Dan Pfeiffer Replaces Anita Dunn at W.H.

White House Shakes Up Communications Team; Dunn Had Made News for Comments about Fox News

(AP)  The White House on Tuesday shook-up its communications team, with Anita Dunn stepping down and an aide taking over President Barack Obama's vaunted messaging machine.

Dan Pfeiffer will become White House communications director and Dunn will became an outside adviser to Obama's White House, officials said. They expect the full transition to take place before the end of the year.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel decisions that had not yet been announced.

Dunn, a seasoned political operative, advised Obama's presidential bid and helped shape its outreach efforts to female voters. She initially refused to move to the White House, saying she wanted to spend time with her family. But when the White House's first communications director, Ellen Moran, stepped down to take a job at the Commerce Department, Dunn came aboard on an interim basis.

Since moving to the West Wing, she has been a fierce defender for the administration, a top target of conservative commentators and led a fight with Fox News.

"The reality of it is that Fox News often operates almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party," Dunn said last month. "And it is not ideological... what I think is fair to say about Fox, and the way we view it, is that it is more of a wing of the Republican Party."

Pfeiffer is similarly aggressive in his defense of Obama, a position he occupied during the campaign. He rose from traveling press secretary to the communications director for the campaign and later transition. A loyal Democratic communications operative, Pfeiffer previously worked for Vice President Al Gore, former Sen. Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana.

Obama and other administration officials initially considered Pfeiffer for the top communications job but instead brought in Moran and Dunn - both women - a communications and press operation that is otherwise heavy on males.

The personnel changes were first reported on The Washington Post's Web site.

[camilotmarin]

Hey sloughfoot. I am sick and tired of weak minded people like yourself who continue to bad-mouth and bash President Bush for everything that is wrong in this country and in your own life. Grow up. You are the coward for not taking part in the system, and learning how it really works.

And before you go talking sh*t about things you know nothing about, learn how to spell properly, or at the very least, proof-read your crap before you post it.

[Letricdoc]

it would be nice if they would all step down, including Pelosi, Reid, Rangle, Dodd, and OBAMA. Then the country can have a chance at success again and move forward in the war on terror so we can finish it and improving the economy.

[Sloughfoot]

Had their chances for 8 long and regrettable years. 5000 GIs later we're still trying to reassemble a Nation that a cowboy from Texas littally destroyed - how many did Hussein kill? How many have died since baby bush dropped the first bomb on Iraq? Answer those questions and then provide some details on how the U.S. can bug out without leaving reion to be annexed by Iran or Al Q. I am tired of seeing empty combat boots because of some cowboy from TX who was a draft dodging coward from The Nam era.

[Letricdoc]

you dont have any idea what you are talking about do you? Hussein killed many thousands of his own people....granted, not ours, but much worse!! We have not literally destroyed any country....the insurgents have done a much better job of that on their own. I am former USMC and in proper perspective, 5000 GI's is minimal in comparison to any other full scale conflict in history. Draft dodging....he was in the service back in those days, Clinton is the Draft dodger going over to England to avoid getting drafted.

I am tired of you Bush Bashers that dont have their facts straight! Bush wasn't the best President in history, but has a far better Character and Integrity than Clinton or the current imbecile in office.

[wdh3007]

Yeah sure he does after she was fired maybe if were lucky both Axel's rod and spokes mouth Gibbs will also step down.

[retm-w]

I hope Gibbs and Axelrod step down to.