Love him or hate him, Karl Rove is the outstanding Republican political operator of our time. Between him and Bill Clinton it would be tough to choose.
And think of what he achieved. He got a rather unexciting candidate elected twice to the White House. And he kept the Republicans in control of Congress up until the always-vulnerable second-term off-year election.
That is a stunning achievement.
Why is he leaving now? New York Times reporter Jim Rutenberg says he had to leave now or wait till the end of the administration.
[Rove] said his hand was forced now when the White House chief of staff, Joshua B. Bolten, recently told senior aides that if they stayed past Labor Day he would expect them to stay through the rest of Mr. Bush’s term.
Of course the New York Times chappie can’t help salivating over the prospect of Congress calling Rove up to testify.
But from the time he leaves office, Mr. Rove will no longer have the protection of White House lawyers and will be more on his own when it comes to dealing with Congressional subpoenas.
But we Republicans hope that Rove will get some rest, write a book, and get ready to resume his life’s work.
Mr. Rove had vowed to build a lasting Republican majority, and... has portrayed the defeat in the 2006 midterm elections as a temporary setback, and said in the interview he believed Republicans were still on track for victory in the next election.
My own feeling is that it would be in the long-term interest of Republicans to lose the 2008 election. Just like Karl Rove, Republicans need a rest—reculer pour mieux sauter as the French say.
Just wait till next year!
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