White House Chiefs of Staff, 1969-2017

Below is a list of modern White House Chiefs of Staff (1969-2017) compiled for a book I am co-authoring on the topic.

Chief of Staff                                     Tenure             President                     Party

Harry Robbins (H.R.) Haldeman        1969-73           Nixon                          Republican

Alexander M. Haig, Jr.                       1973-74           Nixon                          Republican

Donald H. Rumsfeld                          1974-75           Ford                            Republican

Richard M. Cheney                             1975-77           Ford                            Republican

William Hamilton M. Jordan              1979-80           Carter                          Democratic

Jack H. Watson, Jr.                             1980-81           Carter                          Democratic

James A. Baker III                              1981-85           Reagan                                    Republican

Donald T. Regan                                 1985-87           Reagan                                    Republican

Howard H. Baker, Jr.                          1987-88           Reagan                                    Republican

Kenneth M. Duberstein                      1988-89           Reagan                                    Republican

John H. Sununu                                  1989-91           G.H.W. Bush              Republican

Samuel K. Skinner                              1991-92           G.H.W. Bush              Republican

James A. Baker III                              1992-93           G.H.W. Bush              Republican

Thomas F. McLarty III                       1993-94           Clinton                        Democratic

Leon E. Panetta                                  1994-97           Clinton                        Democratic

Erskine B. Bowles                              1997-98           Clinton                        Democratic

John D. Podesta                                  1998-01           Clinton                        Democratic

Andrew H. Card, Jr.                           2001-06           G.W. Bush                  Republican

Joshua B. Bolten                                 2006-09           G.W. Bush                  Republican

Rahm I. Emanuel*                              2009-10           Obama                         Democratic

William M. Daley                                2011-12           Obama                         Democratic

Jacob J. Lew                                       2012-13           Obama                         Democratic

Denis R. McDonough                         2013-17           Obama                         Democratic

Reinhold R. “Reince” Priebus            2017                 Trump                          Republican
John F. Kelly                                       2017-p             Trump                          Republican

* After Emanuel left his post to run for mayor of Chicago, Senior Adviser Peter M. Rouse served as interim chief of staff from October 1, 2010, to January 13, 2011.

The Obama-Romney Post-Election Meeting: No Bromance Expected

Politico Arena Topic: A Romney-Obama Friendship?

The meeting between Governor Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama is the political equivalent of two head coaches of rival sports teams shaking hands after the conclusion of a heated game. Just like the Yankees and Red Sox or Packers and Bears, the handshake means nothing except to signify that at the end of the contest, the combatants can be somewhat civil towards each other but the rivalry will continue.

Unlike John McCain who continued in his capacity as a U.S. Senator following his 2008 defeat, Mitt Romney has no position in government and thus will have absolutely no impact on policy or politics. Democrats won’t need to listen to him and Republicans won’t want to.

I also do not foresee Obama and Romney becoming bosom buddies down the road as Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter or George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton did. The 2012 election was a particularly bitter contest (not that all presidential elections aren’t tough) and both candidates seemed to have a high level of disdain for one another. In the end, the meeting will make for a nice photo-op but will disappear quickly from the public consciousness as focus will turn back to the fiscal cliff Washington is staring at through the windshield.

Permalink to Politico Arena comment

RIP Betty Ford

First Lady Betty Ford, widow of President Gerald Ford, passed away July 8, 2011. She was 93. She was a pathbreaking First Lady and beloved by many.

According to Reid Epstein of Politico: "After her husband elevated to the presidency following Richard Nixon’s 1974 resignation, Ford campaigned for the Equal Rights Amendment, legal abortion and spoke openly of her battle with breast cancer. For these efforts, she was one of 12 women named as Time magazine’s Women of the Year for 1975."

He continues: "Her longest lasting legacy will be the Betty Ford Center for drug and alcohol rehabilition in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Ford founded the center in 1982 after her own battle with alcohol abuse and prescription medication. It has become the substance rehabilitation center for celebrities ranging from Mickey Mantle to Elizabeth Taylor. For years after the facility opened, Ford greeted each patient individually, telling them about her path to recovery from addiction to alcohol and pain medication."

The Dodgy Dual Veto

The Huffington Post contains an interesting post by Political Scientist Robert Spitzer of SUNY Cortland who pens a letter to President Obama about Obama's first veto. According to Spitzer:

"On December 30, however, you mimicked an action of your predecessors that pointlessly reopened a constitutional can of worms by the manner in which you exercised the very first veto of your presidency. As your veto statement said, the bill you vetoed, a continuing appropriations bill, was rendered unnecessary because of the enactment of a defense appropriations bill signed into law on December 19. So far so good. At this point, you had two veto options: to either return the bill with your objections to Congress, whereupon it could take up the matter at the start of the 111th Congress's second session in early January, or to issue a pocket veto, which kills the bill without return to Congress."

He continues:

"Here's the problem with your veto: instead of issuing a regular or return veto, your message was titled "Memorandum of Disapproval," indicating that this was a pocket veto. But your message then said this: "To leave no doubt that the bill is being vetoed ... in addition to withholding my signature, I am also returning H.J.Res. 64" to the House. The problem is that your action creates doubt because it combines two mutually exclusive actions: a regular veto and a pocket veto. Even more troubling, the history behind this veto gambit - claiming the exercise of a non-return pocket veto while simultaneously returning the bill to Congress - is a presidential power grab designed to stretch the no-override pocket veto into an absolute veto power that could be used anytime Congress is not in session, giving the president the very power the Founders sought to deny the office."

As Spitzer points out, Obama is not the first president to us the "dodgy dual veto" (known officially as a "protective return pocket veto"). The practice dates back to the Ford administration where President Ford issued five such vetoes only to be challenged successfully in Federal court by Senator Edward Kennedy. President Bush 41 revived the protective return pocket veto and every one of his successors followed suit.

The dodgy dual veto is a wonderful example of how presidents, regardless of party or ideology, seek to expand the prerogatives of the office. It is also a reminder of why the American system has checks and balances built into it and the need for a vigorous Congress and judiciary to serve as a counter-balance to the executive branch as well as to each other.

Obama Afflcited With March Madness

How cool is this? The Commander-in-Chief fills out an NCAA Tournament Bracket for all the world to see. Does it publicly. What would Lincoln have done? More importantly, would Lincoln have taken UNC as well, or gone for the home state Fighting Illini? Is the bracket covered under the Presidential Records Act of 1978? Does it go into the archives?

Seriously though, filling out an NCAA basketball tourney bracket is something millions of Americans do each year. For some, there is no better time in sports than that known as March Madness. I, for one, am not afflicted with the disease--basketball has never been my game (being short and shaped like a pear doesn't help). However, this President clearly enjoys sports and is determined to continue being a fan even from the cloistered Oval Office.

Most of our recent presidents have been sports fans: Nixon, Ford, the Bushes, and Clinton to name a few. Obama fits firmly in that group. What I find intriguing is that he is unapologetic about his preferences (he's an avid White Sox fan and hates the Cubbies) and enjoys the game from a lay person's perspective--he plays pick-up basketball whenever he can, and sat with the fans at a recent NBA game and enjoyed a cold one. Regardless of what your party ID is, if you like sports, you have to admit, that's pretty cool.

UPDATE: Coach Mike Krzyzewski was apparently miffed that 44 didn't pick Duke to go all the way: "Somebody said that we're not in President Obama's Final Four, and as much as I respect what he's doing, really, the economy is something that he should focus on, probably more than the brackets." President Obama didn't miss a beat in his response: "I didn't pick him to go to the finals. Look, he's a competitive guy, I just don't think they've got the inside game to go all the way." My take: Coach needs to grow a thicker skin and 44 deserves some down time and can take a few minutes out to fill out a bracket...

Presidential Question Time

In the United Kingdom, the prime minister is subject to weekly questions from Parliament. I have often watched those sessions on C-SPAN and marveled that the prime minister sits there and suffers such indignities--American presidents after all refuse to put themselves into such situations. George Washington began--and ended--the practice of going before Congress when he went to discuss the provisions of a treaty his administration had negotiated and vowed never again to return. Other than President Gerald Ford going to Capitol Hill to discuss his pardon of Richard Nixon, presidents, as far as I know, haven't opened themselves up to Congressional questioning.

Which is why yesterday's session was so remarkable. President Barack Obama hosted members of Congress in the White House and stood there for over 40 minutes answering their questions in a public forum. President Obama called on his vanquished opponent, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), for the first question. McCain obliged by complaining about cost overruns at DoD and the ballooning price tag for the fleet of helicopters scheduled to replace the current fleet of presidential helicopters known as Marine One when the president flies in them: "Just one area that I wanted to mention that I think consumed a lot of our conversation on procurement was the issue of cost overruns in the Defense Department. We all know how large the defense budget is. We all know that the cost overruns -- your helicopter is now going to cost as much as Air Force One. I don't think that there's any more graphic demonstration of how good ideas have cost taxpayers an enormous amount of money." To which the President responded: "The helicopter I have now seems perfectly adequate to me. (Laughter.) Of course, I've never had a helicopter before -- (laughter) -- maybe I've been deprived and I didn't know it. (Laughter.) But I think it is a -- it is a -- an example of the procurement process gone amuck. And we're going to have to fix it. Our hope is, is that you, Senator Levin, and others, can really take some leadership on this."

The fleet of presidential helicopters IS due for an upgrade--some of the helicopters in the current fleet are over 30 years old--but that is beside the point. The real point is that it is remarkable that this president is willing to publicly answer questions from members of the legislative branch. From both parties, not just his own. No questions pre-screened. And not just "friendly" members of the opposition. My gosh, his surly opponent from the presidential campaign, given first crack. Other critics such as House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) were given the chance to throw a ball at the dunk tank. It was a truly unique session and perhaps by the end of his presidency, we may not think of it as unique at all.

SAM 28000

How strange it must be to take that final flight home as a brand new member of the ex-president's club. All sorts of emotions must be flowing: relief, melancholy, sadness, appreciation. Imagine being accustomed to the whole world hanging on your every word, traffic stopping for your motorcade, whole neighborhoods shutting down by your very presence, top secret briefings occurring every morning, and in the matter of a few moments at Noon on January 20 of your final term, all of it stopping. Juxtapose the feelings of that final flight home with the excitement and euphoria that a new president, his family, and staff must feel as they board Air Force One for their very first flight.

Former President George W. Bush flew back to Texas with dozens of family, friends, and former staff following President Barack Obama's inaugural address on the Boeing 747 normally known as Air Force One. However, when the president--the current president--is not on the plane, the plane's designation changes. For the trip to Midland where former President Bush spoke to supporters, the plane was designated Special Air Mission 28000 (28000 is the plane's tail number).

Mark McKinnon, a former campaign strategist for the Bush-Cheney campaigns, has an interesting first hand account on The Daily Beast of the trip back to the Lone Star State complete with pictures he snapped. Also at the Beast, is an article recounting the rides home taken by five other new ex-presidents: Ford, Carter, Reagan, G.H.W. Bush, and Clinton.

Regardless of the president, I am always a little melancholy. Their departure signifies that an era for our country has ended and time marches on.

The Panetta Kerfuffle

I have been reading, hearing, watching all day the criticism of Barack Obama's pick of Leon Panetta to head the CIA. I am absolutely baffled by the criticism over this pick, much of which is aimed at Panetta's supposed lack of intelligence experience. My sense is that when Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA), the incoming chair of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, felt slighted by not being informed of the Panetta pick in advance of the news and criticized the pick, others, including many Republicans, saw an opportunity to pile on.

There are a number of reasons why the criticism of the Panetta pick is asinine:

1. As a very successful White House chief of staff (1994-7) who was largely responsible for turning around a wobbly Clinton presidency, Panetta demonstrated great management skills--a must for CIA Director. Also as chief of staff, Panetta was one of the chief consumers of the intel coming from CIA.

2. As Paul Begala pointed out on CNN tonight, as OMB Director (1993-4), Panetta oversaw the CIA's budget including the so-called black budget that few get to see. Also, as OMB Director, you need good budget and management skills which he has demonstrated.

3. Panetta was part of the Iraq Study Group.

4. Not all CIA Directors come from CIA ranks or the intelligence field. George H.W. Bush had little intel background when he served in that capacity under President Ford.

5. Nor does an intel background guarantee success. George Tenet was a company man. How'd that turn out?

6. As a 16 year veteran of Capitol Hill, Panetta knows how to lobby on behalf of an agency or cause. Former members of Congress make great lobbyists.

The criticism and trashing of Panetta, a well-respected public servant by individuals on both sides of the aisle, is mere politics. I suspect and hope the President-elect will not cave in and withdraw the pick. Panetta would make a fine addition to the Obama administration.