Karl Rove’s Biggest Mistake
I said: I have seen the President up close and I have watched him speak to hundreds of people without a script for an hour on end, so I know he is a quick study and good on his feet. Why then is he always reading scripts when he speaks? Why isn’t he holding a press conference every week, without a script, and explaining this war to the American people?
And Charlie said: “Because the president doesn’t want to.” That was as final as it gets. That was three years ago.
And so I realized there was nothing to be done, and I came back to my wish that Karl could magically transform himself into the president, so that he could use the bully pulpit that was not being used to our great cost, so that he could explain to the American people why the nation was at war in Iraq, and why we had to win and how the Democrats were letting the country down. But there was no magic to make Karl the president, or give him the bully pulpit to get the message to the American people.
I bring all this up for a reason. There is a lot of unhelpful finger pointing going on in conservative ranks now seeking someone to blame for our recent defeat, whether it is Sarah Palin or Karl or someone else. Karl was not the President and he was not the Secretary of the Treasury or Defense, or the Senate Majority Leader or the Speaker of the House. He is not omniscient and never claimed to be. And like everyone else he makes mistakes. But Karl is the reason George Bush was elected, and elected again. Without Karl we would not have confronted the Islamisists in Afghanistan or Iraq. Without Karl, we would not have been kept safe in these seven years since 9/11. Without Karl we would have left the battlefield in Iraq and all our allies there to the tender mercies of Zarqawi and Iran.
More than any Republican I know Karl understands the wars we are facing both at home and abroad, and understands how to fight them. If there is a man who has the ear of the Republican Party and can speak to its conservative base and who understands how to defend us in the battles we are facing it is Karl Rove. And Karl has a much better Quiji board than anyone I know.
We owe this man an enormous debt for electing George Bush, for protecting our country, and for being willing to continue his mission into the future, instead of just retiring to make money as so many Republicans do. He may not have been able to save the last president, but we are fortunate to have him to help us regroup, and recharge our batteries and elect the next one. For all of us here, Karl, I want to express our thanks. And welcome you to our Weekend.
