Bush names corporate lobbyist as counsel

Ed Gillespie, a high-dollar Washington lobbyist and longtime go-to guy for President Bush and the Republican Party, is replacing Dan Bartlett as White House counselor in the president's inner circle. Bartlett has been at the center of White House decision making. He stepped into the public eye particularly in times of trouble, defending Bush on everything from Iraq, to the government's bungled response to Hurricane Katrina and the Republicans' loss of Congress last year. Gillespie is a former head of the national GOP who has been a high-profile Washington lobbyist, joining forces with former Clinton administration counsel Jack Quinn to form Quinn Gillespie & Associates. Last year, Gillespie was a lobbyist for dozens of giant corporate clients, including Microsoft, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, pharmaceutical manufacturer Bristol-Myers Squibb, Tyson Foods, the Safeway grocery store chain, the Entergy energy company, Bank of America, the Diageo liquor company and NBC Universal. President Bush said: "He is a seasoned hand who has got excellent judgment. He's a good strategic thinker that I know will do a fine job."