So much for the massive turnover prediction

Prior to the election, many conservatives e-mailed me stating that they shared my qualms about aspects of the Bush administration’s Iraq policy, and that of course Bush was going to clean house after the election. Reading Mike Allen’s story in today’s Washington Post, I have my doubts: President Bush will not ask his appointees for ...

By , a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast.

Prior to the election, many conservatives e-mailed me stating that they shared my qualms about aspects of the Bush administration's Iraq policy, and that of course Bush was going to clean house after the election. Reading Mike Allen's story in today's Washington Post, I have my doubts:

Prior to the election, many conservatives e-mailed me stating that they shared my qualms about aspects of the Bush administration’s Iraq policy, and that of course Bush was going to clean house after the election. Reading Mike Allen’s story in today’s Washington Post, I have my doubts:

President Bush will not ask his appointees for the mass resignation letters that sometimes have been requested with a change of term but instead wants the aides to keep doing their jobs unless they are told otherwise, White House officials said yesterday. White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. and the director of presidential personnel, Dina Powell, held a conference call on Thursday with agency heads and their White House liaisons and assured them that although all appointees serve at the pleasure of the president, there will be no universal request for resignations. The decision reflects both Bush’s view that his government is working well, and his determination to move aggressively to pass ambitious legislation before he starts being viewed as a lame duck, officials said. A White House official said the reprieve also reflects the premium Bush puts on consistency as part of his management style…. Although Bush plans no administration-wide housecleaning, not everyone who wants to stay will be able to. Treasury Secretary John W. Snow was subtly given the idea that he would not be staying for all four years but could take all the time he wanted to leave, administration officials said. Snow may help kick off Bush’s proposal to overhaul the tax code and then return home to Richmond, officials said. Attorney General John D. Ashcroft is also expected to leave. So are Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.

What astonishes me is not that Bush wants to keep most of his cabinet officers on board — that is certainly true to Bush’s style. What’s amazing is that these people want to stay on. Forgetting partisanship or performance, these jobs are just exhausting. Prior to this administration, the average length of tenure for cabinet or subcabinet position was somewhere between eighteen months and two years. To paraphrase Michael Jackson, this Bush administration isn’t like other administrations. UPDATE: This site is getting rather worked up about this issue.

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner

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