The White House World: Transitions, Organization, and Office Operations (Joseph V. Hughes, Jr., and Holly O. Hughes Series in the Presidency and Leadership Studies, No. 13)

When George W. Bush and his staff finally got word he had won the 2000 presidential election, they had only thirty-seven days left to shift from campaign mode to governing. Fortunately for the Bush team, a group of presidency scholars had gathered and provided them with a wealth of substantive analysis about presidential transitions and White House operations. The project was sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts and carried out by members of the Presidency Research Group of the American Political Science Association. With information covering six administrations and interviews with seventy-five former senior White House officials as well as with President Gerald Ford, the White House Interview Program proved an important resource for the new occupants of the West Wing. The White House World gathers and digests our material provided to incoming White House staff. Its individual chapters contain a veritable “how to” manual: information on the dynamics of White House operations; the functions of seven critical White House offices; and the actual transition of President Bush. This unique volume describes what it is like to work in the White House—details known to few working outside Pennsylvania Avenue. It also features organization charts for the offices analyzed, the first comprehensive look at how different administrations have structured these offices. Plus, in a final section, scholars and Bush Administration insiders provide brief views of George W. Bush’s unique transition into office. In addition to Professors Kumar and Sullivan, scholars contributing to the volume include: Peri E. Arnold, MaryAnne Borrelli, John P. Burke, George C. Edwards III, John Fortier, Karen Hult, Nancy Kassop, John H. Kessel, G. Calvin Mackenzie, Norman Ornstein, Bradley H. Patterson, Jr., James P. Pfiffner, Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, Charles Walcott, Shirley Anne Warshaw, Stephen J. Wayne. In the section on the Bush transition, we also have an essay by a transition insider. Clay Johnson, Executive Director of the Bush-Cheney Transition and now director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, provides a perspective on the transition of one who was there and involved in decisions relating to the start up of the administration. For those interested in the functioning of the Presidency—whether political actors, interested observers, or scholars-this book is a must-have. It tells the real story of who does what, who knows what, and how selected White House offices function. When George W. Bush and his staff finally got word he had officially won the 2000 presidential election, they had only thirty-seven days left to shift from campaign mode to governing. Fortunately for the Bush team, a group of presidency scholars had gathered and provided them with a wealth of substantive analysis about presidential transitions and White House operations. With information covering six administrations and interviews with seventy-five former senior White House officials as well as with President Gerald Ford, the White House Interview Program proved an important resource for the new occupants of the West Wing. The White House World gathers and digests the same material that was provided to the incoming White House staff. Its individual chapters contain a veritable "how to" manual: information on the dynamics of White House operations; the functions of seven critical White House offices; and the actual transition of President Bush. In a final section, scholars and Bush administration insiders offer brief views of George W. Bush's unique transition into office. In addition to Kumar and Sullivan, scholars contributing to the volume include: Peri E. Arnold, MaryAnne Borrelli, John P. Burke, George C. Edwards III, John Fortier, Karen Hult, Nancy Kassop, John H. Kessel, G. Calvin Mackenzie, Norman Ornstein, Bradley H. Patterson, Jr., James P. Pfiffner, Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, Charles Walcott, Shirley Anne Warshaw, and Stephen J. Wayne. The section on the Bush transition also contains an essay by Clay Johnson, executive director of the Bush-Cheney Transition and now director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. The project was sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trustsand carried out by members of the Presidency Research Group of the American Political Science Association. This is a must-have book for all current and aspiring participants and all serious observers of the American presidency Contents......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 Meeting the Freight Train Head On......Page 32 Lessons from Past Presidential Transitions......Page 52 A Tale of Two Transitions, 1980 and 1988......Page 72 The Political Environment of the White House......Page 90 The White House Is Like City Hall......Page 108 The Pressures of White House Work Life......Page 121 The Office of Chief of Staff......Page 138 The Office of Staff Secretary......Page 167 The Office of Presidential Personnel......Page 192 The White House Counsel ’s Office......Page 220 The Office of the Press Secretary......Page 251 The Office of Communications......Page 279 The Office of Management and Administration......Page 306 The 2000 –2001 Presidential Transition......Page 338 The Bush 2000 Transition: The Historical Context......Page 345 The Real Invisible Hand......Page 353 Already Buried and Sinking Fast......Page 362 Strategic Choices and the Early Bush Legislative Agenda......Page 369 Relations with Congress......Page 379 Recruiting and Organizing the White House Staff......Page 387 Appendices......Page 402 Contributors......Page 420 Index......Page 422 Filled with information gathered from six presidential administration, this unique inside view of the workings of power focuses on the organization and day-to-day function of the White House. (Politics & Government)