The fatigue factor

The Washington Post has an interesting article looking at how fatigue is affecting people in high level jobs. I think this is even stronger for the current administration because of the low turnover in key positions. I believe there have only been 3 cabinet level changes (Education, Attorney General and State) prior to Gale Norton's resignation last week. White House Chief of Staff is probably one of the most stressful positions in any administration and Andy Card is in his sixth year in that job.

In his current role, Card has proved to be a marathon man, capable of enduring the most brutal hours in perhaps the most brutal job in Washington for longer than anyone in modern times. Only one other person has served as White House chief of staff longer, Sherman Adams, the top aide to President Dwight D. Eisenhower in a far less frenetic, wired era. And if Card makes it to Nov. 1, he will surpass Adams's record, according to the Eisenhower library.

Card retains enormous respect inside and outside the White House, but some Republicans whisper about his judgment in the ill-fated selection of Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court and the handling of Hurricane Katrina, to name two examples. Card declined to be interviewed, but has publicly dismissed concerns that his schedule has sapped his energy.

"All my life I have worked kind of this schedule," he told C-SPAN last fall. "When I was in college, I delivered newspapers early in the morning and worked at McDonald's late at night.

My guess is that his current job is a little more stressful than making sure the newspaper doesn't get wet and that the deep fat fryer is set to the right temperature.