It's not over for Mr. Rove

Dan Froomkin writes in today’s WaPo about the legacy of Karl Rove.  Some highlights:

…his (Rove’s) tenure will stand as an example of how divisiveness and partisanship are not conducive to successful governance.”

The Republican Party is in far worse shape as he leaves than when he began. Despite an incredible outpouring of support on 9/11, his misuse of that political wave of support has caused the demise of the GOP. 

His boss is the lowest ranking President in popularity, EVER! 

His use of National Security as a wedge issue actually made us LESS secure! He called it “political suicide” to discard the President’s War Policy during the November 2006 elections.  He was wrong.

Rove was primarily responsible for the Bush Administration’s subversion of national policy for the sake of political goals.  He was the first in the administration to accuse liberals of sympathizing with the enemy and that dissent on the war was endangering the troops. Accusing patriotic Americans of treason didn’t play well.  Making his pure hatred of everything Liberal made him the pariah of a large segment of the very voters he was trying to sway.  Bad move.

He wanted to create a Republican super-majority that would last 100 years, but his “play to the base” strategy sabotaged that effort.  By dividing us so completely, he could not bring us together for consensus on his most ambitious attempts at political realignment.  His Social Security reform went nowhere, his immigration policy went nowhere, and his national security policy is losing ground.

Rove was placed in charge of the rebuilding effort in New Orleans, a political decision more that a policy or administrative decision. We’ve seen how that turned out.

He was one of several administration officials that “outed” Valerie Plame, a felony. The whole Scooter Libby trial went on without hearing from one of the central characters, Mr. Rove.  Speculation by many, including jurors at the trial concerning Mr. Libby taking the fall for Rove is rampant.  

The political ploy of firing unsympathetic or seemingly disloyal US attorneys was a signature Rove move.  Investigations continue.  It just seems so Rovian that the whole episode originated with him…..   

It’s not over.