It’s spring cleaning time at the White House.

President George W. Bush’s cabinet changes have many wondering about the effects on the rest of his term.

Andrew Card, former chief of staff, was replaced April 15 by Joshua Bolten, Bush’s former director of the Office of Management and Budget. Scott McClellan, White House press secretary, also resigned April 19, but will keep his job until a replacement is found.

Turnover within the administration is common, said State Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-Hinckley).

“This is obviously something every administration does, about every two years,” Pritchard said. “It kind of amazes me that they change positions so often, but President Bush is just continuing with that practice.”

The Bush team hopes these changes will bring new energy to the rest of the president’s term, and therefore, provide a productive next three years.

State Rep. Tom Cross (R-Oswego) said he feels Bush is on the right track.

“Change can be good for several reasons. One because of perception and the need to shake things up, which this will probably do. But also the changes seem to be legitimate, which will hopefully get the president back on point in the public’s eye,” Cross said.

Some say the changes are meant to please those wishing to see improvement in the Bush administration.

“They are largely cosmetic in nature,” said Artemus Ward, an NIU political science professor. “They’re an attempt to satisfy critics who want broader change.”

Kathy Kitts, NIU assistant professor of geology and DeKalb resident, agreed.

“I think that at this point, the administration is entrenched,” Kitts said. “All changes are for show.”

Others say the president may not be behind the changes, but that his staff may be the ones wishing to leave.

“President Bush is on the way out, so he is going to have increasing difficulty doing anything significant policy-wise over the next two years,” political science professor Brendon Swedlow said. “Appointees know this, and so they jump ship.”

It’s only natural that people start moving on, especially if they believe they aren’t influencing change, he said.

“This leads to a hollowing out of the administration, to appointments of caretakers rather than aggressive policy innovators,” he said.

Recently, Bush’s approval ratings have been at an all-time low.

“If a president is lucky or has chosen his original appointments with loyalty and commitment to the cause in mind, he will have some very talented appointees who will stick with him to the end of his second term in whatever positions a president needs them to serve,” Swedlow said.

Doug Capaul, a Rochelle resident, said he felt a true change could only come if Bush himself changed.

“I can understand why they’re making the changes, but nothing is going to change until he changes his mindset,” Capaul said.

A “180-degree change in thinking” may result in some changes in the Bush administration, Capaul said. Still, others are skeptical the administration changes will have any effect at all.

John Galan, freshman clinical laboratory science major, said he doesn’t think the changes will have much effect at all. “You rule from the top. You can’t change things from the bottom,” he said.