The former White House operative, who represented CentCom during the war in Iraq, has not given word of his plans.
By PAUL DE LA GARZA
Published August 19, 2003
TAMPA - Jim Wilkinson, the former White House operative who managed media relations at U.S. Central Command during the war in Iraq, will leave his job this week.
Wilkinson, 33, was named chief CentCom spokesman last November as part of a White House strategy to hone the war message. During the war in Afghanistan, he ran the Coalition Information Center, which spread an anti-Taliban message.
Wilkinson, a protege of Karen Hughes, President Bush's longtime adviser, did not respond to requests for comment Monday. But CentCom confirmed that his last day would be Wednesday.
There was no immediate word on Wilkinson's plans or a possible replacement.
CentCom officials said the plan always had been for Wilkinson to help improve communications strategy between CentCom and the rest of the government. Wilkinson was aided by his close ties with the White House, State Department and Pentagon.
After the war, CentCom officials said they expected Wilkinson to join the president's re-election campaign. Mostly recently, a Pentagon official said Wilkinson might join the staff of retired Gen. Tommy R. Franks, the former CentCom commander. Franks could not be reached for comment.
Wilkinson's appointment at CentCom was not without controversy. Officers at the Pentagon and at CentCom wondered why a White House operative, not a career public relations military officer, had been assigned chief spokesman. They complained that the move hurt morale.
But Wilkinson won high marks at CentCom for serving Franks well.
Franks, no fan of press briefings, rarely met with reporters during the peak of hostilities in Iraq. Wilkinson often would appear on television briefing reporters in desert fatigues.
Wilkinson, who served in the Navy Reserve, was special assistant to the president since the administration's earliest days in office. He coordinated communications for White House domestic and foreign policy agendas.
Before joining the White House, Wilkinson served as spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.
During the Florida recount after the election, Wilkinson served as Miami-Dade County recount team spokesman for Bush.
From 1992 to 2000, Wilkinson worked for Rep. Dick Armey of Texas, the House majority leader, serving in several positions including political director and press secretary.
A native Texan, Wilkinson received a degree in finance from the University of Texas at Arlington and a master's degree in government from Johns Hopkins University.
