Don't let the generic title fool you; Ed Gillespie's position in the White House is that of senior adviser guiding all of President Bush's communications. Recently replacing Dan Bartlett, a close associate of Bush from his days as Texas governor, Gillespie is a longtime player in Republican politics, having served as a principle creator of the Republican Party's 1994 "Contract with America" political platform. He is also cofounder of the DC lobbying and public affairs firm Quinn Gillespie & Associates, and he was chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2004. The President may face low approval ratings with just a little over a year before his time in office ends, but Theodore Roosevelt's description of the White House as a "bully pulpit" remains as true now as ever. Who else in the country is able to command free air time on network TV at virtually a moment's notice? Gillespie, by association, holds considerable influence over US public affairs at the moment and in his own right will continue to do so long after W. has departed from Washington.
