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Bushology Interactive:
2000 - 2004

The Bush II Administration

Appointees

1. The Cabinet and White House staff
For individual profiles of appointees, see: New York Times & Washington Post
For the Bush Administration's website for its political appointees, see "Results.gov: Resources for the President's Team."

Thomas D. Edsall, Washington Post, "Bush Has A Cabinet Full of Wealth: One-Third Top $10 Million Mark," September 18, 2002.

ALSO SEE: Paul Krugman, New York Times, "The Sons Also Rise," November 22, 2002.

Key people:

At Commerce: Donald Evans
Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times, "Texas Pals Are Still Sharing Adventures," May 26, 2003.
At Treasury: Paul O'Neill to John Snow:
Dana Milbank, Washington Post, "With '04 in Mind, Bush Team Saw Economic, Political Peril," December 7, 2002. (On the forced resignations of Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and National Economic Council Director Lawrence B. Lindsey.)
Mike Allen, Washington Post, "Bush Picks CSX Corp. Chief for Treasury Railroad Executive Is In Final Review Stage," December 9, 2002. (John W. Snow will replace Paul O'Neill.)

Edmund L. Andrews, New York Times, "John W. Snow: A Pragmatist at Treasury," December 10, 2002.

Jonathan Weisman, Washington Post, "Treasury Secretary Confirmed," January 31, 2003.

At the SEC: Harvey Pitt to William Donaldson:
Stephen Labaton, New York Times, "S.E.C.'s Embattled Chief Resigns in Wake of Latest Political Storm," November 6, 2002.
David S. Hilzenrath and Mike Allen, Washington Post, "Besieged Pitt Quits as SEC Chairman," November 6, 2002.

Ron Fournier, Associated Press, "Bush Picks Investment Banker to Head SEC, " December 10, 2002. (William H. Donaldson will replace Pitt.)

Colin Powell:
Archive on Colin Powell: Consortium News
Condoleezza Rice
Evan Thomas, Newsweek, "The Quiet Power of Condi Rice," December 16, 2002.
Karl Rove:
E. J. Dionne, Jr., Washington Post, "The GOP Jokers," June 19, 2001.
Michael Isikoff, Newsweek, "Taking Stock Of Karl Rove," June 25, 2001.

Matt Bai, New York Times, "Rove's Way," October 20, 2002.

Dana Milbank, Washington Post, "The Political Mind Behind Tort Reform," February 25, 2003.

Dan Balz, Washington Post, "In New Hampshire, the Spotlight Is on Rove
White House Adviser Draws Crowd as He Lays Foundation for Bush Campaign," May 8, 2003.

Karen Hughes:
David Boaz, Cato Institute, "Karen Hughes, the Power Behind the Curtain," August 18, 2001.
Peggy Fikac, San Antonio Express-News, "Bush's counselor [Karen] Hughes lets faith be her guide," November 19, 2001.

Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times, "An Influential Bush Adviser, Karen Hughes, Will Resign," April 24, 2002.

Ari Fleischer to Scott McClellan:
Howard Kurtz, Washington Post, "Straight Man," (Ari Fleischer), May 19, 2002.
Jonathan Chait, New Republic, "Defense Secretary: The Peculiar Duplicity of Ari Fleischer," June 10, 2002.

Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times, "Bush's Spokesman Is Stepping Down, for Now," May 20, 2003.

--Mark Leibovich, Washington Post, "The Spokesman's Collected Wisdom," May 20, 2003.
Mike Allen, Washington Post, "McClellan Is Named Bush Press Secretary," June 21, 2003.
Jay Lefkowitz:
Dana Milbank, Washington Post, "A Hard-Nosed Litigator Becomes Bush's Policy Point Man," (Jay Lefkowitz of Kirkland & Ellis), April 30, 2002.
Elliott Abrams:
No byline, Washington Post, "Iran-Contra Figure Named To Senior Post In White House," December 3, 2002.
Richard Cohen, Washington Post, "Liars' Legacy," December 11, 2002.

Fred Barnes, Weekly Standard, "Mr. Rice Guy," December 16, 2002.

Michael Dobbs, Washington Post, "Back in Political Forefront: Iran-Contra Figure Plays Key Role on Mideast," May 27, 2003.

White House Counsel's Office:
Dana Milbank, Washington Post, "White House Counsel Office Now Full of Clinton Legal Foes," January 30, 2001.
--Dana Milbank, Washington Post, "Whitewater Lawyer Turns Proponent of Presidential Power," (Brett Kavanaugh) October 15, 2002.
--Mike Allen, Washington Post, "Bush to Choose Ex-Starr Aide," June 19, 2003. (Bush will nominate Kavanaugh to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit)

* Neil A. Lewis, New York Times, "Bush Selects 2 for Bench, Adding Fuel to Senate Fire," July 26, 2003.

2. Ashcroft at Justice: Getting what we expected--and feared

PFAW
Department of Justice
Edward Walsh and Dan Eggen, Washington Post, "Ashcroft Orders Tally Of Lighter Sentences: Critics Say He Wants 'Blacklist' of Judges," August 7, 2003.

Nat Hentoff, Village Voice, "The New American Freedom Fighters Organizing Against General Ashcroft," November 29, 2002.

Dan Eggen and Susan Schmidt, Washington Post, "Secret Court Rebuffs Ashcroft: Justice Dept. Chided On Misinformation," August 23, 2002.

Dan Eggen, Washington Post, "Ashcroft Aggressively Pursues Death Penalty," July 1, 2002.

Larry King Live, CNN, "Interview with John Ashcroft," May 31, 2002.

Ellen Nakashima and Thomas B. Edsall, Washington Post, "Ashcroft Personnel Moves Irk Career Justice Lawyers," March 15, 2002.

Michael Ravnitzky, American Lawyer Media, "Justice Department Hiding Secret Weekly Reports to the Attorney General," February 16, 2002.

December 6, 2001: Ashcroft begins to confirm the worst fears about his abilities and intentions before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee:

* Full text of hearing
* Dan Eggen, Washington Post, "Ashcroft Defends Anti-Terrorism Steps," December 7, 2001.

* Neil A. Lewis, New York Times, "Ashcroft Defends Antiterror Plan and Says Criticism May Aid Foes," December 7, 2001.

* Peter Slevin, Washington Post, "Ashcroft Blocks FBI Access to Gun Records," December 7, 2001.

* Robin Toner, New York Times, "Senators Spar Carefully in Hearing on Security," December 7, 2001.

* Editorial, New York Times, "John Ashcroft Misses the Point," December 7, 2001.

* Editorial, Washington Post, "The Ashcroft Smear," December 7, 2001.

Nina J. Easton, Washington Post, "A Life of Faith," November 4, 2001.
Ashcroft's shocking October 12, 2001, memorandum about the Freedom of Information Act.

* James V. Grimaldi, Washington Post, "At Justice, Freedom Not to Release Information," December 2, 2002.
* Also see: Information Security Oversight Office. "Information Security Oversight Office's (ISOO) 2001 Report to the President," September 20, 2002. (Re: "Classified National Security Information.")

* Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

--Cynthia L. Webb, Washington Post, "Someone To Watch Over Us," November 21, 2002.

Dan Eggen, Washington Post, "Ashcroft: Gun Ownership an Individual Right," May 24, 2001.
David Corn & Dan Moldea, The Nation, "Did Ashcroft Take the Low Road on the High Road?" January 15, 2001.

3. Other DOJ appointees--The worst Clinton haters continue to receive the best jobs.

John Mintz, Washington Post, "One-Woman Wrecking Crew Targets Democratic Leaders: Meticulous [Barbara] Comstock Helps RNC Skewer the Opposition," August 22, 2001.
--No byline, Washington Post, "Job Swap In Public Affairs at RNC, DOJ," December 22, 2001. (Ashcroft openly declares war on his political enemies by naming party-hack Comstock as DOJ's director of public affairs.)
Terry Frieden, CNN, "Whitewater investigator to take key Justice post," (Michael Chertoff to head DOJ's Criminal Division), March 14, 2001.
Ylan Q. Mui, Washington Post, "From East to West, Then Up and to the Right:
After 23 Years, Viet Dinh Has Really Arrived,"August 29, 2001.

Dan Eggen, Washington Post, "Bush Plans to Tap Rep. Hutchinson to Run DEA," May 9, 2001.

Peter Slevin and Dan Eggen, Washington Post, "FBI Nominee Lauded for Tenacity," (Robert Mueller), July 30, 2001.

Joe Conason, Salon, "Ted Olson's Anti-Clinton Past," April 5, 2001.

--Susan Schmidt, Washington Post, "Solicitor General Works Through Grief," September 26, 2001.
--Jake Tapper, Salon, "Olson under fire," May 11, 2001.

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