Russell A. Rourke counselor John O. Marsh. In 1976, he became a special assistant to President Gerald R. Ford. His responsibilities included legislative liaison between the White House and Congress. After President Ford lost his bid for re-election in 1977, Rourke serve on the White House Transition Team. At the close of the Ford Administration, Rourke accepted a position as administrative assistant to Republican Congressman Harold S. Sawyer of Michigan. In May 1981, President Reagan nominated Rourke as assistant secretary for legislative affairs in the Department of Defense. In that capacity, Rourke was the principal adviser to Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger
A Rush of Blood to the Head was significantly less successful. "A Rush of Blood to the Head" has been critically acclaimed, and the band received three Grammy Awards for the album; The 2003 Grammy for Best Alternative Album, which was the second year in a row, the 2003 Grammy for Best Rock Performance with the song “In My Place”, and the 2004 Grammy for Record of the Year with the song "Clocks". In 2012, it was ranked number 466 on "Rolling Stone Magazine"'s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It was also voted the best album of all time by the listeners of BBC Radio 2