Mr. Snow was supposed to be among the first casualties of the White House shakeup under the new chief of staff, Joshua B. Bolten, administration insiders say.

Joining Mr. Rove is Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans, who, in the words of one administration insider, "sounds much like the steel industry executives these days."

Other disclosures recapitulate information contained in books and articles by other journalists and former administration insiders.

But administration insiders say no final decision has been made about the elements of a new tax cut - whether, for example, it will primarily be focused on investors or on consumers.

Kemp was respected within the party for opposing Bush, and towards the end of Bush's administration insiders recognized his value.

While the diplomats and administration insiders who raised questions did so anonymously because of the sensitivity of the nomination, in the Senate, where he will have to be confirmed, Democrats publicly criticized the appointment.

But the president's optimism is in sharp contrast, some administration insiders say, to some conversations in the White House Situation Room, the Pentagon and Congress.

During the crisis the CIA's McCone acted as administration insider, measuring out selected new developments and current points of view to members of Congress and the press corps.

"Of course, in our internal discussions we raise the Yugoslavia analogy," one administration insider said.

Similar charges have been made by a growing number of historians, political analysts and even former administration insiders, and President Bush's plummeting approval ratings have further emboldened his critics.