By now most everyone
knows that President Bush's close friend and confidante,
Karl Rove, is leaving the White House at the end of the
month. He told Paul Gigot, editorial page editor of the
Wall Street Journal that he is planning to write a book
about President Bush's years in office and would like to
teach at some point.
Rove is 56 years old
and has worked closely with Mr. Bush since Mr. Bush first
announced that he was running for governor of Texas against
a powerful and entrenched Democrat, Ann Richards. Rove is
best known as chief strategist in Mr. Bush's 2000
presidential campaign and for helping Mr. Bush win
re-election in 2004.
"Along with Karen
Hughes and Joe Allbaugh, Rove was part of a group known as
the 'Iron Triangle' who were central to Bush's early
political success in Texas, but he was the most enduring of
the three," the Washington Post reported. "Bush
termed him 'The Architect' for his role in capturing the
White House in 2000 and Rove was similarly credited with
midterm Congressional election victories in 2002 and Bush's
reelection over Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004."
"Obviously it's a big loss to us," White House deputy press
secretary Dana Perino told reporters. "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."
Pro-lifers are sorry to see Rove go as well. I do not know
him personally, but I know more than a few people who do.
They describe him as an authentic and committed pro-lifer
who completely understood the importance of the abortion
issue to his party and to the nation's future. Rest assured
Rove's involvement always worked to the furtherance of
pro-life initiatives.
TN&V is not the place to go through Rove's enormously
successful political career in detail. Just two quick
highlights, mentioned in Gigot's account in the Journal.
"In
2002, the president's party gained seats in both the House
and Senate in a first midterm election for the first time
since 1934," Gigot wrote. "And in 2004, for only the second
time in history, a president won re-election while helping
his party gain seats in both houses of Congress; the other
time was 1936."
I
mention this only to make a point that is so obvious even
Rove's most vituperative critics know in their heart of
hearts is true: he is one of the most brilliant political
minds of the last 75 years.
It
was not just that he helped Mr. Bush win the Presidency and
then retain it. Rove's imprint on the face of the Republican
Party will also last far longer than is generally conceded
at this moment.
At
some point we need to remember that politics is the art of
the possible. True, Republicans lost control of both houses
of Congress in 2006, albeit for reasons that have nothing to
do with the abortion issue (which as always proved a net
benefit to most pro-life candidates).
But
it is no less true that 2006 could have been an utter
electoral disaster for the GOP. A loss is still a loss, but
a setback that leaves you in position to rebound the next
time around--which is where Rove's party is today--is an
electoral horse of a different color.
People whose opinion I respect argue that Rove's finest hour
was in 2006. He helped minimize GOP losses in a "perfect
storm" year, one in which the convergence of issues was so
hostile to Republicans that its outcome could have capsized
the party (and its chances) for years to come.
In
comments to reporters Monday, Rove was as irrepressibly
optimistic as always.
We
wish Karl Rove the very best.
