Obama's Chief of Staff Half-Resigns

Profiles: He's a 'bare-knuckles' whip-cracker—and a disappointment to liberals

(NEWSER) - William Daley has terms like "longtime Democratic operative," "former Clinton secretary of commerce" and "Chicago political scion" thrown about him, but the New York Times takes a closer look at President Obama's new right-hand guy. He's “a bare-knuckles administrator ... someone who not only makes the trains run on time, he makes them run ahead of time,” says a veteran of the foundering Gore campaign Daley was called in to resuscitate. “He quickly brought order to the house. He held people accountable.” More»

Sources say White House press secretary considering 2012 campaign role

(NEWSER) - White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs—who recently told reporters no major administration reshuffle was on the way—is likely to be headed for the exit himself as part of the overhaul, according to Politico. Gibbs is seriously considering stepping aside to work on President Obama's 2012 campaign, although no final decision has been made and administration officials haven't settled on a successor, say sources. More»

He's a longtime aide and much more low-key than Rahm Emanuel

(NEWSER) - So who is this Pete Rouse, the man expected to step into Rahm Emanuel's shoes tomorrow? The president's senior aide is a longtime one and not unfamiliar with serving as his chief of staff—Rouse was hired in that job when then-Sen. Obama first arrived in Washington, reports the New York Times . He keeps a low profile, is said to be liked and respected by Democrats and Republicans, and has three decades of insider knowledge on how to get things done within the bureaucracy of Washington. More»

Jack Lew will replace him

(NEWSER) - William Daley is ending his tumultuous tenure with the Obama administration, stepping down as chief of staff to make way for current budget director Jack Lew, White House sources tell the LA Times . Daley handed in his letter of resignation last week, and President Obama will announce the move this afternoon. Officials say Daley's resignation caught Obama by surprise; he had been counting on Daley to help navigate the impending budget showdown with Congress. More»

Bill Daley says Congress won't let Obama be a chief executive

(NEWSER) - Roger Simon of Politico has an entertaining interview with White House chief of staff Bill Daley. Some highlights:

• How it's going: “It’s been a brutal three years. It’s been a very, very difficult three years, an incredible three years. And we are doing all this under the overhang of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. F--k! It wasn’t like all this was happening in good times."
• On 'we can't wait': "Both Democrats and Republicans have really made it very difficult for the president to be anything like a chief executive. This has led to a kind of frustration," and to the president's push for the executive branch to do as much as it can without Congress.