In the larger picture, however, I don’t think Rouse will change much in terms of policy or how the White House operates. He’s basically an insider, someone very familiar to Obama, and who has been a behind the scenes operator in the Obama administration since Obama’s inauguration. But that doesn’t mean nothing will change. My biggest concern is that by choosing someone who is an insider and who is familiar, Obama is losing a source of independent views and someone who is willing to push back against the president. The biggest danger for presidents is that over time they tend to surround themselves with people who share their views and are less likely to disagree with what the president wants. In replacing Rahmbo with Rouse, I worry that Obama is losing that independent voice. The great danger for presidents is a tendency over time to close the gates and circle the guard by surrounding themselves with like-minded advisers. Rouse may be an indication that Obama is falling prey to this tendency. One of Rahmbo’s great virtues is that he had no hesitation about disagreeing with Obama – that is the most important ingredient for an effective presidential adviser.

It would be interesting to apply this typology to Lawrence Summers and Robert Gates. Gates seems to be pushing more than a typical DoD towards administrative restructuring in the Pentagon and is managing two wars, so it would be interesting to see how long he will stick around.