(Image source: The New York Times)

BY ZACH TOOMBS

The New York Times calls it “the most significant shakeup yet in the Obama White House.” After serving less than one year in the role, White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley announced he is resigning from his post. Budget director Jack Lew will be stepping in to replace him.

In a news conference Monday, President Obama recounted highlights of Daley’s tenure and announced the transition is set to take place after the State of the Union address in two weeks.

“No one in my administration has had to make more important decisions more quickly than Bill. And that’s why I think this decision was difficult for me.”

In Daley’s resignation letter, obtained by The Chicago Tribune, the former banker expressed a desire to spend more time with his family, saying:

“I have been honored to be a small part of your administration. It is time for me to go back to the city I love.”

The president said Daley’s resignation surprised him and that he initially asked Daley to take a couple days to reconsider the decision, to no avail. But the chief of staff’s time in office produced many rumors of discontent among White House officials.

This led many pundits, including The Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart, to predict an early exit for Daley.

“This wasn’t really a surprise, and it shouldn’t have come as a surprise ... Bill Daley and the former acting chief of staff Pete Rouse were going to be splitting duties and I think as the administration gears up to go into political campaign season, getting the staff in order -- those who want to leave, let them go.”

That splitting of duties with former interim Chief of Staff Pete Rouse left Daley significantly less influential than the first person to hold that office under Mr. Obama -- Rahm Emmanuel -- who stepped down in 2010 to run for mayor of Chicago.

Politico writes, since he took over the role in January 2011, Daley has had a tough time adjusting.

“Daley’s tenure has been plagued by complaints about his management style and his rocky relations with Congress .... Though Daley made the West Wing more efficient, his style also irritated many staffers. He kept the door to his office closed and often excluded mid-level staffers from meetings they had attended under Emanuel and Rouse.”

As for Lew, the budget director has decades of experience in Washington that The New York Times predicts made him a favorite to fill the vacancy.

“(Daley’s) successor, Mr. Lew, known as Jack, is a well-regarded veteran of the White House budget office, State Department and Wall Street. With his long experience on Capitol Hill, officials said he would be able to forge better ties to Congress.”

The Hill reports, despite the shake-up, Daley will remain working for Mr. Obama in a new capacity - as the co-chairman for the president’s re-election campaign.