In his new position, Lindsey will have to strike a balance between offering personal advice to the president and synthesizing the views of other agencies. The individual best suited for the job is one who "doesn't have his own ax to grind" Porter says. "[You] must remember who the voters elected, and that you serve him."
Porter says that as Bush's chief economic adviser, Lindsey must offer a "heavy dosage of reality" to the president.
"Sometimes there's the temptation to make things sound better then they are," he says. "Nobody likes to deliver bad news."
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Above all, Porter offered Lindsey these words of advice for surviving the pressures of his new position:
"Get plenty of rest whenever possible and keep a sense of humor."