William Daley Resigns as White House Chief of Staff, Obama Announces Replacement


William Daley is resigning his position as White House chief of staff, a title which will now pass to budget director Jack Lew as the Obama administration gears up for the 2012 election.

President Obama made the announcement today, saying that Daley had expressed his desire to step down from his position in order to spend more time with his family. Though Obama asked Daley to reconsider, he refused, citing a desire to return to Chicago.

Regarding the departure of Daley and subsequent appointment of Lew, President Obama had this to say:

“There is no question that I am going to deeply miss having Bill by my side in the White House, […] Here in Washington I have every confidence that Jack won’t miss a beat.”

Jack Lew has served as budget director for Presidents Clinton and now Obama. His success under the Clinton administration is what got him the job from President Obama:

“If there was a Hall of Fame for budget directors, then Jack Lew surely would have earned a place for his service in that role under President Clinton, when he helped balance the federal budget after years of deficits,”

Lew was Daley’s personally suggested replacement, and the President took Daley’s advice. Though Daley’s departure is a bit of a surprise, he has pledged to remain with Obama through this year’s election:

“I made a commitment to the president through his reeelection, which I’m confident he will do, and then my wife and I will return to Chicago,”

Lew will be learning the ropes as Daley’s responsibilities narrow, and should President Obama see a second term, Lew will be the new go-to in Obama’s team.

Here’s the video story from our pals at Newsy:

[iframe src=”http://www.newsy.com/embed-video/10559/” width=”480? height=”270?]

Do you think this announcement comes at a bad time, or is Jack Lew a good replacement for William Daley?

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