WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2007
Rove On His Legacy And The GOP's Future
Retiring White House Adviser Says That He Feels Good About GOP Candidates
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Play CBS Video Video Karl Rove On The Future Karl Rove tells Bob Schieffer that President Bush will continue to pursue a bold agenda; that the GOP has a bright future; and why he thinks Hillary Clinton is a 'flawed candidate.'
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Video McCain On Security Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, talks to Bob Schieffer about why the U.S. must not withdraw from Iraq and about how immigration reform was harmful to his presidential campaign.
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Video McCain Wants To Reach Out Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, talks to Bob Schieffer about unifying a polarized country, debating Hillary Clinton, and stopping illegal immigration.
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Karl Rove says he believes the Republicans can win the presidency in 2008. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
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Interactive End Of The Rove President Bush's longtime friend and political mastermind Karl Rove resigns.
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Who's Who Rove Reflections Reaction to Karl Rove stepping down from his influential White House post.
"I feel good about these men," said Rove, who just resigned his post as President Bush's chief political strategist. "I feel good about their message."
Rove, who is considered the mastermind behind Bush's victories in 2000 and 2004 has a vested interest in the outcome of the 2008 election, after predicting he could build a long-term Republican majority, only to watch as Democrats swept Republicans from power in Congress in voting last year.
Rove disputed suggestions that his brand of politics was intended to play to the Republican base and demonize political opponents. He said the White House won bipartisan support on issues ranging from education and tax cuts and the war in Iraq. But, Rove said strong Democratic resentment of Bush blocked other efforts like immigration and Social Security reform.
"There's some Democrats who never accepted him as president after 2000," Rove told Bob Schieffer. "And there's some Democrats who said, 'You know, the bright path for their party was to obstruct him no matter what.'"
Rove defended his political tactics, which opponents have labeled as divisive.
"You cannot be a candidate like President Bush was in 2004 and get 60 million votes for president, more than any other candidate for president in history," he said. "I know the opposition talks about playing to the base, and I want them to keep thinking that's the right strategy. But you win elections like this president won in 2000 and 2002 and 2004 by broadening the coalition, by getting more people to register and to vote and by persuading people who might have been inclined to the other side to come across for you."
Rove announced last week he would leave the Bush administration by the end of August, return to Texas and spend more time with his family. He said he would leave others to judge the impact of his legacy.
Rove's effect on American politics will be decided by "how the president is judged," said GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who also appeared on Face The Nation.
"And I think the president's going to be judged on what happens, to a large degree what happens in the war in Iraq," McCain said.
As Democratic hopefuls held a debate in Iowa, Rove appeared on three Sunday morning talk shows and stepped up his criticism of Clinton, the New York senator and former first lady.
"She enters the primary season with the highest negatives of any front-runner since the history of polling began," he said. "She has more people who have an unfavorable impression of her than have a favorable impression. And not just in one poll, but in multiple polls."
Clinton, at the debate, responded to Rove's criticism by saying: "I don't think Karl Rove is going to endorse me, but I find it interesting that he's obsessed with me."
Rove said he believes she will get the Democratic nomination, but evaded a question during the broadcast interviews about whether the GOP wanted Clinton to win the Democratic nomination.
"It is what it is," Rove said. "You know, in politics, you can only hope about things that you've got some control over. I'm not voting in the Democratic primary. That's up to Democrats to do."
Top Republican strategists have said in the past that they aimed their harshest comments in 2004 at Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the eventual nominee, because they wanted Bush to take on Kerry rather than John Edwards, then a senator from North Carolina. Edwards ended up as Kerry's running mate.
Rove disputed that strategy was behind his criticism of Clinton. He said that if Republicans want to win, the nominee must have a "positive, forward-looking, optimistic agenda for the future of the country."
"They have candidates who can carry the message with conviction and passion," he said. "We've got at least four big ones and maybe others. Senator McCain, Mayor Giuliani, Senator Thompson, Governor Romney — these men will be able to articulate that message."
Rove also disputed any suggestion that the president is a lame duck.
"He didn't come here simply to hold the office," Rove said. "He's going to continue to pursue a bold agenda at home and abroad. And he's got 17 months to get a lot of things done. He's going to be using every lever available to the president, which is considerable, to get things done right up to the end."
© MMVII, CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 147 CommentsThe narcissistic approach to governance requires adjustment in current laws, regulations. The ability of the separate powers to enforce the will of the people the rule of law when a corrupt enterprise has assumed power is paramount you can not any longer rely on ethical Statesmanlike conduct. Several politicians and appointees from this Administration, Friends and Previous Congresses leadership are in federal prison or pending conviction then prison, and that with a politicized corrupt DOJ leadership in place.
Absolutely the wolf in the compassionate conservatives clothing, it not just the Trillions in waste and giveaways to the GOP and the RNC operatives but tens of thousands of people have been killed as a result of this behavior they may not be Jews or Christians but they count.
All those guys are in Federal prison or dead now.
Probably rigging the voting machines as we speak.
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Where have you been you need to post here more often enjoyed it.
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You can blame them for another thing RIGGING the votes on two elections.
Click here to find out more!
Gov''t Supports Business In Investor Case
The Bush administration on Wednesday took the side of defendant companies in a Supreme Court case that could determine the fate of other investor lawsuits including one stemming from the Enron scandal. More...
Gov''t Supports Business In Investor Case
The Bush administration on Wednesday took the side of defendant companies in a Supreme Court case that could determine the fate of other investor lawsuits including one stemming from the Enron scandal. More...
Go to the supreme court news some more of manipulating the courts with the help of Alito and Bush and Roberts and Scalia and Thomas Heavens no do not give the people who are cheated out of their pensions etc.
The narcissistic approach to governance requires adjustment in current laws, regulations. The ability of the separate powers to enforce the will of the people the rule of law when a corrupt enterprise has assumed power is paramount you can not any longer rely on ethical Statesmanlike conduct. Several politicians and appointees from this Administration, Friends and Previous Congresses leadership are in federal prison or pending conviction then prison, and that with a ploticized corrupt DOJ leadership in palce.
Absolutely the wolf in the compassionate conservatives clothing, it not just the Trillions in waste and giveaways to the GOP and the RNC operatives but tens of thousands of people have been killed as a result of this behavior they may not be Jews or Christians but they count.
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I really liked you post you explained it exactly as it is and as I walk up to my polling booth I will be thinking just that and I do feel there is a silent majority out there that will speak up on voting day so much so the republicans will not know what hit them if there antics haven''t awaken America as to how not take this great country for granted the last 7 years have awakened us to never again, never again. You will NEVER get another chance again.
WHAT!!!! I think you sir have had control of the senate and congress from 2000 till this past election and you used every day how to destroy.There goes that poor defenseless strategy they are picking on Bush, Bush with you and Cheney did it to yourselves
Posted by starleo146
I don''t think so, there is too much money being spread around, even if we get 100%, enough will have been paid off to forestall judgment.
Maybe Den Haag (the Hague) should proceed in absentia, and sanction economically according to its'' findings...
Oh don''t worry they got the mud already to throw at Hillary. That shows us they are scared of her more than any of the candidates she has been there and has seen more than anyone what the neocons do to destroy I think Hillary will be very aware of there scare and destroy tactics. She has never had a chance to show us how angry at what they did to destroy but she gave a glimpse of it in the debate. As your brother Bush says so well "Bring It On" the MISSION WILL be ACCOMPLISHED in 08
How do you go about doing that? Maybe when we get 2/3 of the congress and senate they will request that huh?
If he is going to continue with his underground practices at home, WHY is he leaving the white house maybe his office chair is getting to hot to sit on, You Think?
November 08 cannot wait 2/3 of congress and no veto power and the republicans gone and to be not forgotten. I never want to forget what this republican congress and senate and the executive branch HAS PUT THIS COUNTRY THROUGH. It took us a long time to get over Vietnam and Nixon but the last 7 years has been unbelievable and they can thumb their noses at the Congress and the country. I think if they leave without any recourse it will be just awful. Our prestige around the world shot to h*E*L*L all for power hungry imbeciles sorry but true.
The signs last year were that American was tired of the Bush administration''s course and felt we were on the wrong track. Look at what happened.
The signs are even more strong now that Americans are unhappy with the present course. Fully 70% of all Americans say so.
Now if Rove sees that shows the country is unhappy with the democrats and Hillary in particular, he can read it that way if he wants.
More sensible people read it as trouble with the rep party. And don''t dwell on Congress. Everyone knows that the Dems hold Congress by the slimmest margin possible and that reps are blocking everything they can.
Remember that the reason Dems hold that slim margin is because rep LOST EVERY SEAT up for grabs. And next year, key reps in Congress are retiring or gone.
Rove is trying to use the same old magic he used to success earlier and it is not working now, it will not work in the future.
The Real Reason We''re In Iraq: An influential group of conservatives convinced President George W. Bush that it was in America''s best interests to conquer Iraq as a first step toward dominating the oil-producing nations in the Middle East. There was no "exit plan" because we never intended to exit. The plan was, and is, to build military bases in Iraq and stay there forever. Our leaders also see Iraq as a place to make money. So Bush & Co. have set up their friends to cash in on the rebuilding of Iraq.
From what I remember, Clinton used many people in his cabinet from the other side and tried, which is a lot more than I could say for this admin...
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