I haven't seen this posted yet, and I thought you might find it interesting.
According to examiner.com, who cite a new book by former Time reporter Paul Alexander titled Machiavelli's Shadow Bush fired Rove with the words, "‘Karl,’ Bush said, ‘there’s too much heat on you. It’s time for you to go.’” According to the examiner.com piece, he did it in church to avoid an unpleasant scene--you know, like Rove going nucaler.
Back in August of 2007, Rove claimed that leaving the White House because, according to theNew York Times:
White House chief of staff, Joshua B. Bolten, recently told senior aides that if they stayed past Labor Day he would expect them to stay through the remaining 17 months of Mr. Bush’s term.
That always seemed like a fishy cover story to me--nobody else left at the same moment. Now, the evidence suggests, it simply wasn't true.
A handful of thoughts:
- It was primarily the US Attorney scandal that led to the fact that was "too much heat" on Rove.
- So the scandal brought down not just Alberto Gonzales, but Rove as well.
- The US Attorney scandal was the only truly successful investigation carried out so far by Congress.
- It shows the power of Congressional investigations if carried out with sufficient vigor and resolution.
- Rove remains at large--although he has been supoenad in other cases, he has so far used "executive privilege" as a shield against all attempts at questioning him, aided by the fact that Gonzales's successor, Michael Mukasey, has refused to respond to any supeonas of Rove or Harriet Miers.
- Confirming Mukasey meant that we never really finished the job with the DOJ.
My own view is that Congress should invoke its "inherent contempt" powers on Rove ASAP. He is the lynch-pin (along with Cheney) of the entire culture of corruption so dominant in DC under the Bush Crime Family.
I'll leave you with the final comments by current GOP leaders on the legacy of Karl Rove. Just remember, though: they loved him when he was winning!
"Machiavelli's Shadow" doesn't portray Rove in a favorable light and Alexander includes plenty of interviews with GOP notables unsatisfied with Rove's influence during the Bush administration.
"Every Republican I know looks at the Bush administration as a total failure," said Matt Towery, chairman of Newt Gingrich's political organization.
“To do what he did politically to us is unforgivable," Rep. Tom Tancredo told Alexander. "It will take generations to recover. I don't know how long; maybe never."
"I think the legacy is that Karl Rove will be a name that'll be used for a long, long time as an example of how not to do it," said long-time GOP strategist Ed Rollins.