Are Late Innings the Time for a Relief Pitcher?

President Bush's suggestion on Tuesday that he may add a new senior figure to his White House team raised questions about the future of two of his closest and most powerful aides, Andrew H. Card Jr. and Karl Rove, as they struggle to put Mr. Bush's White House back on course.

Mr. Rove, his senior strategist, and Mr. Card, his chief of staff, have increasingly been forced to fend off rebellious Congressional Republicans, complaints about the administration's competence and calls from within their party for an infusion of fresh thinking into the White House.

Mr. Rove told associates in recent days that he was confident he could resist calls to bring in new advisers. Still, Mr. Bush's decision not to squelch speculation about such a move — "Well, I'm not going to announce it right now," he said Tuesday at his news conference, with Mr. Rove watching — did nothing to restore diminished Republican confidence in a White House team that once promoted a reputation for efficiency, order and impeccable political instincts.

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