John DiIulio

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Categories: Pennsylvania Democrats | George W. Bush associates

John DiIulio, Jr. was the first head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, appointed by President George W. Bush when he created the office just days after his inauguration in 2001. A Catholic Democrat, DiIulio resigned in August 2001 after becoming disillusioned with the policy-making operation in the White House, which he saw as largely driven by Karl Rove's political considerations, though this did not become public knowledge until over a year later. In October 2002, he sent a letter to Ron Suskind, the Washington correspondent for Esquire magazine, laying out his criticisms of the Bush administration. This letter formed the basis for Suskind's article "Why Are These Men Laughing?" which contained the following soon-to-become-famous DiIulio quote:

There is no precedent in any modern White House for what is going on in this one: a complete lack of a policy apparatus. What you’ve got is everything—and I mean everything—being run by the political arm. It’s the reign of the Mayberry Machiavellis.

DiIulio is currently a professor at the University of Pennsylvania as well as a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He has written several books, including "Body Count," co-authored with William Bennett.

Bibliography

Esquire (2002). The DiIulio Letter. Esquire.

Suskind, Ron (January 2003). Why Are These Men Laughing?. Esquire.