Big Brains and Little Souls – Published by the Financial Times of London
August 13th, 2006
All presidents, of course, have essential counselors and confidantes. Michael Deaver managed the stagecraft of Ronald Reagan and James Baker acted as the big brain for George H.W. Bush. Bill Clinton’s ascent was given wings by James Carville and Paul Begala. Karl Rove, however, is an evolutionary step beyond those accomplished political professionals. President Bush is, in many respects, Rove’s creation. They are two heads on the same body. In fact, five years before Bush was to even run for governor of Texas, Rove told a friend he could turn a president’s son into a president. Bush had the family name, financial connections, charm and looks while Rove was packing the facile mind loaded with ideas and outsized ambition.
There is danger in this co-dependency. Generally, political advisors do not move into the White House after they have elected their candidate. Rove, though, has an office in the West Wing and prepares a recipe of policy and politics in the same pot. Inevitably, a moment arrives when what best serves the nation is not ideal for the political future of the president. And his record indicates Rove will be inclined to choose his client over his country when he finds himself confronted with that choice. Re-election of the officeholder and advancement of the party is the primary business. Campaigns never end. The White House becomes just another campaign headquarters.
Rove is empowered beyond the bounds of what is traditionally proscribed for most political counsels. Without him, the eldest Bush son is little more than a digger of dry holes on the northern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert in West Texas, a man who cannot find oil in the lower 48’s richest reserve. Rove makes plans and protects his most valuable asset, however. He has found his riches. The president is the product and Rove is his marketer.
What is Karl Rove capable of doing with this unprecedented power for a consultant? His record is instructive. He launched a whisper campaign that the gubernatorial opponent of Bush in Texas was a lesbian. She lost. Rove leaked information that destroyed the candidacy of a female Hispanic candidate for statewide office in Texas. Reporters were breathlessly summoned to his office 20 years ago to hear him claim his Democratic opposition had planted a bug on his wall. Nobody believed him. But everybody wrote the story. And his candidate won. When the FBI began investigating Democrats in Texas, Rove tipped reporters in advance of the issuance of subpoenas.
Ethics appear not to be a serious consideration for Karl Rove and the law only a marginal influence. If there is proof that he over-reached and was directly involved in the leaking of a CIA agent’s name, he was driven by the need to serve and protect his president and tempted by the fact that he has never been called to account for any previous political maneuvers. No one ever proved that he was responsible for phone calls in South Carolina claiming Sen. John McCain had a mixed race child out of wedlock. Mailers sent to voters in West Virginia, which claimed Democrats would ban the bible and allow gay marriage, were never connected to Karl Rove, even though he had used almost the same document in Texas. He is comfortable with his skills. And always gets others to execute his plans.
The indictment of the vice president’s chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, does not mean Rove is not involved in the leak. Libby was reportedly obsessed with Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his report that Iraq had not made any effort to buy yellowcake uranium from Niger. Karl Rove knew this. And he has always been good at managing his assets. Of course, if he is ever accused Rove will get his chance to answer any charges, a privilege most of his political victims never enjoyed.
Karl Rove is not the disease. He is, however, a symptom. American democracy has been run by hired guns for too long. Influence and power are in the wrong hands. Voters elect consultants, not congress. And they rarely even open the rule book. Their game is played to win and not to serve anyone beyond their clients. The American electorate has surrendered its government to men in $2000 suits with platinum credit cards. And while we wait in silence for brave voices to tell them to go away, our democracy continues to shrivel.
Entry Filed under: Karl Articles
5 Comments Add your own
1. Freedom2 | October 24th, 2008 at 5:49 am
Karl is awesome, a breath of fresh air, you speak with authority and most important of all, you back up what you say with specifics and facts. I’m always anxious to here your opinion. Run for President and I’ll vote for you.
2. cmace57030 | October 26th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Karl Rove is one of my heros. When Karl is going to be on any show I immediately pay attention because Karl Rove is a genius when it comes to politics. Most of the talking heads for the different parties really URK me because all they spout is talking points that we are all totally bored to death with. Karl Rove is one of the guys you should pay attention to in this campaign.
Karl could you please call up the Mc Cain campaign and tell them how to spend these last days of the campaign so we can win.
Does America want Obama in office when they know he has ties to William Ayers, Father Flagler, that raving maniac preacher and the crook from Chicago and to make all things worse he has paid $800 million to Acorn who is up to their neck in voter fraud. Also, why isn’t anyone checking into all the $150 million in campaign donations in Sept. alone, from the internet that probably came from the middle east. Can we afford to let these people strip our country of $700 billion/ year and manipulate our stock markets then come in and buy America at bargain basement prices and vote for Obama with American dollars as they donate to his campaign online? Why doesn’t America wake up. Is everyone so excited about getting a few hundred dollars from the government, as Obama spreads the wealth, that they will turn a blind eye to his background and cronies?
Obama, Pelosi, and Harry Reid will change the face of our country for the next generation if we do not stop this sweep across our country for the democrats.
Nancy Pelosi is so bold that even after her bailout speech-gone-wrong, she has the nerve to offer up another bill for $300 billion in earmarks and payoffs in the name of the people. Is anyone aware that this will be borrowed money which in the end makes every dollar worth less and will take years to pay back.
Our freedoms are at risk and Obama is going to take it to the limit. People vote out all of these crazy people and vote for AMERICA. Vote for the one who has fought for America his whole life and who loves America as much as you and I. Don’t trust Obama to hand over our government to radicals who deep inside hate America. This is where all his deep pocket money is coming from–the middle east ON-LINE. Ask for the government to hold him accountable for Acorn voter fraud and for his campaign donations.
What about Acorn? Is this the end of the Acorn Voter Fraud case? Is no one doing anything? Are all the ballots going to be co-mingled and not scrutinized? This is the most IMPORTANT issue out there with this election. OBAMA is going to get the whitehouse one way or the other. They are using illegal campaign money and stuffing the ballot box with bogas ballots and no one is doing anything. Karl Please Stop This!! Use your power with Bush to stop this before it is to late. What ever happened to breaking the law? Does this mean I can now blow up Federal Buildings, police stations and get off free as a bird? Can I drive to Ohio and register 100 times and vote there 100 times and nothing will come of it? McCain seems to be the only candidate following the rules.
KARL PLEASE USE YOUR INFLUENCE TO STOP THE VOTER FRAUD AND CHECK INTO OBAMA’S ON-LINE DONATIONS TO SEE IF THEY ARE LEGAL. NO ONE IS DOING ON THING TO STOP THIS.
REMEMBER NANCY PELOSI’S TRIP TO SYRIA. THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING. THINK ABOUT IT PEOPLE DO YOU WANT PELOSI REED AND OBAMA?
3. cmace57030 | October 26th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
KARL, WHY WOULD THEY INVITE YOU TO IOWA TO TEAR YOU DOWN IN PUBLIC. THESE PEOPLE ARE CRAZY.
I THINK YOU ARE A GENIUS AND GLAD YOU ARE ON THE SIDE OF THE REPUBLICANS.
4. lonnie.harp | October 30th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
with this election looking as close by election day as 2000 & 2004,maybe you could get mcain back on his “i will make them famous” speech. I think it could be something that will connect with voters still on the fence by election day.
5. lonnie.harp | October 31st, 2008 at 8:00 pm
With all the buzz about redistribution of wealth,maybe we should be talking about “redistribution of socialist”. Might I suggest France?
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