Obama’s national security advisor to leave post

In the latest White House staff shakeup, President Obama announced Friday that Gen. James L. Jones was stepping down as national security advisor at the end of the month and will be replaced by his deputy, Tom Donilon.

The change at the top of the National Security Council comes as Obama presides over an escalation of the war in Afghanistan and peace negotiations in the Middle East. By July, the administration is expected to decide how quickly to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, and Donilon has stressed internally the importance of meeting the deadline.

Jones gave the White House an experienced voice on the world stage, and provided deep foreign policy knowledge to a president who entered office without strong international credentials. He personally pressed NATO leaders to increase troop levels in Afghanistan, for example.

Speaking in the Rose Garden, Obama said he relied on Jones’ advice daily. “Given the multiple crises we have inherited,” said Obama, citing Jones’ experience as commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and as Marine Corps commandant, “he called on all of these experiences as national security advisor.”

Obama added that Jones, who had not sought out the post, had asked from the beginning that he serve only for two years, citing family commitments. Jones’ departure comes 20 months into the Obama presidency.

Donilon, a Democratic Party insider, has worked in three presidencies and was the chief of staff for Secretary of State Warren Christopher under President Clinton. He has a reputation as a tireless manager with the ability to navigate between different factions. He has worked with Obama on foreign policy matters since early in the president’s campaign and was a longtime counselor to Vice President Joe Biden.

Throughout his career, Donilon has preferred to work quietly behind the scenes, and he may continue the same approach in his new job.

Obama praised Donilon’s management of the national security team and said that his foreign policy advisor had “won the respect of his colleagues in the White House.” He touted Donilon’s “remarkable work ethic” fueled by a “seemingly endless supply of Diet Coke.”

The promotion follows revelations in a new book that Donilon was skeptical of the U.S. military’s request for more soldiers in Afghanistan in late 2009.

According to “Obama’s War” by Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, Donilon was at loggerheads with Pentagon officials over the troop increase. The book quotes Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates as saying Donilon would be a “disaster” if promoted to national security advisor.

Despite this, Gates released a statement Friday saying he welcomed the appointment and had a “good working relationship” with Donilon.

Experts predicted that Donilon could be a national security advisor in the mode of Sandy Berger, who was known as a scrappy policy advocate in the Clinton White House, rather than a prominent strategist like Henry Kissinger or Brent Scowcroft.

“Obama is almost his own national security strategist,” said Larry Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and co-chairman of the defense transition team for Obama. “If [Obama] will play that role, Donilon will be perfect for him.”

Jones’ exit comes amid a larger turnover of White House staffers this fall. Just a week ago, Obama announced that Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was leaving. More departures are expected.

Donilon was under consideration to serve as Obama’s new chief of staff. His promotion makes it more likely that acting Chief of Staff Pete Rouse will remain in the job.

bbennett@tribune.com