In other administrations the job has been more ceremonial.
"I called a bunch of people to see if this had legs," Mr. Salisbury said, noting that the idea had made the rounds in other administrations.
Greg Mankiw, who also had the job, reckons the roles in Mr Obama's team may be different than in other administrations.
In other administrations, the prime minister is merely the chairman of a group of talented, independent-minded cabinet members, each with their own power base.
The chairman of the state's Republican Party, Al Cardenas, told The Associated Press last August: "If we're successful in November, Floridians will be better represented than we have in other administrations".
While foreign policy makers and cabinet members always vie for a president's ear, these shifting alliances among the Bush team may prove even more critical than in other administrations, given Mr. Bush's acknowledged inexperience in foreign policy matters.
In other Administrations, the chief of staff and key deputies — people like Deaver and James A. Baker III, during the Reagan-Bush years, and John Podesta and Leon Panetta, under Clinton — have usually been open with reporters; they've even courted the press.
The larger issue, they say, is that there are fewer outside photographers allowed to discreetly follow the president for a behind-the-scenes look at his day, a practice that was standard in other administrations.
A White House spokesman, Eric Schultz, said, "As in other administrations, we follow all rules and regulations to ensure that the D.N.C. or other relevant political committee pays what is required for the president to travel to political events".
"But the practical problem is that the N.S.C. has so many security concerns that the economic matters tend to get downgraded," he added, referring to the National Security Council A final decision on how to structure the economic team will probably affect whomever Mr. Bush chooses as his chief trade negotiator, a position that had more importance under Mr. Clinton than in other administrations.
