Bye-Bye, Andy

Th White House Chief of Staff resigned this morning, and Washington wants it to be a huge story, but the press and the commentators can't seem to get too excited. The Washington Post reports: "President Bush took the first step in what aides say may be a second-term overhaul of his beleaguered administration." How much of an overhaul is this? Introducing Card's replacement, The Post continues: "In picking [Joshua B.] Bolten, Bush once again chose not to reach beyond his inner circle to fill a critical post." The New York Times called it "a step unlikely to satisfy calls within his own party for fresh thinking to address the administration's troubles," and further quotes former Commerce Secretary Donald Evans: "The differences between Andy Card and Josh Bolten are at the margins." In a separate piece, The Times tells us, "Republicans in Congress reacted positively to the appointment but with barely stifled yawns." It's hardly a surprise, but not only does the Bush White House fail to achieve change with this staffing shift, they don't even achieve the illusion of change. Oh well, at least Bolten plays bass in a rock band.