Hendo
08-13-2007, 04:29 PM
Karl Rove leaving the White House
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Karl Rove, often by the president's side, on a recent trip with President Bush, and offering a symbolic reminder of his loyalty. Photo by Mark Silva
by Mark Silva
Karl Rove, “the architect’’ of President Bush’s election and re-election campaigns, plans to leave the White House at the end of August – adding to an exodus of longtime Bush friends and advisors stepping down before the end of the president’s term in January 2009.
Rove has not only steered Bush to remarkable political successes, but also weathered some of the roughest controversies of the administration – from his role in discussions with reporters who wrote about the identity of a CIA agent – he was never charged with any crime -- to his unknown involvement in the firing of federal prosecutors – with the Senate Judiciary Committee now weighing what to do about a subpoena for Rove’s testimony in its investigation that the White House has refused to honor.
Rove serves as chief political adviser and deputy chief of staff, with a political office in the West Wing that operates much like a war room on the American political front.
Rove has steered his party’s highly developed “micro-targeting’’ campaign of communications with likely voters and swing voters for not only the president’s elections, but also for congressional candidates – and he would argue that the party’s loss of Congress in the midterm elections of 2006 was only a marginal loss, counted in small margins of defeat in several districts around the country – a reversible loss, in the mind of Rove.
Yet Rove is also weary – claiming now that he’d like more time to spend with his family. This is a common refrain cited by many leaving the White House near the end of the president’s term – most recently presidential counselor Dan Bartlett.
“Obviously it's a big loss to us," White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said. "He's a great colleague, a good friend, and a brilliant mind. He will be greatly missed, but we know he wouldn't be going if he wasn't sure this was the right time to be giving more to his family, his wife Darby and their son. He will continue to be one of the president's greatest friends."
The president, who leaves the White House today for a week of rest at his Texas ranch, plans to make a statement on the South Lawn before departing at 11:35 am EDT.
Since Democrats won control of Congress in November, several other high-level administration officials have stepped out.
That includes Bartlett, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, budget director Rob Portman, White House counsel Harriet Miers, political director Sara Taylor and deputy national security advisers J.D. Crouch and Meghan O'Sullivan.
But Rove has served Bush since 1993, when the president first ran for governor of Texas.
Rove, whose departure has been rumored for months, finally disclosed his plans in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. He told Paul Gigot, editor of the Journal's editorial page, that Josh Bolten, the president's chief of staff, had told senior aides that if they stayed past Labor Day they would be obliged to remain through the end of the president's term in January 2009.
"I just think it's time," Rove said in an interview with the editor at this home on Saturday. He first floated the idea of leaving to Bush a year ago, the newspaper said, and friends confirmed he'd been talking about it even earlier. However, he said he didn't want to depart right after the Democrats regained control of Congress and then got drawn into policy battles over the Iraq war and immigration.
“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," Rove told the newspaper.
Rove's son attends college in San Antonio. He says he and his wife plan to spend much of their time at their nearby home in Ingram.
Rove talked about more than himself in the Journal interview. He predicted that conditions in Iraq would improve and that the Democrats would nominate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for president, calling her "a tough, tenacious, fatally flawed candidate’’ – the sort of candidate, perhaps, that Rove would love to see his party face in November 2008.
Rove had testified before a federal grand jury in the investigation of the leak of the identity of Valerie Plame, a CIA officer whose husband, ambassador Joseph Wilson, criticized the Bush administration for manipulating intelligence in the runup to the invasion of Iraq.
That investigation led to no charges against anyone for leaking Plame's name, but it did lead to the conviction of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the vice president’s former chief of staff, on charges of lying and obstructing justice. Bush has commuted Libby's prison sentence.
The most explicit testimony about Rove had come from columnist Robert Novak, who named Plame in a July 2003 column. He testified that Rove, a frequent source, was one of two officials who told him about Plame. Rove's attorney maintained Rove never identified Plame by name. Libby, with whom he seldom spoke, had not been a source for the columnist.
Rove, however, was not indicted after testifying five times before the grand jury.
The Senate Judiciary Committee now is seeking Rove’s testimony in its investigation of the firing of several federal prosecutors last year, but the White House is citing executive privilege in the president’s communications with aides – just as it has resisted the House Judiciary Committee’s bid to have Miers and chief of staff Josh Bolten testify.
The House committee has voted to find Miers and Bolten in contempt of Congress. The Senate committee hasn’t decided what to do about Rove's refusal to testify.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
http://blogs.trb.com/news/politics/blog/rove2.gif
Karl Rove, often by the president's side, on a recent trip with President Bush, and offering a symbolic reminder of his loyalty. Photo by Mark Silva
by Mark Silva
Karl Rove, “the architect’’ of President Bush’s election and re-election campaigns, plans to leave the White House at the end of August – adding to an exodus of longtime Bush friends and advisors stepping down before the end of the president’s term in January 2009.
Rove has not only steered Bush to remarkable political successes, but also weathered some of the roughest controversies of the administration – from his role in discussions with reporters who wrote about the identity of a CIA agent – he was never charged with any crime -- to his unknown involvement in the firing of federal prosecutors – with the Senate Judiciary Committee now weighing what to do about a subpoena for Rove’s testimony in its investigation that the White House has refused to honor.
Rove serves as chief political adviser and deputy chief of staff, with a political office in the West Wing that operates much like a war room on the American political front.
Rove has steered his party’s highly developed “micro-targeting’’ campaign of communications with likely voters and swing voters for not only the president’s elections, but also for congressional candidates – and he would argue that the party’s loss of Congress in the midterm elections of 2006 was only a marginal loss, counted in small margins of defeat in several districts around the country – a reversible loss, in the mind of Rove.
Yet Rove is also weary – claiming now that he’d like more time to spend with his family. This is a common refrain cited by many leaving the White House near the end of the president’s term – most recently presidential counselor Dan Bartlett.
“Obviously it's a big loss to us," White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said. "He's a great colleague, a good friend, and a brilliant mind. He will be greatly missed, but we know he wouldn't be going if he wasn't sure this was the right time to be giving more to his family, his wife Darby and their son. He will continue to be one of the president's greatest friends."
The president, who leaves the White House today for a week of rest at his Texas ranch, plans to make a statement on the South Lawn before departing at 11:35 am EDT.
Since Democrats won control of Congress in November, several other high-level administration officials have stepped out.
That includes Bartlett, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, budget director Rob Portman, White House counsel Harriet Miers, political director Sara Taylor and deputy national security advisers J.D. Crouch and Meghan O'Sullivan.
But Rove has served Bush since 1993, when the president first ran for governor of Texas.
Rove, whose departure has been rumored for months, finally disclosed his plans in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. He told Paul Gigot, editor of the Journal's editorial page, that Josh Bolten, the president's chief of staff, had told senior aides that if they stayed past Labor Day they would be obliged to remain through the end of the president's term in January 2009.
"I just think it's time," Rove said in an interview with the editor at this home on Saturday. He first floated the idea of leaving to Bush a year ago, the newspaper said, and friends confirmed he'd been talking about it even earlier. However, he said he didn't want to depart right after the Democrats regained control of Congress and then got drawn into policy battles over the Iraq war and immigration.
“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," Rove told the newspaper.
Rove's son attends college in San Antonio. He says he and his wife plan to spend much of their time at their nearby home in Ingram.
Rove talked about more than himself in the Journal interview. He predicted that conditions in Iraq would improve and that the Democrats would nominate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for president, calling her "a tough, tenacious, fatally flawed candidate’’ – the sort of candidate, perhaps, that Rove would love to see his party face in November 2008.
Rove had testified before a federal grand jury in the investigation of the leak of the identity of Valerie Plame, a CIA officer whose husband, ambassador Joseph Wilson, criticized the Bush administration for manipulating intelligence in the runup to the invasion of Iraq.
That investigation led to no charges against anyone for leaking Plame's name, but it did lead to the conviction of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the vice president’s former chief of staff, on charges of lying and obstructing justice. Bush has commuted Libby's prison sentence.
The most explicit testimony about Rove had come from columnist Robert Novak, who named Plame in a July 2003 column. He testified that Rove, a frequent source, was one of two officials who told him about Plame. Rove's attorney maintained Rove never identified Plame by name. Libby, with whom he seldom spoke, had not been a source for the columnist.
Rove, however, was not indicted after testifying five times before the grand jury.
The Senate Judiciary Committee now is seeking Rove’s testimony in its investigation of the firing of several federal prosecutors last year, but the White House is citing executive privilege in the president’s communications with aides – just as it has resisted the House Judiciary Committee’s bid to have Miers and chief of staff Josh Bolten testify.
The House committee has voted to find Miers and Bolten in contempt of Congress. The Senate committee hasn’t decided what to do about Rove's refusal to testify.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.