Stillwater native Denis McDonough, the top Minnesotan in the Obama administration, is moving up another notch to assume the role of chief of staff to the National Security Council. The former St. John's University football star will retain his current title as Deputy National Security Advisor, but his responsibilities as one of the West Wing's top foreign policy communications strategists just got a little bit broader.
The move up was occasioned by last week's announcement that McDonough's friend and mentor Mark Lippert, the current National Security Council chief of staff, will be returning to active duty in the U.S. Navy.
McDonough, known to his friends as "Dude," has already been clocking 12-hour-plus days in the White House. He is now likely to see even less of his young family.
