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Jones resigns as NSC chief, Donilon next director

Redress

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Jones resigns as NSC chief, Donilon next director - Yahoo! News

AP-2:45pm- In another White House shake up, President Barack Obama on Friday announced that his national security adviser, Gen. James Jones, was stepping down after helping to shape the foreign policy for nearly two years. Tom Donilon, Jones' deputy, will take over as the top security adviser.

Obama hailed Jones, a lifelong military man before his White House post, as a "dedicated public servant and a friend to me." The president turned over the job to Donilon, a workhorse figure in the White House who brings to the job a long background of Democratic politics and diplomacy.

It looks like Obama is going for a thorough shakeup of his staff.
 
a very important development, thank you for posting it

the real meaning of these positions and personalities is more along the lines of obama entrenching himself even more among those with whom he feels comfortable, his almost adamant reluctance to bring in outsiders, his doubling down on his own management style, his rejection of any need to redirect his white house

Jones’ resignation had been rumored for months, amid reports he struggled to fit in with the Obama team from the start of the administration.

He reportedly had friction with Donilon and with the president’s closest advisers – including senior advisor David Axelrod, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs and former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has told associates that Donilon’s appointment to NSA would be a disaster, according to journalist Bob Woodard's recently published book, “Obama’s Wars.”

Administration officials, speaking over the last month, have said that Donilon’s ascent could lead Gates, a Republican holdover from the Bush administration who has developed a good rapport with Obama, to make an early exit from the Pentagon. Donilon, Woodward reported, was deeply skeptical of the military’s chain of command – and the feeling was mutual, with many commanders viewing Donilon as a politically-connected dilettante who was in over his head.

According to Woodward, Jones clashed with members of Obama’s inner circle – whom he derisively nicknamed ”waterbugs” – and complained about limited access to the president. Emanuel, Woodward wrote, was especially close to Donilon, and would walk past Jones’ office to relay Oval Office requests directly to Donilon, irritating Jones to the point he personally confronted Emanuel.

Jones also seemed skeptical of Donilon last year, advising him to travel to Iraq and Afghanistan – something his deputy hadn’t done before – while telling him to tone down his opinions of military leaders and NSC staffers.

Tom Donilon to replace James Jones as National Security Council chief - Carol E. Lee and Gordon Lubold - POLITICO.com

out of respect for fair use, let me try to summarize the remaining gist put forth by lubold and lee

jones' replacement at nsc, donilon, is the "ultimate insider" who began as a CAMPAIGN guy for jimmy carter and ended up obama's "debate coach" on foreign policy matters

he was also the chief vetter on the transition team overseeing foggy bottom (the state dept) with long time ties to international wonk biden when the affable veep was chair of senate foreign relations

altho politico doesn't point it out, i don't think it's spin to recall, here, the rather messy exits of dennis blair and stanley mcchrystal, known to share some of general jones' concerns
 
on the topic of staff shakeup and what it means, politico's piece this morning on obama's new chief of staff rouse paints the same picture even more vividly

But no matter how bad things get, Rouse and Obama have no plans to break up the small group of campaign veterans who surround the president — nor are they likely to bring in the outsiders many Democrats think the White House sorely needs.

“It’s kind of a tight team over there, to state the obvious,” says Pennsylvania Gov. [and clintonista] Edward Rendell, a former Democratic National Committee chairman, in a recent interview with POLITICO. “Sometimes it’s hard to find a point of contact — or even know who to call over there.”

Nor does Obama intend to change the West Wing’s underlying management dynamic — an autodidact president who talks to many people but listens to a handful of insiders with vague, sweeping portfolios who pad in and out of the Oval Office.

“Nothing has changed,” says a person familiar with Obama’s thinking. “It’s not that he’s uncomfortable with outside people, it’s that he wants the people he’s most comfortable with right next to him.”

Pete Rouse braces White House for Republican gains - Glenn Thrush - POLITICO.com
 
Isn't it pretty typical after a few years for any president?

Yes it is. I think this is earlier than usual, but same basic premise, get new people new ideas in.
 
This isn't usually done right before mid-terms, I don't recall.
 
Isn't it pretty typical after a few years for any president?

yes, but there are a couple things most atypical

1. such widespread staff changes (orszag, romer, summers, axelrod, gibbs, jones, rahm) aren't usually made before midterms

2. replacing personnel with people so close to the president is also somewhat peculiar precisely because it signals an aversion to new ideas

it's certainly his right, many question its wisdom
 
Obama has been a failure and nothing he has done has been good for America or worked other than to destroy the economy as his plan has been from the start.

Obama is going down as a failed one term idiot and he will be deserted by many more as the the end of his popularity grows.

Only fools still believe in this amateur at everything.
 
First they complain he's surrounded himself with radicals, then they complain when he dumps them...
 
The truth of the matter is...
"The move, though expected, is the latest high-profile departure among Mr. Obama's leadership team.....

Jones, who retired from active duty in February 2007 after more than 40 years of uniformed service, had planned all along to leave the national security adviser's post within two years, said one official...."

Obama Adviser Gen. James Jones Resigning - CBS News

It is not unusual for people to change jobs or resign during a presidents term. But what is unusual is the number who resigned in disgrace from the Bush administration.....

Bush Appointee Resignation Scorecard | the DC Shuffle


It seems whenever someone resigns for "family reasons" it's actually for more dubious reasons.
 
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True that, Moot, and SecDef Gates has already stayed longer than he wanted to, as well. Summers had to leave so as not to lose out on his Harvard retirement monies...Summers is the one I'm glad to see go.

Regards from Rosie
 
The thing that concerns me is the reduced input from the senior military folks in his NSC meetings. It is worrisome that his advisors are becoming ideologically contracted. He isn't listening to outside voices.
 
Yep, all the rats are jumping ship aren't they?......lol.


j-mac

The same exact words were said during the last adminstration by the other side of the aisle. Glad to see you're keeping your side on the low road too. Never mind the facts, such as he wasn't going to stay long anyway.
 
Looks more like they're bailing, because they don't want to be associated with Obama's mess. General Jones was the only member of his staff that gave Obama any real credibility and now that's gone.

See above post. Of course I didn't expect more from a partisan shrill.
 
Obama has been a failure and nothing he has done has been good for America or worked other than to destroy the economy as his plan has been from the start.

Obama is going down as a failed one term idiot and he will be deserted by many more as the the end of his popularity grows.

Only fools still believe in this amateur at everything.


I dearly want you to be right - but it is possible that Barry can get a 2nd term because even if the GOP takes Congress in 24 days they will have a threadbare majority. Obama has the Veto which will not be overridden. ALSO in 2012 he will be up against another person - a face with a History & Human Flaws & baggage from whatever. No way he loses like say Jimmy Carter did in 1980 because our demographics have substantially changed,and higher percentages than ever are Voting by Mail - a dangerous trend.

How many non citizen's Vote has been a growing intriguing question.

More to the point considering the lousy economy with little real hope for change, and entrenched animosities abounding . Obama might have achieved already what he wants which is IMHO the substantial reduction of the Middle Class.

No matter what happens - in 2012 he will carry Manhattan, The Bronx, Marthasd Vineyard, the Hamptons, Santa Barbara, Beverly Hills , Vail, Yazoo City, East St. Louis, Detroit, Montgomery Cty. Tacoma, Newark, So Beach, Kuai etc.
 
The thing that concerns me is the reduced input from the senior military folks in his NSC meetings. It is worrisome that his advisors are becoming ideologically contracted. He isn't listening to outside voices.

He was never accepting any input from his senior military folks, anyway. Jones' regination isn't going to change anything.
 
you are exactly correct, friend, the promotions of donilon and rouse signal precisely that---more of the same

what the world is learning via these personnel switchups is just how narrowly is controlled this white house by those whom almost everyone, friends and critics alike, has called the chicago mafia

ie, the close and very small cadre of politicos that accompanied obama from chicago to dc and keep his consort in what is coming across as a closet

this president is very isolated

A portrait of Barack Obama, by the book - James Hohmann - POLITICO.com

the above portrait of the president's inner workings was painted after the models presented by woodward, ex car czar rattner and liberal columnist jonathan alter in their separate books

the 3 are consistent, their descriptions overlap along almost all lines, they ring true because they are true

that is, none of this is news to those of us who watch things as closely as those of us who watch so closely

but the rest of the world is catching on, that's the point, it has been for some time, the CHARACTER of barry obama has been so openly on display

you can't help but see it

really, too many of you folks see as SPIN that which isn't

none of the above, for instance, is, it's mere observation, almost buddha-like

the giveaway is always THE SOURCE---if it's politico, the nyt, the globe, wapo, cnn, ap, bloomberg, 100 others---it's not spin

they may be WRONG in their reporting, but it's not spin

if msnbc says something negative about the dems or obama or pelosi...

if fox reports a story embarrassing to a republican...

that's NEWS

for you not to see, even to deny what is elephant-in-the-room obvious to the entire, consensual professional political class...

you really need to up your game, you come across too frequently as kids

your first move is to LINK, this will force you to read more and talk less

consider the source

read woodward, rattner and alter---how can you keep up if you don't?

don't be lazy, now
 
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True that, Moot, and SecDef Gates has already stayed longer than he wanted to, as well. Summers had to leave so as not to lose out on his Harvard retirement monies...Summers is the one I'm glad to see go.

Regards from Rosie
Yes, I was glad to see Summers go, too. I wouldn't mind seeing Geitner go as well, but then he would just be replaced by someone else who had worked for Goldman Sachs, so what would be the point?
 
He was never accepting any input from his senior military folks, anyway. Jones' regination isn't going to change anything.


Can you back that up or are you just pulling that out of your ass? For someone -- who as you say -- doesn't accept much input he sure gave McCrystal a lot of latitude. I would have canned McC the first time he disrespected the CIC and tried doing end runs around him.
 
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