In the past week, numerous Cabinet officials in the Bush administration have resigned their posts. Some see this as a sign of discontent in the White House. However, the reality is that holding such a high advisory position takes a massive toll on the lives of Cabinet officials. Furthermore, it is not historically uncommon for large shifts in a presidents’ Cabinet to occur between terms in office.

The Constitution of the United States of America does not provide specifically for any Cabinet offices. It does, however, allow for Congress to pass legislation creating such positions.

George Washington only had four Cabinet-level offices: secretary of state, secretary of the treasury, secretary of war and attorney general. Cabinet officers are of equal rank, but throughout U.S. history the secretary of state, who administers foreign policy, has been viewed as the leading Cabinet official.

Today, 15 Cabinet offices exist, the newest of which is the secretary of homeland security, added through legislation in 2003. Though these advisers have a responsibility to the president, they have no formal legislative or executive authority in policy making.

Because Cabinet officials hold the main responsibility of advising the president, it is important that they work well with the commander in chief. Though it takes a two-thirds vote in the Senate to confirm a Cabinet appointment, a president can strip an official of office with relative ease. For instance, presidents have the authority to remove a Cabinet official at will, or (as is more common) they can request a resignation from the Cabinet member.

The recent shifts in Bush’s cabinet are by no means unprecedented.

In fact, compared with Richard Nixon’s Cabinet reforms, the Bush administration’s shifts are quite mild. Prior to Nixon’s second term, he summoned all of his cabinet officials together for a meeting in the White House and asked all of them to resign. He reappointed five of them, but appointed new secretaries to the rest of the Cabinet positions.

Nixon’s request was a bit extreme. However, historical trends indicate that it is not uncommon for nearly half of Cabinet officials to resign within six months of a president’s second term.

The president’s Cabinet is undoubtedly an important establishment in United States politics. Without his 15 advisers, any president would lack the detailed information and knowledge needed to make effective policy. However, given the high stress level that comes with such responsibility, it’s no wonder that these positions have a relatively high turnover rate.