Karl Rove Quits!

Whenever a politician says he is leaving “to spend more time with his family,” it isn’t the family.

The lead editorial in the August 14^th New York Times blazes, “Mr. Rove gets out of Town.” The editorial is blunt and leaves no doubt that the reason for Rove’s departure on August 31^st is that the Congressional subpoenas start coming on September 1^st.

Some choice summaries from that lead editorial:

“Mr. Rove has spent the last six and a half years improperly and dangerously politicizing the Federal government.”

“Mr. Rove appears to have been deeply involved in the decision to fire nine top Federal prosecutors.”

“…there is also mounting evidence that he turned nonpartisan agencies into campaign boosters, quite possibly violating Federal law.”

“Mr. Rove failed his own party, as well as the American people, when he counseled President Bush to turn every serious policy debate into one more political dog fight.”

“… he used his office to put politics above the interests of the American People.”

Rove has gotten an inflated idea of his own importance, going from a talented political mechanic to usurping the power of the White House. Rove has inappropriately posed as the leader in presenting the issues.

Think about it. President Bush has achieved great success in producing a vigorous economy; he’s reduced taxes while lowering the Federal deficit; he has handled 9-11 great, but is getting no credit for his leadership in the Iraq War.

That Iraq War becomes more obviously necessary week by week. Consider what happens if the U.S. pulls out of Iraq, leaving a power vacuum in the Middle East- a vacuum that would not last long as Iran resumes the 1988 war on Iraq. Iran would take Iraq, Saudi Arabia and that vast pool of oil. Iran is getting nuclear, is acting violent, and has the money and troops to take over the region. That combination of insane, religious violence and unlimited access to money would mean big trouble for the U.S. Bush should long ago have been presenting the overwhelming importance of the Iraq engagement.

Republicans will not be elected without strongly presenting Republican values. Instead, Rove has led an insider’s political organization, welding the White House to the RNC and in Illinois, to the GOP State Central Committee.

Look at Illinois. Rove and his old college chum Bob “Individual K” Kjellander, presently Illinois’ GOP National Committeeman, have lost the Senate, the House, and all constitutional offices, including governor. These guys are losers!

Rove lost control of the U.S. Senate partly by opposing the re-election of U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald. He was abetted in this by Kjellander and by Congressman Hastert. The Illinois GOP hierarchy didn’t want the honest and rich Fitzgerald because Fitz was the loudest voice against the corruption in Illinois.

Rove’s present problem has a lot to do with using the National Party and the White House to seek the removal of Pat Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney in Illinois. That particular vendetta was supposed to be covered by seeking a number of other U.S. Attorney removals. But that plan has blown for Rove. Make no mistake- the core of Rove’s political chicanery is right here in Illinois with Kjellander and their insider enablers.

They got to play with the big bucks in the pension troves- $809,000 in one case, $4.5 million in another to Kjellander. They had an inside connection to the Carlyle Fund, that big consortium of international deal makers. That tangled network has attracted the attention of U.S. Attorney Pat Fitzgerald.

It’s a big political mess with Rove at the core. That’s why his exit is so necessary. Perhaps in his absence the GOP can have a resurgence of Republican values, giving the voters a reason to cast their ballots for real Republicans.

The same goes for Illinois. Without Rove, Kjellander has lost the support that has kept him in place despite votes for his removal by the IL GOP State Central Committee and the IL GOP County Chairmen, and a number of top GOP leaders in Illinois.