Ari Fleischer To Resign!
Posted: Mon May 19, 2003 8:51 am
WASHINGTON (AP) -- White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, the public face of the Bush administration through two war and a terrorist attack, said Monday he will resign in July to enter the private sector. His replacement will likely be deputy press secretary Scott McClellan.
"I've decided my time has come to leave the White House," Fleischer said in a telephone interview.
The spokesman said he wanted to leave the hard-driving job before President Bush's re-election campaign geared up.
Fleischer clashed at times with the White House press corps and had an uneasy relationship with some senior Bush aides, but he said the departure was his idea. He notified Bush of his decision Friday. The president ended the conversation "by kissing me on the head," the spokesman said.
Fleischer, 42, got married six months ago. He said that after 21 years in government he wanted to go on the speaking circuit and maybe do some writing. With Bush beginning his re-election campaign, Fleischer said this is the time to leave the White House "or sign on for the full four years."
"I've just been thinking about what I want to do, when I want to do it," he said. "I believe deeply in this president, his policies and the man. But there comes a time in public service when you have to decide when it's time to go."
Bush has not decided who will replace Fleischer, two senior White House officials said. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Texas native McClellan is the likely replacement but there are other candidates.
Republican strategist Ed Gillespie and Pentagon spokesman Victoria Clarke are potential prospects.
A cautious and calibrating press secretary, Fleischer has been the public voice of the presidency through the September 11, 2001, attacks, the war in Afghanistan and the Iraq war, loyally putting the best spin on events. He frustrated reporters by constantly dodging the toughest questions and sometimes irked his White House colleagues by pushing for access behind the scenes.
His meatless pronouncements on Bush policy are generally in keeping with a White House that keeps a tight lid on information. He often professes ignorance about details.
Fleischer has had his share of fumbles and dodges in the hothouse atmosphere of the White House briefing room.
He acknowledged shooting himself in the foot when he snapped that "one bullet" in Saddam Hussein's head would be cheaper than a war.
In the run-up to war with Iraq, Fleischer denied reports that Bush was meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair abroad. The trip was announced the next day.
"I've decided my time has come to leave the White House," Fleischer said in a telephone interview.
The spokesman said he wanted to leave the hard-driving job before President Bush's re-election campaign geared up.
Fleischer clashed at times with the White House press corps and had an uneasy relationship with some senior Bush aides, but he said the departure was his idea. He notified Bush of his decision Friday. The president ended the conversation "by kissing me on the head," the spokesman said.
Fleischer, 42, got married six months ago. He said that after 21 years in government he wanted to go on the speaking circuit and maybe do some writing. With Bush beginning his re-election campaign, Fleischer said this is the time to leave the White House "or sign on for the full four years."
"I've just been thinking about what I want to do, when I want to do it," he said. "I believe deeply in this president, his policies and the man. But there comes a time in public service when you have to decide when it's time to go."
Bush has not decided who will replace Fleischer, two senior White House officials said. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Texas native McClellan is the likely replacement but there are other candidates.
Republican strategist Ed Gillespie and Pentagon spokesman Victoria Clarke are potential prospects.
A cautious and calibrating press secretary, Fleischer has been the public voice of the presidency through the September 11, 2001, attacks, the war in Afghanistan and the Iraq war, loyally putting the best spin on events. He frustrated reporters by constantly dodging the toughest questions and sometimes irked his White House colleagues by pushing for access behind the scenes.
His meatless pronouncements on Bush policy are generally in keeping with a White House that keeps a tight lid on information. He often professes ignorance about details.
Fleischer has had his share of fumbles and dodges in the hothouse atmosphere of the White House briefing room.
He acknowledged shooting himself in the foot when he snapped that "one bullet" in Saddam Hussein's head would be cheaper than a war.
In the run-up to war with Iraq, Fleischer denied reports that Bush was meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair abroad. The trip was announced the next day.
