Karl Rove, 'Bush's Brains', to quit White House
Karl Rove, the aide who masterminded President Bush's election-winning campaigns in 2000 and 2004, is to resign at the end of the month.
The hawkish adviser, who has courted anger from Democrats over his partisan and highly personalised attacks against the party, told the Wall Street Journal that he would leave office on August 31 to spend more time with his family in Texas.
"I just think it’s time," he was quoted as saying, announcing his departure.
"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."
The resignation of one of his most trusted political allies will come as a blow to Mr Bush at a time when his poll ratings remain at their lowest since his 2000 election.
The President has described Rove as his “Boy Genius” and the aide was dubbed “Bush's Brain” by US political liberals. News of his departure comes little over two months after it was announced that Dan Bartlett, the President's longest-serving aide, was also resigning to take a job outside government.
However in his interview this morning, Rove made it clear that he had not lost faith in the embattled President, and predicted that the Republicans would fend off a strong challenge from the Democrats to retain their grip on the White House.
"He will move back up in the polls," Rove said, referring to the President's dip in public support, claiming his approval rating is closer to 40 per cent than the 30 per cent widely quoted.
In another shot at the Democrats, Rove, who has worked for Mr Bush for more than a decade, added that the party was likely to nominate "a tough, tenacious, fatally flawed candidate" to fight its next presidential election campaign, in an apparent reference to Hillary Clinton.
As well as criticism over his partisan outlook, some of Rove's biggest difficulties came over investigations into his conduct.
The US Senate issued a subpoena against him last month as part of an investigation into the sacking of eight federal prosecutors, but the President ordered him not to testify, citing rules over executive privilege.
In addition, he has also been investigated in connection with the exposure of CIA agent Valerie Plame, though prosecutors decided he should not face any charges. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former chief of staff to Dick Cheney, the US Vice-President, was eventually sentenced to 30 months in prison for lying to an investigation about the leaking of her identity to the press.
3 comments:
Yes, bush's brain no longer Roves the halls of the White House.
Let's see from 2000 that leaves ...
Dickhead Cheney
Condominium Rice
Fredo Gonzales ...
... and then there were two.
Condi-lies-alot might be the only on to still make it to Jan 2009.
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