America's President has long been known to rely on two male aides more than any other: David Axelrod and David Plouffe. These men have contrasting comportments and characters. Axelrod is a scruffy extrovert; Plouffe is a meticulous introvert. And both men are united in the fact that they have now left Barack Obama's side.
This morning's New York Times reports that Plouffe (pronounced Pluff) is leaving to spend more time with his kids and do more consultancy - what else?! - in the private sector, where presumably he'll be able to charge gazillions for insights into how the Obama Administration is run. He'll be replaced by Dan Pfeiffer, a man with a curiously similar name. The departure reveals much about the evolution of Obama's approach to his presidency. Plouffe is of course following a long and distinguished tradition of White House advisers whose judgement the sitting President valued highly.
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