Next Obama chapter: Change coming to White House

Robert Gibbs Leaving Job as White House Press Secretary
Updated 1:29 p.m. Eastern Time Robert Gibbs is leaving his job as White House Press Secretary. At his daily briefing Wednesday afternoon, Gibbs said serving as press secretary over the past two years has been the "opportunity of a lifetime, one that I will be forever thankful and grateful for." "this was not an easy decision, but I think it was a very natural time period to make the decision to recharge a little bit," said Gibbs, who first went to work for Barack Obama back in 2004. Gibbs si...

Waiting on William Daley Decision: Tina Tchen picked for Michelle COS
below, version running in Thursday print Sun-Times.... WASHINGTON--Tina Tchen, a Chicago attorney who joined the Obama White House in 2009, will be First Lady Michelle Obama's new Chief of Staff, replacing Susan Sher, who will be returning to Chicago after she steps down in a few weeks. And as President Obama firms up mid-term personnel changes, a decision is expected soon over whether former Commerce Secretary William Daley becomes the new chief of staff. Daley was reportedly meeting with Oba...

Obama nearing decisions in White House staff shake-up
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama closed in Wednesday on a decision to fill two top positions and recharge his administration, stopping just short of naming a new Chief of Staff and a top economic adviser to guide the White House through a new period of divided government. William Daley, who was commerce secretary in the Clinton Administration, visited the West Wing to meet with the president and other advisers for a final series of discussions about serving as chief of staff. He has told as...

Daley visits White House as Obama prepares to make sweeping staff changes
Former commerce secretary William Daley paid a furtive visit to the White House on Wednesday, adding to speculation that he is the clear front-runner to become President Obama's new Chief of Staff. This Story Robert Gibbs resigns, saying he'll serve Obama better from outside Gibbs: It's been a 'remarkable privilege' Daley visits White House as Obama prepares to make sweeping staff changes The Fix: Gibbs shoes are tough to fill Robert Gibbs leaving the White House Michelle Obama names new chie...

Paul Begala: Possibilities For Gibbs After White House Are 'Limitless'
With White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs set to leave his post soon, we asked a former high-profile aide from another White House what issues can surround these kinds of transitions: Former Bill Clinton Staffer and current CNN pundit Paul Begala. "I don't know him very well personally, but I can tell you professionally I'm a huge admirer of Gibbs," Begala told TPM in a phone interview Wednesday. "Anything he turns to, he'd be good at it." "Maybe he can spend 2011 doing other things that w...

Gibbs out as White House spokesman
Robert Gibbs, the feisty Press Secretary whose job as President Barack Obama‘s chief spokesman and confidant has given him an outsized presence at the White House, announced Wednesday he was quitting for the less demanding, more lucrative role of giving paid speeches and advising the president from the outside world. In a rapidly unfolding makeover, Obama was also closing in on a decision whether to tap William Daley, a former commerce secretary, for the vital gatekeeping job of White Hous...

Gibbs tells staffers he is leaving White House
Robert Gibbs told White House Staffers Wednesday that he is leaving his post as President Obama's Press Secretary, ending a two-year tenure that made him the face of the White House as he sparred with reporters and defended administration policies. This Story Gibbs tells Staffers he is leaving White House Ron Klain, Biden's Chief of Staff, resigns to join Case Holdings President Obama announces appointment of Tom Donilon as National Security Advisor (video) Tom Donilon: Political wunderkind t...

Changes Coming to the White House
WASHINGTON - Retooling for a re-election run, President Barack Obama is shaking up his senior leadership team to deal with the new realities of his term: The era of big Legislation is over, a massive campaign effort needs energy and people, and the White House is taking a toll on those who run it. Obama's Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, is likely to leave that job, and his interim Chief of Staff, Pete Rouse, may go, too. Those departures would significantly alter the management of the White Hou...

No Pity for Robert Gibbs and His 'Modest' Salary
Perhaps it was the long flight back from Hawaii. But President Obama's first full day back on the job suggested a slight case of tone deafness. In bidding a sort-of farewell to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, he noted the "relatively modest pay" for which Gibbs has labored. In fact, he earns $172,200 in a nation where the average family income hovers around $55,000, Unemployment is high, record Foreclosures persist and wages for most folks are at best stagnant. But implicit in Gibbs' depart...

Connie Lawn: Fade Out of the Robert Gibbs Era
January 5, 2011, From Inside the White House Press Room -- It was a bittersweet scene as we watched Robert Gibbs try to explain why he will soon leave the White House. To some of us, it seemed he may have been pushed to go at this time. His plans for the future have not yet gelled, although he hopes to consult and lecture. He will probably be a paid political advisor to the next Obama Presidential Campaign, but he said, surprisingly, this is expected to be his last political Candidate. He did ...

A banker for W.H. chief of staff?
Just a year or two ago, a lukewarm glass of water and a stern talking-to from President Barack Obama was the most a bank executive could hope for when visiting the White House. Now Obama may ask one to run the place. Granted that Bill Daley, who many Democrats believe will become Obama’s new Chief of Staff and was spotted at the White House on Wednesday afternoon, is not your typical Banker. He’s a former commerce secretary, who headed up President Bill Clinton’s effort to en...

Obama meets possible chief of staff pick (AFP)
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama on Wednesday met William Daley, a top Candidate to serve as his new Chief of Staff, as a major White House staff reshuffle gathered pace. Daley, a Clinton-era commerce secretary met Obama and other administration officials, an official said on condition of anonymity. There was no indication on whether Daley had been or would be offered the job. Obama's first chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, like Daley a renowned Chicago powerbroker, left last ...

Obama nearer on staff retooling
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama closed in Wednesday on a decision to fill two top positions and recharge his administration, stopping just short of naming a new Chief of Staff and a top economic adviser to guide the White House through a new period of divided government. William Daley, who was commerce secretary in the Clinton Administration, visited the West Wing to meet with the president and other advisers for a final series of discussions about serving as chief of staff. He has to...

Gibbs joins parade to door
Saying he simply needed a break, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on Wednesday added his name to a growing list of West Wing staff departures as President Obama restocks the team that will help him deal with newly resurgent congressional Republicans and prepare for a 2012 re-election bid. Mr. Gibbs said he will step down in early February after serving for nearly seven years as a spokesman for Mr. Obama, having joined the president's staff when Mr. Obama was the Democratic Candidate for ...

Obama's Next Press Secretary Needs Power, in the White House and with the Press
This post originally appeared on Slate. (Credit: Getty) The president's spokesman, Robert Gibbs, announced today that he's leaving the White House. So who will speak for the president now? This question won't be answered merely by naming a successor. The number of people who can speak for the president--plus the inevitable blend of policy defense and political Rhetoric that takes place as we move toward the 2012 Campaign--could make for some confusion in the White House. The president spoke t...

Daley visits White House, renewing chief of staff speculation
William Daley visited the White House today and sat down with President Obama and interim Chief of Staff Pete Rouse multiple news outlets reported today. Daley, a executive for J.P. Morgan Chase, is said to be under consideration to replace Rouse as President Obama's chief of staff. Daley previously served as U.S. Commerce Secretary during the Clinton Administration and is the brother of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. There was no word on whether President Obama offered the chief of staff p...

Daley, candidate for senior post in Obama administration, visiting White House
William Daley, the front-runner to become permanent Chief of Staff to President Obama, is paying a furtive visit to the White House on Wednesday, according to people familiar with the hiring process. This Story Robert Gibbs resigns, saying he'll serve Obama better from outside Gibbs: It's been a 'remarkable privilege' Daley visits White House as Obama prepares to make sweeping staff changes The Fix: Gibbs shoes are tough to fill Robert Gibbs leaving the White House Michelle Obama names new ch...

Robert Gibbs: I Will Teepee The White House If Auburn Wins BCS Championship
In an interview on the CBS College Sports network's "The Tony Barnhart Show," which will air at 10 p.m. Thursday night, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he would take part in an Auburn tradition if the Tigers beat the Oregon Ducks in the BCS Championship Game. "I'll make this commitment on the air. If Auburn wins, I will come back, I will get a little agreement with the Secret Service," Gibbs said, according to Mike Allen's report in Playbook Thursday morning. "We'll put a couple...

Howard Dean endorses Daley and smacks outgoing Obama staff
The Sarah Palin of the Democratic party - Howard Dean - has endorsed a product of the Chicago Machine’s favorite family as Obama’s Chief of Staff.   He feels William Daley would be a “huge plus” for the Obama  because he is someone “who knows Washington, but he also is not of Washington." Yeah, that’s kinda the point - he’s from Chicago.  Just like the guy in the Oval Office who supposedly “knows Washington” but

Volcker stepping down from White House advisory post
(CNN) - Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker is stepping down as chairman of President Obama's outside economic advisory panel, according to Democratic sources familiar with the move, as the reshuffling of the White House's economic team continues. The announcement comes as senior officials say Obama is expected on Friday to make a much more substantial move by officially naming Gene Sperling to replace Larry Summers as the chairman of the National Economic Council, the key policymaking ...

Daley or Rouse?
Via Mike Allen’s “Playbook” on the president’s choice for Chief of Staff. (annoying caps in original): A TOP White House OFFICIAL, on whether Bill Daley will be named chief of staff, or whether Pete Rouse will remain: “Rouse/Daley thing still up in the air. The key here is what does Rouse want to do: Does a guy who had planned to leave, and someone who is famously behind-the-scenes, want to do that job for two grueling years? No decisions will be made until the Pres...

Obama readies retooled administration (AFP)
WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama Wednesday worked on a "major retooling" of his administration, seeking fresh recruits to challenge resurgent Republicans as he set the stage for his 2012 Reelection bid. On the day Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, Obama met Chicago powerbroker William Daley to discuss the post of White House Chief of Staff, and his confidant and spokesman Robert Gibbs said he would step down. Obama meanwhile prepared a series of...

Tea Party star Michele Bachmann may have eyes on White House
Move over, Sarah Palin. There may be a new Tea Party star with eyes on the White House. Rep. Michele Bachmann, a Minnesota Republican who once said God told her to run for Congress, is planning a Speech in her native Iowa later this month, fueling speculation she will run in 2012. On Wednesday, Bachmann spokesman Sergio Gor confirmed an ABC News report of the congresswoman's potential White House aspirations. "Nothing is off the table," Gor told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Bachmann's chief o...

Robert Gibbs Steps Out From Podium
Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has spent six years in one occupation or another to help promote the agenda of now-President Barack Obama. But that ends this week, and it's not just so he can cash in. While Press secretaries occupy one of the most difficult Public Relations positions in the world, it's not just de-stressing that led to the Obama White House to accept Gibbs' Resignation, according to the Washington Post. In being one of Obama's most effective Public attack dogs (Vice President Joe Biden is t

Change Coming to White House
(AP) WASHINGTON - Retooling for a re-election run, President Barack Obama is shaking up his senior leadership team to deal with the new realities of his term: The era of big Legislation is over, a massive campaign effort needs energy and people, and the White House is taking a toll on those who run it. Obama's Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, is likely to leave that job, and his interim Chief of Staff, Pete Rouse, may go, too. Those departures would significantly alter the management of the White...