But not the day-to-day business of government. On the campaign trail, "you deal with the crisis of the day, as opposed to the same thing, day in and day out." As chief of staff, he said there were days when "my eyes glazed over."

Much of what he considers the highlights of his time with Huntsman center around the campaign, especially the early days. "Looking back, it seems so obvious that Jon Huntsman was going to get the (GOP) nomination," Chaffetz said. "But back then it wasn't."

Taking office transformed Huntsman, he said. "I think he actually became much more comfortable. He's much more comfortable as the governor than he was as a candidate. It's just much more natural for him."

Chaffetz said he was surprised at what the job of chief of staff actually entailed. "I think intellectually, I understood the scope of the position," he said. "I did not realize the detail to which the governor personally got involved in such a wide array of issues. Wow."

Coming from the business world, both the governor and his chief of staff had to learn they couldn't accomplish everything they wanted. "I was probably a bit more naive on that," Chaffetz said, noting Huntsman is a former ambassador and U.S. trade representative.

Still, he's proud of much that's been done, including how the administration handled the flooding in southern Utah and persuaded lawmakers to enact a ban on higher-level nuclear waste.

And he even finds satisfaction with the controversial restructuring of the state's economic development efforts.

"You're never gleeful about having to release people. But it is something we campaigned on for a year. There was an expectation in the public's mind we were going to make some dramatic changes there," Chaffetz said. "It was difficult but necessary."

While he didn't relish playing the bad cop, Chaffetz said it had to be done. "There are just times you have to say, 'No. I'm sorry. We can't.' Oftentimes the chief of staff has to deliver that message. I don't take it personally. It's just a necessary part of the job."

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