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| Bush's top political strategist and deputy chief of staff, Karl Rove (r.), announced his resignation at a press conference
on Monday. Ron Edmonds/AP/file |
Rove departure marks end of era for White House
President Bush's political strategist strove to cement GOP control.
By Peter Grier | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitorfrom the August 14, 2007 edition
Page 1 of 2
Washington - Strategist Karl Rove's departure from the White House may signal the official end of an era of ambition for both the presidency of George Bush and the Republican Party as a whole.
The man President Bush dubbed "The Architect" long dreamed of leading a shift in US politics that would establish the GOP as the nation's clear majority party. His policy goals were similarly grand – he pushed for seismic change in American education, retirement programs, and immigration policy, among other things.
His plans won two tough presidential elections. But US political realignment, if it's happening, appears to favor Democrats. And today, the administration's domestic agenda is at best stalled – and at worst gone with the wind.
"I think this takes the broadest claims for the Bush presidency off the table, as Karl Rove goes out the door," says Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Mr. Rove's departure may also deprive the administration's critics of one of their favorite targets.
Democrats have long accused Rove of favoring a scorched-earth style of campaigning designed to win by dividing the electorate. They've seen his hand in everything from the leak to the press of the name of CIA officer Valerie Plame, whose husband was a critic of the war in Iraq; to the firing of eight US attorneys last year, possibly for improper political reasons.
The White House has declined to allow Rove to testify under oath before Congress in the US attorneys matter, citing executive privilege. Whether lawmakers continue to pursue him in private life with subpoenas to testify remains to be seen.
"Many in Congress believe Rove was behind all this US attorney business and really orchestrated it," says Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond. "But they've not been able to prove it."
In one sense Rove's departure was expected. Officials often leave an administration as its time in office winds down, and
the Bush White House is no exception. Among those who have already left are White House counselor Dan Bartlett, budget director
Rob Portman, and top White House attorney Harriet Miers. [Editor's note: The original version misspelled Mr. Bartlett's name.]
"For someone to be in a White House for a full eight years is a very unusual thing," says Professor Jillson.
But from a tactical point of view, Rove's announcement was a shock. There were none of the usual rumors of departure. The news was passed, unusually, in an interview with Paul Gigot, the editor of The Wall Street Journal editorial page.
Karl Rove has been Bush's political adviser since the beginning of the latter's political career as governor of Texas.
"We've been friends for a long time and we're still going to be friends," said Bush at a White House appearance with Rove on Monday.
Rove told The Journal that he plans to write a book about his experiences, and that in all likelihood his days as a political consultant are over.
"There's always something that can keep you here, and as much as I'd like to be here, I've got to do this for the sake of my family," he told reporters on Aug. 13 at the White House. Rove plans to return to Texas with his wife and son, who is a university student in San Antonio.
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