Ickes Stepping Down As Deputy Chief of Staff

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Nov. 10) -- Deputy Chief of Staff Harold Ickes plans to leave his job at the White House, say senior administration officials.

Ickes, one of the liberals in the Clinton camp, masterminded the structure of Clinton's re-election effort. He'd been a contender to succeed departing Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, but had made it plain if that didn't work out, he probably would not stay on.

While Ickes and Panetta's successor, Erskine Bowles, are not enemies, they did not work easily together when Bowles was last at the White House.

Ickes, however, will likely not leave the administration. He's being considered for head of the National Park Service, Labor Department and -- should Secretary Bruce Babbitt step down -- Interior Department.

Although Ickes' departure was expected eventually, the White House is trying to downplay the implication that Bowles demanded that Ickes leave. In an artful attempt at spin, one aide said Ickes is not necessarily out the door.

Named for his larger than life father, FDR's New Dealing interior secretary, Ickes is a son of the New York political scene, and has strong ties to the liberal wing of the party.

He ran Jesse Jackson's unsuccessful bid for president. And some liberal constituencies worry that the loss of Ickes, top aide George Stephanopoulos and chief of staff Leon Panetta will leave them without a voice in the White House.

CNN's Claire Shipman contributed to this report.

Ickes Stepping Down As Deputy Chief of Staff

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