<snip> If Mr. Bush has to make such decisions, his choices could be complicated by the possibility that White House chief of staff Andrew Card might want a new post. Mr. Card has been chief of staff for Mr. Bush's entire first term and one year of his second -- an unusually long stint in a very stressful job. Mr. Card is thought to be interested in the Treasury secretary's job, when and if John Snow decides to step down.
Mr. Bush's choices, in turn, could have a big impact on whether he is able to recover from the current troubles and make a success of his final three years in office. The question, many experts say, is whether Mr. Bush will continue relying on his loyal inner circle or will have to reach out to Republican leaders elsewhere to help rebuild his administration's credibility.
Given Mr. Bush's tendency to promote from within, some experts say it is probable that the president will stay the course. They say that if Mr. Rove has to go, it is likely that Mr. Bush will seek to bring in someone with a long track record of serving him, such as Ken Mehlman, his former political director and now chairman of the Republican National Committee. Also mentioned is Ed Gillespie, the former party chairman who recently shepherded the Supreme Court nomination of Chief Justice John Roberts.
Other possible replacements for Messrs. Rove or Card include Donald Evans, former Commerce secretary and a longtime Bush friend from Texas; Josh Bolten, an aide of long tenure who is Mr. Bush's budget director; Clay Johnson, a top management official in the budget office; Karen Hughes, his former communications chief who is now a top State Department official; and Marc Racicot, a former RNC chairman. <snip>
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