Michael Powell (2001-2005), Kevin Martin (2005-)
- OMB Director - Mitch Daniels (2001–2003), Joshua B. Bolten (2003—2006), Rob Portman (2006-)
- White House Chief of Staff - Andrew Card (2001-2006), Joshua B. Bolten (2006—)
- White House counsel - Alberto R. Gonzales (2001–2005), Harriet Miers (2005-)
- Advisor - Karen Hughes (2001–2002) Appointed in 2005 to rank of Ambassador and Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the State Department.
- White House Press Secretary - Ari Fleischer (2001–2003), Scott McClellan (2003-2006), Tony Snow (2006-)
- Personal aide (body man) - Blake Gottesman (2002-)
- Deputy Chiefs of Staff - Joe Hagin (2001-), Joshua B. Bolten (2001-2003), Harriet Miers (2003-2004), Karl Rove (2005-), Joel Kaplan (2006-)
See also
George W. Bush's first term to second term cabinet reorganization
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