Bush replaces chief of staff after criticism from Republicans

President George W. Bush (C) announces the resignation of his Chief of Staff Andrew Card (L) and names Josh Bolten (R) as Card's replacement. Picture / Reuters

WASHINGTON - President Bush has finally bowed to poor approval ratings and ongoing criticism from Republicans by replacing his long-serving chief of staff, one of the most senior members of his administration and a stalwart supporter.

After weeks of criticism from members of his own party calling for the president to shake up his administration and kick-start his stalled agenda, Mr Bush said yesterday he was accepting the resignation of Andrew Card.

But rather than introducing new blood, Mr Bush said Mr Card's position would be filled by the administration's budget director, Josh Bolten.

The move represents at best a compromise between Mr Bush, famously loyal to his aides, and Republicans on Capitol Hill who believe that the president's second term has run aground in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the self-created problem of Iraq.

Hovering somewhere in the mid 30s, Mr Bush's approval rating is the lowest for a second-term presidency since the days of Richard Nixon.

Unlike four years ago when Republican candidates in the November 2002 Congressional elections rode Mr Bush's tails to victory, senior figures in his party are now concerned the president's low ratings will undermine candidates contesting this autumn's elections.

While Mr Card has a low public profile, ordinary Americans remember him as the man who spoke into the President's ear on the morning of September 11, 2001, informing him of the terror attacks on New York as Mr Bush sat listening to children read at the Emma T Booker primary school in Florida.

Mr Bush sat for another five minutes before being whisked away by Secret Service agents .

Mr Bush said of his chief-of-staff: "Andy Card has served me and our country in historic times: on a terrible day when America was attacked, during economic recession and recovery, through storms of unprecedented destructive power, in peace and in war.

"Andy has overseen legislative achievements on issues from education to Medicare. He helped confirm two justices to the Supreme Court, including a new Chief Justice."

A teary-eyed Mr Card said he looked forward to simply being Mr Bush's friend and added: "You're a good man, Mr. President."

Described as a numbers man and known for his love of motorcycles, Mr Bolten, 51, will receive a two-week crash course from Mr Card before taking on one of the most demanding and exhausting jobs in the administration.

It was reported that Mr Card routinely arrives at his office in the West Wing of the White House at 5.30am and often does not leave until 10pm.

Having served more than five years in the job, Mr Card had apparently been hoping to secure the record at the longest serving White House chief-of-staff.

Now he will not have the opportunity to beat either James Steelman, who was President Harry Truman's chief of staff and served for six years, or Sherman Adams, Dwight Eisenhower's top aide, who served for five years and nine months.

What impact Mr Card's departure will have remains to be seen.

The minor shake-up leaves in place the president's most influential official, his senior policy advisor, Karl Rove, as well as all the other senior members of his cabinet such as the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, who has twice offered his resignation to Mr Bush only for it to be turned down.

Certainly, many Republicans had been hoping Mr Bush would do much more to inject new ideas and personalities into his inner circle.

Two weeks ago James Baker, the chief-of-staff to Ronald Reagan, telephoned the White House and urged it to take on former Senator Fred Thompson to help jump-start the administration's policy agenda.

There have also been calls for a senior figure to be appointed as a liaison between the White House and Republicans on Capitol Hill, whose strained relationship was recently in evidence during the row over the Dubai ports deal.

- INDEPENDENT