One of the nation's top political analysts, Stuart Rothenberg, dissects politics at the congressional and statewide levels.

Stuart Rothenberg: White House takes Gilmore's scalp

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- If you believe that Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore resigned as chairman of the Republican National Committee because he wanted to spend more time with his family, then I have some oceanfront property in Nebraska I'd like to sell you.

In fact, Gilmore was pushed out of his RNC post by the White House, which has grown worried about the Committee's effectiveness and concerned about its responsiveness.

Gilmore, 52, announced his decision to depart the RNC at a Friday morning general staff meeting. In a statement released by the committee, Gilmore cited the "countless celebrations and baseball games" that he missed with his two boys, and the "cherished and valuable time" that he missed with his wife. Given the extensive time commitment that his job required, and the increased commitment necessary over the next year, Gilmore announced that he will resign in mid-January.

Nobody ever likes to admit that they were showed the door, but Gilmore was. I'm sure he missed family obligations over the years, and I'm certainly willing to believe that Gilmore would like to spend more time with his family. But none of that has anything to do with his departure from the RNC.

On Tuesday, Gilmore, who is serving his final days as governor of Virginia, had one of his rare senior staff meetings. He came into that meeting bursting with enthusiasm and talking about a number of initiatives that he wanted the committee to undertake. There was no indication that he was not going to be chairing the RNC for the next year.

That night, the governor had dinner with White House political strategist Karl Rove, and the Washington Post reported that Gilmore's "RNC job was not discussed" at that time.

We have no way of knowing what Rove and Gilmore talked about, or whether Rove, (and the President, of course), had made the decision before then to relieve Gilmore. But by Thursday, knowledgeable GOP political operatives were whispering that something was about to happen at the RNC. The decision had been made, and by all indications it was not Gilmore's.

"The fact that Gilmore thought he could sell that explanation [about his family] shows how much of a tin ear he has, and how wrong he was for that job," one Republican insider told me.

So why did the White House pull the plug on the governor?

"The view from the White House," says one GOP operative with a chuckle, "is that they won the White House but were unable to takeover 310 First Street [the address of the Republican National Committee's building]."

Gilmore, a sitting governor who has seen himself as the architect of the Republican Party's growth in Virginia, simply wasn't as responsive to the White House as Bush operatives had assumed he would be. When a party controls the White House, its national committee becomes the political arm of the president. Bush allies both within the RNC and within the White House felt that Gilmore couldn't control his ego enough to allow the RNC to successfully complete that role.

If that wasn't enough of a reason to force the governor out as RNC chairman, the White House had a longer list of concerns. Not only couldn't Gilmore take steps to insure that a Republican would succeed him as governor of Virginia, but Gilmore spent -- "wasted" might be a better word -- a total of $10 million on the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races this year. The governor's critics also complain of the RNC's large staff and high payroll.

It isn't entirely fair to blame the governor for Virginia GOP gubernatorial nominee Mark Earley's loss to Democrat Mark Warner. Warner was a more appealing candidate, and he ran a terrific, (and well-funded), campaign. But Gilmore's ineptness in dealing with the car tax, and his overall arrogance, made him plenty of critics.

Gilmore probably isn't going to simply walk into the sunset and disappear from politics. He isn't a quitter. The question is when and where he will resurface.

Gilmore's replacement is expected to be former Montana Gov. Marc Racicot. Unlike Gilmore, Racicot doesn't regard himself as a grand party strategist, and he hasn't surrounded himself with a team of personal political operatives. That should make him more responsive to the White House, and it should make Karl Rove much happier.