"He's decided it is an important time to be with his family."

No joke; that's what they said. The latest Bush Administration member to jump ship:

White House budget director Rob Portman is stepping down and will be replaced by former Iowa Republican congressman Jim Nussle, senior administration officials said today. The president is scheduled to make the formal announcement at the Roosevelt Room later this afternoon.

Administration officials described the decision as motivated by Portman's desire to spend more time with his wife and three teen-aged children. Since returning to Washington as a congressman 14 years ago, Portman has been commuting weekly to his Cincinnati home, and his press secretary said he had tired of that.

Now, this guys was seen as one of more popular Cabinet members. So the question remains: why leave now?

And I'm not the only curious person here:

Still, the news of Portman's departure seemed to surprise lawmakers on the Hill, where there is not nearly the same affection for his successor, Nussle, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor of Iowa last year. Nussle had previously served as chairman of the House Budget committee and has been seen as a hawk on spending issues.

So Bush is replacing on of the few people he has who could reach across the aisle to the Democratic majority with a guys who sounds like the complete opposite of his predecessor. Remarkable. Oh, and Nussle has been tapped to help Rudy Giuliani in his presidential bid.