In recent years the enhanced role of political executives in the White House has tended to overshadow the contributions of assistant secretaries and other political executives in the Cabinet and other agencies. However, President Carter's determination to reestablish the primacy of the Cabinet has opened up the possibility that the assistant secretary's role will be reinvigorated. Assistant secretary positions, originally established for the direction of presidential programs, have evolved over time to encompass many additional roles. This is the first substantial analysis in more than a...