A veteran Republican operative and lobbyist has joined the White House as President Bush’s new chief counselor. Edward Gillepsie will replace Dan Bartlett, who steps down this month. Gillespie is one of Washington’s top corporate lobbyists. His firm Quinn Gillespie pulled in nearly $17 million last year. Don Simon, a former general counsel with the watchdog group Common Cause said: “Someone who is at the top of the corporate lobbying world is going into the top of the White House staff, and it shows the sometimes incestuous relationship between lobbyists and government.”