If Sununu Answers, Hang Up

As the election season approaches, senior Republicans are worried that White House chief of staff John Sununu is burrowing deeper into his bunker, refusing to listen much to anyone except budgetmeister Richard Darman and domestic policy chief Roger Porter. Longtime Bush confidants are miffed at Sununu’s recent practice of cutting them off at the pass and having a junior aide return their calls, dictate marching orders to them, and even respond to their letters to Bush. So how is a honcho to convey his thoughts to the President? Last month Bush himself opened up a new back channel, giving his top political advisers a private post-office box number through which they could contact him directly.