White House Counsel's Job on the line

This is an interesting story….

Via The Wall Street Journal:

Obama administration officials are holding discussions that could result in White House counsel Gregory Craig leaving his post, following a rocky tenure, people familiar with the matter said.

Mr. Craig, the top lawyer at the White House and a close aide to President Barack Obama, has helped lead the administration’s efforts on several national-security issues that once enjoyed popularity but have since become become political liabilities for Mr. Obama.

These include the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the release of Bush administration-era national-security documents, and efforts to find legal ways to indefinitely hold some detainees who can’t be put on trial.

The decision to close the Guantanamo facility became a political problem for Mr. Obama when concerns arose that some of the detainees would be released into the U.S. and the public soured on the move.

Of course, you can count on the White House for that transparency that Obama touted, right?

Mr. Craig didn’t respond to questions about his job as White House counsel for this article.

The people familiar with the matter said a final decision hasn’t been made.

In a statement, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina said: “We’ve addressed these rumors before. They are nothing more than typical Washington parlor games. It’s disappointing that while we are focused on reviving the economy and fighting two wars, others spend their time pointing fingers in an attempt to promote their own status.

Well, not so much. Wait! Was that a veiled swipe at Hillary? Remember Mr. President Douche Nozzle, only reason you got that President’s job is because Hillary knew it would destroy your party for her to continue the fight.

Moving right along, it appears this is the reason that this guy is on his way out:

Mr. Craig has come under criticism from inside the administration and in Congress for a perceived failure to manage the political issues that have originated from Mr. Obama’s decision to close Guantanamo, according to officials in the administration and in Congress. This criticism has drawn focus away from president’s priorities, such as health care and energy.

[…]

As an example of the difficulties Mr. Craig faced, the officials cite the president’s move in May to reverse a decision that would have led to the release of photos showing abuse of terror detainees during the Bush administration.

Weeks earlier, Mr. Craig brought Mr. Obama plans to release Justice Department memorandums detailing the Bush administration’s policies on terrorism detainees. Some Obama national-security officials complained they hadn’t been consulted, people familiar with the matter said, and the objections prompted weeks of debate inside the administration.

Mr. Craig and Attorney General Eric Holder won the fight to release the memorandums, with minimal redactions, but the White House had to move quickly to limit political damage. Former Vice President Dick Cheney sharpened criticism of Mr. Obama during a televised speech that followed Mr. Obama’s own address intended to explain his national-security vision.

At around the same time, the administration was running into trouble with plans to move to northern Virginia at least some Chinese Muslim Uighurs who remain detained at Guantanamo despite being cleared for release. The furor over the possible release of former suspects in the U.S. led Congress to overwhelmingly pass new restrictions, including barring spending to close the Guantanamo prison.

Mr. Obama signed executive orders during his first week in office to close the Guantanamo prison, to review the cases of the more than 200 detainees there and to draw up possible changes to detention and interrogation policies.

At the time Mr. Obama enjoyed public support for his Guantanamo plans, polls showed. Six months later that public support has dissipated, polls show.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), one of the administration’s allies on the Guantanamo closure, faulted the White House handling of Guantanamo. “Announcing the closure without a plan has put in jeopardy the ability to close Guantanamo. Now public opinion has turned,” Mr. Graham said Monday.

Looks like the reason why this guy is on his way out; is simply because he could not or would not push through the President’s agenda. When the support dropped from the America people and the agenda could not be fulfilled, Obama throws him under the Bus. So typical for the Chicago thug politics that Obama is infamous for.

Others: Hot Air, Weekly Standard