Karl Rove gone...

[AUman43 5]

Analysis: Rove bows out despised and deified

By: Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen

Aug 13, 2007 07:15 AM EST

Updated: August 13, 2007 08:53 AM EST

Karl Rove will leave George Bush's side this month one of the most controversial political figures in living memory.

The verdict on his legacy will be similarly conflicted: He can claim credit for political victories of historic proportions, but also stands accused of policy failures and a strategy of divisiveness.

Rove, in keeping with his ideological inclinations, announced his retirement plans on the conservative editorial page of the Wall Street Journal.

Like many who call it quits -- and the number leaving the White House continues to rise as President Bush's term grinds to an end -- he cited a desire to return to family, for him in Texas.

"I just think it's time," he told the Journal's Paul A. Gigot.

“He’s not wallowing in concern about how history’s going to judge him – there’s no Nixonian or Clintonian obsession with the historical role,” said Franklin Lavin, a former presidential appointee who has been a close friend for 35 years.

“He leaves with his head held high because he did the best job he could for his president and his country. He believes that over the long run, Americans will come to respect what the president is doing in the Middle East.”

Rove was as uncompromising and optimistic as ever in disclosing his departure, predicting a Bush resurgence and Democratic divisions over Iraq ahead.

He expressed little regret and defended what many Republicans consider his most questionable decisions: pursuing a strategy that divided the country and provided little margin for error; trying to overhaul Social Security when his party did not want to; and pushing Bush to draw sharp lines on foreign policy and accuse Democrats of dangerous shortcoming on national security.

Rove will soon be gone -- but it will be a long time before he is forgotten. One can not overstate how much Democrats loathe Rove, and desperately want him dragged into numerous congressional investigations of the Bush White House.

House and Senate Democrats are trying to force his testimony in the firing of U.S. attorneys. There is much more to come, Democrats tell the Politico.

Rove said he fully expects accusations that he is leaving under pressure. "I know they'll say that," he told the Journal. "But I'm not going to leave or stay based on whether it pleases the mob."

Either way, Rove is not leaving on a high note. Most Americans do not approve of Bush's performance in office, and especially the his management of the war.

The days of big policy dreaming are over, as White House officials focus mostly on the upcoming budget fight and the never-ending battle over the war.

The domestic policies Rove championed with an eye on changing the GOP and history - most notably overhauling the Social Security system and immigration laws - are dead. Few Republicans want to bring them back to life.

Rove's political record is much more impressive. He masterminded back-to-back presidential wins in tough environments. With Rove at the helm, Republicans picked up seats in the off-year elections of 2002 -- the first time that happened since 1934.

The 2004 elections were similarly historic. Bush won the White House and helped the GOP pick up congressional seats, despite an increasingly unpopular war. Rove did this by mastering the nuts and bolts of politics: raising money and perfecting efforts to maximize turnout in counties and states that tip national elections.

One of the most controversial tactics Rove used was drawing sharp contrasts to motivate conservatives after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. This helped boost turnout but it also left the GOP with little margin for error, especially when dealing with Democrats in Congress.

Link: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0807/5354.html

[Tigermike 3,055]

That's great Shug, but you still haven't responded to this.

[AUman43 5]

What do you want Tigermike? My source is just as sound as some you make although a very few on the board (besides you) continually challenge the sources IF they don't walk the Republican walk. I don't! Have a good day!

[otterinbham 0]

For the record, Karl Rove destroyed the credibility of the conservative movement in this country for a decade. There's now a total generational shift to the democrats that really cannot be explained by the lazy explanation of the liberal biased media.

[AUman43 5]

Here it is Tigermike, sorry it took me so long to recall where I read it. Now you can tear it apart as usual. http://hnn.us/articles/8301.html

[otterinbham 0]

Here it is Tigermike, sorry it took me so long to recall where I read it. Now you can tear it apart as usual. http://hnn.us/articles/8301.html

Ah. A history professor at a small Mississippi private college. Yep those are some bona fides for sure. Forget economists such as von Hayek, Friedman, and Greenspan. Because we have a history professor ready to hold forth on an area that isn't even in his area of academic expertise. Thanks for clearing that up for us.

[AUman43 5]

Told ya, the ole spin! Never fails unless THEY make the posts.

[AFTiger 282]

Karl Rove gets blamed for many things he may or may not have done, but he is most hated for performing two act of great service to this country: 1. defeating Al Gore 2. defeating John Kerry.

[DKW 86 7,443]

Guys, he may just be going over to manage Thompson's campaign....

Just saying...

[otterinbham 0]

Guys, he may just be going over to manage Thompson's campaign....

Just saying...

Well, given the electoral disaster the Republicans had in 2006, I'm not sure I'd want the guy within a country mile of my campaign headquarters.

[Tigermike 3,055]

What do you want Tigermike? My source is just as sound as some you make although a very few on the board (besides you) continually challenge the sources IF they don't walk the Republican walk. I don't! Have a good day!

Once again you are living in fantasy land. For the record Shug I didn't challenge your article or your sources. In the thread I linked to, Otter exposed your vacuous, insipid rant for the propaganda tool it was and you didn't bother to respond. That's all.

[CCTAU 3,350]

Guys, he may just be going over to manage Thompson's campaign....

Just saying...

Well, given the electoral disaster the Republicans had in 2006, I'm not sure I'd want the guy within a country mile of my campaign headquarters.

Is Thompson running for the senate again? Last I heard, Rove orchestrated two PRESIDENTIAL wins. Whether you like the man or not, he got the job done.

[otterinbham 0]

Guys, he may just be going over to manage Thompson's campaign....

Just saying...

Well, given the electoral disaster the Republicans had in 2006, I'm not sure I'd want the guy within a country mile of my campaign headquarters.

Is Thompson running for the senate again? Last I heard, Rove orchestrated two PRESIDENTIAL wins. Whether you like the man or not, he got the job done.

He squeaked out two wins against weak competition. Gore and Kerry weren't exactly charismatic juggernauts.

[AUman43 5]

Mike, there was no rant by me.....it was an article I cut and pasted! As far as propaganda goes, there's plenty of it posted on this board and not all by me. I try to maintain some simblance of a balance.

[Bottomfeeder 244]

I think Karl Rove is going down.

[TitanTiger 20,511]

Told ya, the ole spin! Never fails unless THEY make the posts.

Sorry, man. I would side with you if your argument merited it, but you got pwned by otter on that thread.

And just so you know, it's not "spin" to discount the opinions of someone who is operating outside their realm of expertise (like, for instance, a history professor trying to give economic analysis). In fact, some of your friends on the left do it all the time in the global warming debate claiming that those who question Global Warming Dogma aren't climatologists.

[Bottomfeeder 244]

Here it is Tigermike, sorry it took me so long to recall where I read it. Now you can tear it apart as usual. http://hnn.us/articles/8301.html

Republicans are good for those making over $250,000 per year. Anyone under that needs to consider another candidate.

Now conservatives are a different story. Yes, there are many left, but they're fading away. Drowned out by the neo-conservatives that claim conservatism. A classic case of misrepresentation.

I believe no man can escape the grasp of government. It's strangling to say the least. Government over people is not a good thing, but liberty is.

Ron Paul 2008.

[AURaptor 1,126]

For the record, Karl Rove destroyed the credibility of the conservative movement in this country for a decade. There's now a total generational shift to the democrats that really cannot be explained by the lazy explanation of the liberal biased media.

All Karl Rove did was get W elected and re-elected. I'd put the blame on W as for destroying the credibility of the conservative movement. While raising more money than any Gov't in the history of mankind, W's budget was still over drawn.

Unbelieveable!

[otterinbham 0]

For the record, Karl Rove destroyed the credibility of the conservative movement in this country for a decade. There's now a total generational shift to the democrats that really cannot be explained by the lazy explanation of the liberal biased media.

All Karl Rove did was get W elected and re-elected. I'd put the blame on W as for destroying the credibility of the conservative movement. While raising more money than any Gov't in the history of mankind, W's budget was still over drawn.

Unbelieveable!

Rove advised Bush on his agenda. So he played a vital part in the sad catalog of failures that characterize this presidency.

[RunInRed 16,493]

A wise man recently said:

"Karl Rove was an architect of a political strategy that has left the country more divided, the special interests more powerful, and the American people more shut out from their government than any time in memory. "

Hard to disagree on any of those points. I'll second the good riddance.

[Bottomfeeder 244]

Olbemann says goodbye to Turd Blossom.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/Media/Play/2...ve-Resigns.wmv/

[DonCorleone 0]

I really like Karl Rove but he clearly made mistakes once he got to the Whitehouse but I will still support Karl.

[AURaptor 1,126]

Olbemann says goodbye to Turd Blossom.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/Media/Play/2...ve-Resigns.wmv/

Olbermann? That just made this weeks Lame List , or what's weak , this week.

[quietfan 233]

You mean no more of this?