WASHINGTON -- It's a nightmare prospect that Republicans have trouble fathoming: legal problems that could drive some of the president's most powerful aides from office.
A special prosecutor and grand jury are closing in on a deadline to decide whether to lodge criminal complaints against presidential adviser Karl Rove and White House aide I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby in the outing of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame, the wife of Iraq war critic Joseph Wilson.
If it comes to pass, administration officials and GOP consultants expect President George W. Bush to turn to a few people to fill any void in his inner circle.
Among the candidates are go-to Republicans whom Bush trusts, including Ed Gillespie, Ken Mehlman and Karen Hughes; former lawmaker Rob Portman; and those who could be promoted from within, such as Dan Bartlett, Joshua Bolten and Joe Hagin.
It's also possible the president could reach out to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez.
Republicans cling to the belief that there will be no indictments, the issue will blow over and the speculation will amount to nothing more than idle chatter.
"I don't think anybody's leaving," said Charles Black, a veteran GOP strategist and Bush ally.
But one White House official, noting that Bush's senior staff is tired of the long hours and increasing pressure, has told colleagues it might be best if everyone closest to the president resign and clear the way for new blood and fresh perspectives.
White House chief of staff Andrew Card has been on the job since January 2001, a mark of longevity for Bush compared with Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, who each had four chiefs of staff through two terms.
If the unthinkable happens, Republicans know where Bush will look.
Rove has been labeled "Bush's brain" by administration foes and the architect of Bush's rise to power by the president's backers. He is considered a White House adviser without peer.
"It would take two or three different people to replace him," conservative activist Grover Norquist said.
Among the possible replacements are Gillespie, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee; current RNC chief Mehlman, or Hughes, a former White House political adviser to Bush now working in the State Department.
Hughes, whose title is undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, is trying to reverse anti-U.S. sentiment around the world.
Black said he would be surprised if Hughes left that post because Bush "believes he's put Karen in the most important job in the government." Rather, the president would likely promote from within, and White House counselor Bartlett could get the call.
Kevin Spillane, a Republican consultant in California, said Gillespie and Hughes would be the most obvious candidates.
"Hughes is unique in selling policy and has the president's trust," Spillane said. "Gillespie can juggle policy and media."
Although Rove is considered indispensable to Bush, the political landscape has changed with no presidential election for Bush on the horizon. Mehlman can handle the politics of the 2006 midterm elections and beyond, Norquist said.
As for Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff and his assistant on national security affairs, his departure would leave Cheney with the option of bringing in a trusted adviser. That could be former aide Mary Matalin or a specialist in national security, such as Eric Edelman, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey.
Edelman was national security assistant to Cheney from February 2001 to June 2003.
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