WASHINGTON — White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card sometimes sounds like a man about to lose his job.
"I serve at the pleasure of the president for the time being," Card said during a recent interview in his spacious office, just down the hall from the Oval one. "If the pleasure goes, I go. If the time being arrives, I'm gone. And I don't expect a month's notice or two weeks' notice."
That's not likely to happen anytime soon. Card has anchored the White House through every crisis — and every success — since President Bush took office. He's the man who whispered "America is under attack" into Bush's ear on Sept. 11, 2001, as the president was reading aloud to schoolchildren in Florida.
More recently, Card steered the White House staff through the administration's fumbling response to Hurricane Katrina and the collapsed Dubai Ports World deal. And if he owns a share of the blame for the failed Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers, then he also deserves some of the credit for helping John G. Roberts and Samuel Alito win their seats on the highest bench.
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Lies low at center of storm
Somehow, Card keeps a low profile even at the center of the storm. He gets to work at 5:30 a.m., stays until the president retires for the night and generally makes the White House machinery run quietly and methodically, just like him.
For Card, it's not about pushing a particular policy or basking in the spotlight. It's about efficiently serving the president.
"He shows the original 'passion for anonymity' that the designers of the White House executive office envisioned," said Paul C. Light, a professor of public service at New York University. "He's kept his head down through various crises. He's come through pretty clean. You don't see his tracks on anything, which I guess is good work for a chief of staff in this administration. He's been a great soldier on behalf of the president."
Card, 58, is on course to become by this September the longest-serving chief of staff ever, eclipsing Sherman Adams, who held the job for five years and nine months under President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
With a cheerful, self-effacing style that belies nearly four decades in the sharp-elbowed arenas of Massachusetts and Washington politics, Card downplays his significance, seeing himself as "a pawn on somebody else's chessboard."
Works behind the scenes
Modest, but behind the scenes in today's White House, it's Card who moves the pawns around with a firm but friendly hand, according to people who've worked there with him.
Card says he operates the White House "a little differently than you would find in most political science courses." He says he took lessons while working in the White House under Reagan and George H.W. Bush, serving chiefs of staff who had varying styles, from diplomatic James Baker to the authoritarian John Sununu.
He breaks his job into several categories. First is "the care and feeding of the president," where Card makes sure that Bush is scheduled for important events and also has time for ordinary tasks such as daily exercise and haircuts.
Card's also the gatekeeper to the Oval Office, ensuring that Bush connects with the right people and receives enough information to help him make informed decisions.
"It's a need-based permission," Card said. "I do not sit outside the Oval Office with a turnstile saying, 'You have permission to go in.' I count on people recognizing the difference between want and need."
He's also a foreman, making sure that the rest of the White House staff is on task and on message in communicating policy to the rest of the administration, Congress, America and the world.
Last, Card is a cheerleader, infusing enthusiasm among the White House staff, from the Marine who stands guard outside the West Wing to key Bush advisers, reminding them that it's a privilege to work there.
