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Karl Rove Resigns
Karl Rove, President Bush's close friend and chief political strategist, plans to leave the White House at the end of August, joining a lengthening line of senior officials heading for the exits in the final 1 1/2 years of the administration.
A longtime member of Mr. Bush's inner circle, Mr. Rove was nicknamed "the architect" by the president for designing the strategy that twice won him the White House.
A criminal investigation put Mr. Rove under scrutiny for months during the investigation into the leak of a CIA operative's name but he was never charged with any crime.
Mr. Bush was expected to make a statement Monday with Mr. Rove.
More here, via The NY Sun.
Back in 2003, Contributing Editor John J. Pitney asked whether Rove really was Bush's brain.
|8.13.07 @ 9:47AM|#
I thought Rove was nicknamed the archictect because of his epic work, "Failingparty."
|8.13.07 @ 9:57AM|#
My initial feeling was that this is good news of the "don't let the door hit you in the ass fat boy" variety. On further reflection I what, if anything, will change for the better for those of us under the rule of George W. Bush and his Executive Branch Rangers?
|8.13.07 @ 10:15AM|#
Apparently, Wormwood was called back by Screwtape for his failures in the last election.
|8.13.07 @ 10:21AM|#
No need to prosecute any of these idiots. All of them -- Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, Condi, Gonzo, etc -- are going to be shunned from the corridors of power for the remainder of their pitiful existences. They're never going to be able to get the stink of this bloody bowel movement of an administration off of them.
|8.13.07 @ 10:39AM|#
Yes crimethink, I'm sure that thought will cost them many nights of sleep, rattling around in the wee hours, aimlessly drifing through their eight-bedroom homes, making them a wreck before their $10,000/hr speaking engagement the next morning.
lunchstealer|8.13.07 @ 10:39AM|#
You couldn't have done this 6 years ago there,
Turdblossom?
Also, can you take Alberto with you?
|8.13.07 @ 10:52AM|#
No need to prosecute any of these idiots. All of them --
Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, Condi, Gonzo, etc -- are going to be
shunned from the corridors of power for the remainder of their
pitiful existences. They're never going to be able to get the stink
of this bloody bowel movement of an administration off of
them.
QFT, prosecution will just turn them into GOP martyrs. Let them be
harshly judged by history instead.
|8.13.07 @ 11:14AM|#
I say Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld, still need to answer for the
torture thing.
I'd like to see Ashcroft and Gonzales have their feet held to the
fire as well. But their abuse of office is more time honored.
|8.13.07 @ 11:41AM|#
I think there's more to this. Bush probably came to the
realization that the Democrats won't stop with just Scooter
Libby.
If Bush jettisons Rove now, it won't look as bad as if Bush were to
ax him once another scandal broke.
The more that Bush's secrecy cracks, the better for us.
Sidenote: Did I read correctly that Dr. Paul beat McCain
and Guiliani at Ames?
|8.13.07 @ 11:41AM|#
OMG, Karl Roveitlerfascistnazi has resigned!
Now all we need to do is put him in isn't he in *prison* for his
crimes against humanity!
Bushliedkidsdiedhalliburtondiebold oh oh oh ohhhhhh! That felt
good.
Sorry, just trying to anticipate the left-wing response to this
news.
|8.13.07 @ 12:00PM|#
Sidenote: Did I read correctly that Dr. Paul beat McCain and
Guiliani at Ames?
They didn't participate.
|8.13.07 @ 12:15PM|#
Rove says we should stay in Iraq till the job is done, but he's quitting. That's showing the good ole tough it out leadership.
Eric Dondero|8.13.07 @ 12:25PM|#
The entire libertarian movement needs to take a pause and
reflect on the fact, that Ron Paul would not be a United States
Congressman today if it were not for Karl Rove.
It was Gov. George Bush (though Karl Rove) who put the word out to
Houston-area Republicans to back Ron Paul with money and support
immediately after the brutal GOP primary against Laughlin.
I personally fieled some of the calls from Rove. He also gave us
many grass roots campaign tips, which we implemented.
We went on to win the general election by a hair -- Ron Paul 51%,
Lefty Morris 47.5%.
If it were not for Rove pushing all the prominent Republicans in
the State to "go down to South Texas to campaign for Ron Paul" we
would have never won. The Austin Trial Lawyer-backed, hugely funded
Lefty Morris would have cleaned our clock.
But of course, this information doesn't fit the cynical Leftist
Libertarian template of "Bash Bush, Bash Bush, and the evil Karl
Rove" so it will continue to go un-reported at Reason and other
libertarian media.
But Ron Paul knows. After all he returned the favor by appearing
with Bush at a number of Texas fundraisers in his Presidential
campaign in 1999/2000. And prominently displayed a "Ron Paul and
George W. Bush" photo at the entrance way to our District
Congressional office for years.
Eric Dondero, Senior Aide
US Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX)
1997-2003
|8.13.07 @ 12:58PM|#
Ron Paul would not be a United States Congressman today if
it were not for Karl Rove.
Assuming your story is true, we should also remember that Nancy
Pelosi would not be Speaker of the House were it not for Karl Rove
either. Yay for him.
Seitz|8.13.07 @ 1:04PM|#
All of them -- Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, Condi, Gonzo,
etc -- are going to be shunned from the corridors of power for the
remainder of their pitiful existences.
I have no doubt that if he wanted to, Rove would be hired in an
instant by any of the Republican candidates for 2008, and probably
half of the Democratic candidates.
Eric Dondero|8.13.07 @ 2:18PM|#
Crimethink,
Yup, I have to agree. You got me there.
And as for the veracity of the story, just ask virtually anyone who
was involved in the 1996 Campaign. Here's a List of the most
prominent campaign staffers/volunteers, many of whom can be easily
contacted:
Tom Lizardo
Michael Quin Sullivan
Jack Spates
Michael Franks
John Monus
Chad Crowe
David Palmquist
Don Loucks
Phil Boyd-Robertson
Brian Roe
Of go to the source: The mysterious behind-the-curtains super
insider Ron Paul fundraiser David Mertz, aka David James. It was
James who set up all the Rove dealings for the Paul Campaign.
But hey, you didn't hear any of this from me.
|8.13.07 @ 2:41PM|#
That Rove is somehow responsible for Ron Paul winning is a bit
beside the point, isn't it? The fact that Rove helped a Republican
win shouldn't be surprising. One of the knocks on Rove is that for
him:
(what's good for the USA) == (what's good for the GOP)
What's more important is what Paul and Rove respectively have done
since then. I'd go with Paul on that one.
lunchstealer|8.13.07 @ 2:41PM|#
But of course, this information doesn't fit the cynical
Leftist Libertarian template of "Bash Bush, Bash Bush, and the evil
Karl Rove" so it will continue to go un-reported at Reason and
other libertarian media.
You sure that it doesn't go unreported because it's intensely
uninteresting? I mean, 1996 congressional election politics within
the state of Texas is probably interesting to somebody, but even
Ron Paul can't turn it into a not-snoozefest for most of us.
|8.13.07 @ 4:23PM|#
Wow, imagine that. People don't like Bush! What a shocker. I wonder why that could be?
Eric Dondero|8.13.07 @ 4:43PM|#
Lunchstealer, point is Ron Paul is now a Presidential candidate.
Yeah, it wouldn't matter if he was just running for reelection to
his Congressional seat.
But what matters is the extremy hypocrisy of Ron Paul and his
Bush-bashing supporters.
Would they have rejected Bush's (Rove's) help in 1996, cause the
"evil Bush" is an establishment Republican?
|8.13.07 @ 4:44PM|#
Dondero, please tell us what a wonderful job Bush has done in office. Are you one of the 30%ers or what?
Eric Dondero|8.13.07 @ 4:45PM|#
Zevatron, you're right, what matters most is what they've both
done since.
Karl Rove has helped Bush fight the War on Islamo-Fascism, and the
rise of Radical Islam worldwide and here in the United
States.
Ron Paul, supposedly a champion of liberty, has been AWOL.
lunchstealer|8.13.07 @ 4:52PM|#
I'm not a historian, but I'm pretty sure that in 1996, Bush
hadn't started a pre-emptive war that led to a disasterous
occupation, based on trumped up evidence.
I suppose that I'm also hypocritical for criticizing OJ, having
once enjoyed the Naked Gun movies? I mean now I think he's a
murderer, but how can I square that with the fact that I laughed
when he got hit in the crotch with a cactus?
lunchstealer|8.13.07 @ 5:05PM|#
Cesar, yeah, he's a 30%er. 9/11 changed everything. Islamofascism! Scary Terrorists! Be afraid of EVERYTHING except your government blowing things up and detaining people, because we're fighting a war on terror!
brian|8.13.07 @ 5:16PM|#
Eric Dondero
You can't expect me to believe all that drivel on your website is
libertarianism. Some is, some isn't. It's pretty much the
Republican Party platform, with some exceptions. Here is a list of
quotes from your website of things you support.
"unreasonable regulations of sexual lifestyles for consenting
adults"
Even "reasonable" regulation of sexual lifestyles of consenting
adults is not libertarian.
"a strong and well-equipped Military"
Big, strong, well-equipped government is not libertarian.
"Using the Military to fight terrorists overseas, when necessary,
rather than here at home."
Foreign military adventurism is not libertarian.
"beefed up enforcement, more Border Patrol and fencing."
Beefed up government, more government, and government fences. None
of the above are libertarian.
"Citizenship only for those who learn English."
Restricting citizenship based on one's chosen language is not
libertarian.
Your quote from Romney that you claim is "libertarian": "...I do
vehemently oppose practices or business procedures that will allow
kids to be exposed to obscenity"
"Balanced Federal Budget through spending cuts, not increased
taxes. Broad cuts in rates of spending increases for all federal,
state and local governmental programs. Reform of Medicare, Social
Security and other entitlement programs through greater reliance on
private alternatives."
Where's the single biggest government program, the military, in
this?
"Lower gas prices through increased refining capacity and allowance
for drilling for oil in Alaska and Coastlines"
This is just simply not true. Oil independence means higher prices,
not lower. And drilling there wouldn't even lower prices, since it
would have only a marginal impact on global oil supply.
Also: "This week: Islamo-Fascism, problems in the Middle East, Fred
Thompson for President, "
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH. A libertarian supporting Thompson...
|8.13.07 @ 6:11PM|#
Yeah Eric, didn't you ever hear that large standing armies are the biggest threat there is to liberty?
Eric Dondero|8.13.07 @ 8:57PM|#
Sorry Cesar, I've always viewed Islamic Terrorism as the biggest
threat to my personal liberties.
I don't see any Military guys wanting to force my lovely wife to
wear an ugly black burqa from head to toe, if she wants to go
shopping at Walmart.
|8.13.07 @ 9:28PM|#
Sorry Cesar, I've always viewed Islamic Terrorism as the
biggest threat to my personal liberties.
I don't see any Military guys wanting to force my lovely wife to
wear an ugly black burqa from head to toe, if she wants to go
shopping at Walmart.
Do you read any fucking history at all? Name me one power in
history that has gone on imperial missions with a massive military
complex that has not degenerated into tyranny. Name.
One.
|8.13.07 @ 9:29PM|#
I for one am shocked that Rove and Co. would have done anything to make sure Ron Paul's congressional seat kept to the (R) side of the aisle. It is politics afterall.
Eric Dondero|8.14.07 @ 9:42AM|#
Cesar?
Do I approve of Bush's job performance?
Mixed bag: 50 to 55% good, 45 to 50% bad.
Good: Tax cuts, attacking Taliban in Afghanistan, capturing Saddam
(and his two evil murderous sons Uday & Qusay), killing
Zarcawi, proposals to privatize Social Security, more appoints of
bonafide Libertarians to major cabinet posts than any other
President in history (Former Libertarian Party activists Gayle
Norton, Bill Evers, et.al.), Strong economy and low unemployment
rate.
Bad: Port Dubai deal (!!!), his political correctness and his
refusal to call our enemies Islamo-Fascists, his general wimpiness
in fighting Islamo-Fascism worldwide (what about Darfur? Somalia?
Phillipines?), mostly lackluster performance on securing on
borders, and his stupid-ass Nanny-stater Transportation Secretary
who wants a crack-down on non-seat belt wearing drivers.
No Bush is okay, but we can do better with Giuliani, Thompson or
Romney.
Eric Dondero|8.14.07 @ 9:45AM|#
Cesar, umm, name one?
Golly Gee, call me stupid and all. But how about that Island Nation
in the Northern Sea, bunch of pale skin white people and all. Talk
with a funny accent? And they've got this God-awful obsession with
their Queen?
Oh, and they just about invented the modern concept of
Democracy.
And they gave us the Beatles and the Stones.
What's the name of that country again? Right on the tip of my
tongue.
Eric Dondero|8.14.07 @ 9:48AM|#
Cesar, if "large standing armies" are such a threat to our
individual liberties, than why is it that every single time we have
some big natural dissaster like Katrina, the American public cries
and cries and cries to the President, to "Send in the Army"?
And I don't recall of any instances where the President sent in the
Army and there were adverse incidents as a result. In fact, the
complete opposite is true. The Coast Guard were the HUGE HEROS of
Katrina.
lunchstealer|8.14.07 @ 10:33AM|#
I don't see any Military guys wanting to force my lovely
wife to wear an ugly black burqa from head to toe, if she wants to
go shopping at Walmart.
Yeah, that's a realistic threat. They could pull that off, no
problem. Thank god we're occupying Iraq, or I'd have already prayed
to Mecca twice today. I remember everybody stocking up on burqas in
2002 and 2003, because we were all sure that we were going to be
turned Muslim at the end of an AK47.
|8.14.07 @ 10:50AM|#
Eric, that a very selective use of history. That country you speak of use to cut people into sections and stick their heads on a pike.
lunchstealer|8.14.07 @ 11:22AM|#
I believe also that somebody ended up having to actually fight
them off in a pretty long war because of the taxes required to
support that standing army.
And do you expect to be taken seriously pointing out how awesome
the Coast Guard is when people are discussing the imperialist
temptations of a large standing army? That's just being obtuse. Or
seriously retarded.
|8.14.07 @ 1:19PM|#
So Eric wants us to be the British Empire? At least hes
honest.
You might want to look at Ireland and India, not to mention Africa,
before you wish that on us Eric.
And they never did have a large army. Only a large navy.
|8.15.07 @ 6:46PM|#
ROVE:One of the worst men in Washington DC ever. Go ! We would not have you to be kind over us. You leave trash and wreckage beyond belief. Irreparable harm. A man with very little grace, humanity. No great soul or spirit here. Horrible. The force behind the sham presidency. Not enough words or exact words to express my judgments of this man. Go to heaven ! Stay hidden in TX. I don't care if I ever see you again. Get investigated and if probable cause (and there is a lot of it), get charged and prosecuted. If found guilty, go to jail for years and years to come.
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