In my blog, Between the Columns, I take on Karl Rove point-by-point in his latest editorial in the WSJ as he attemps to frame Bush's presidency as a success.
I have included a large segment in this diary post for your review, and I welcome you to visit the blog if you're interested in reading more.
In his recent editorial, Bush Was Right When It Mattered Most, Karl Rove attempts to defend the former President Bush. Contrary to popular belief, Rove is not spinning in order to help shape his former boss's legacy. Rove actually believes what he says. He is gifted (or burdened) with the ability to view the world in a way that supports his pre-defined world view. He is simply unable to process and integrate information that would not support how he believes the world is or should be.
But Rove's inabilities should not limit our abilities to challenge his frames and rationales. And, it won't. The following is a point-by-point rebuttal and rebuke of Rove's fantastic view on Bush's legacy:
The former president and his wife thanked each passenger, showing the thoughtfulness and grace so characteristic of this wonderful American family.
Karl kicks off his rationale by directly conflating Bush's personality and demeanor with his performance as President and Commander-in-Chief. As most of us know who have ever worked in a company, a great person can be really bad at his or her job.
Yet, as Mr. Bush left Washington, in a last angry frenzy his critics again distorted his record, maligned his character and repeated untruths about his years in the Oval Office. Nothing they wrote or said changes the essential facts.
Here, Karl cares about the mainstream media that he consistently claims he doesn't care about. This is a common psychological hiccup in the conservative mind... it at once needs to be tough and victimized. A tricky dance, and I find it fascinating how few liberals call conservatives out on this.
To start with, Mr. Bush was right about Iraq. The world is safer without Saddam Hussein in power. And the former president was right to change strategy and surge more U.S. troops.
Yes, Karl, let's start with Iraq. Actually, let's first talk about conservative rationale management. I find it fascinating how sturdy the conservative mind is with conceptual rationalization. This was the first and only rationale for the war that conservatives have trotted out, and they won't give it up no matter how flat it has fallen on the populace over the years.
Now, onto Iraq. Let's be perfectly clear: Mr. Bush clearly stated that we went to war with Iraq because Saddam refused to give up his WMD program. This was the sole (and I believe formalized) reason for the U.S.'s preemptive attack on a sovereign nation. Insomuch that we know that there was no WMD program to give up, Mr. Bush was categorically wrong. Even if the world is 5000% safer without Saddam Hussein in power, Bush was still wrong based on his own stated rationale for preemptive war. And don't think that I missed the smaller conflation of "the world is safer" vs. "the United States is safer" in this rationale. There's a reason for using "world" as context vs. the U.S. -- they can't with a straight face argue that we in the United States are safer now that we know there was no WMD program.
If you're interested in reading more of the point-by-point rebuke of Karl Rove's editorial in the WSJ, please feel free to link to the original post.