Obama: Outgoing Press Secretary Gibbs an ‘Effective Advocate’

White House veteran is expected to either open his own communications shop or transition to the president’s campaign staff

Amid a large-scale overhaul of President Barack Obama's West Wing staff, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced Wednesday that he is leaving the White House in early February. 

It's not immediately known what the Alabama native's next moves will be, but he is expected to either open his own consulting shop or to work on the president's 2012 re-election campaign. 

“For the last six years, Robert has been a close friend, one of my closest advisers and an effective advocate from the podium for what this administration has been doing to move America forward," President Obama said in a statement. "I think it’s natural for him to want to step back, reflect and retool. That brings up some challenges and opportunities for the White House – but it doesn’t change the important role that Robert will continue to play on our team.”

It's not unusual for White House press secretaries to leave before a president's term is up. President George W. Bush went through four spokespeople in his eight years in office, while President Bill Clinton had five press secretaries during his two terms. 

Gibbs served as communications director for Obama's 2008 campaign and begin working with the president during his 2004 Illinois senate race. He was an affable presence, occasionally mixing in aphorisms while deflecting press inquiries. 

Inside the Beltway, rumors are swirling that Jay Carney, a former Time reporter and Vice President Joseph Biden's communications director, or Bill Burton, the deputy press secretary, will take the reins from Gibbs. 

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