The Real Reasons Karl Rove Might Have Resigned

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The Real Reasons Karl Rove Might Have Resigned

Posted Aug 13th 2007 11:12AM by Cenk Uygur
Filed under: Scandal, Young Turks, Video

There are many, many different reasons why Karl Rove might have abruptly announced his resignation today. The only one we know for sure isn't true is the one he gave -- he wants to spend more time with his family.

That is the lamest excuse in the history of political excuses. It's such a hackneyed, cliche that it smacks of panic and poor timing. If Rove had any time to think or set up another job before he left, he wouldn't have had to go with the desperate, "spend more time with my family" BS.

He said he wants to be closer to his son who is going to college in San Antonio. Which parent leaves the job of a lifetime to stalk their kids at college? Did Rove leave the White House to attend more keggers?

So, what's the real deal here? Let's start out with the most benign and work our way toward the more fun and ugly possibilities.

We outline all the possibilities below:

1. Bush's Chief of Staff Josh Bolten said that anyone who stays past Labor Day has to stay with the White House for the duration of Bush's term, so this was the perfect time to leave. But this is the first anyone has ever heard of this rule and you think they might have announced that before.

2. There is nothing political left to do in the Bush White House since they won't be running for office anymore and they don't seem to give a damn about popularity, for better or for worse. Rove left to run someone else's campaign and better utilize his real talents. But why wouldn't he have set up a huge job on one of the campaigns before he announced this awkward resignation? He says he wants to spend more time with his family, is that going to change three weeks from now when he signs with one of the Republican campaigns? It's an uncomfortable position to leave yourself in.

3. There's something rotten in Denmark. He's doing a pre-emptive strike to get out of line of fire before the shit really hits the fan in the White House. They are about to release some papers that shows that Rove clearly had a part to do in firing the US attorneys or in violating the Hatch Act, etc. Now, they'll be able to say, "What difference does it make, he's not in the White House anymore anyway. The Democrats are just pursuing an old, irrelevant political vendetta." So, he gets out before he is forced out by damaging revelations.

4. The flare theory. Some fighter planes throw out flares before an oncoming missile hits them to distract the missile and steer it in another direction. There is going to be some significantly damaging news they are about to put out and they want to distract people by throwing out Rove's resignation first, so that's all people will talk about. Normally, bad political news is put out late on a Friday in order to bury it. The fact that they have announced this early on Monday, in the beginning of the week's news cycle, makes people wonder what they might want to hide later in the news cycle this week.

5. Gonzales is also about to resign and they knew Rove would be next. Once Gonzales was out of the way, Congressional investigators would have turned their sights on Rove. Internally, the White House knows the evidence against Rove is bad and they acted ahead of Gonzales so that it won't seem that Rove's resignation had anything to do with Gonzales' departure and the related scandal.

6. Sex scandal. I told you we were going to have fun. If you put out nonsense reasons for resigning from the White House -- the best job you will likely ever have -- you have to expect that people will speculate about what the real reason is.

Here are theories that listeners already came up with this morning on our show.

a. DC Madam. He's on the list. The only thing that gets you thrown out of this administration is a sex scandal. Everything else is kosher, so it must have been sex.

b. The publisher of Hustler, Larry Flynt, promised there would be another big name on his list of Republican politicians who were caught having sexual indiscretions.

c. Jeff Gannon. This is the fake reporter that the White House used to plant favorable questions during press conferences at the White House (which by the way is completely outrageous and they completely got away with -- as usual). He also happened to be a gay, male prostitute (of course). He was on record as entering the White House on dozens of occasions where there were no press briefings. What was he doing there? Was he seeing someone at the White House?

I think all of these except 6(c) are plausible. Even though I am an evil, Bush-hater, I still think the top two possibilities are very real. But the fact that they came out with the story on a Monday, it was so sudden and unexpected and that they had no good excuse other than the usual family nonsense makes me think something is up. So, until there's a real answer, we'll get to keep speculating.

So, what do you think?

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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 5)

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments

1. I believe he is going to latch onto the next Republican ticket on a more anonymous basis. He is not done yet.

David McCool at 1:00PM on Aug 13th 2007

2. "So, what do you think? "

I think it's too damn easy for 3 no names to get a blog on AOL

twann9852 at 1:10PM on Aug 13th 2007

3. I wish these three crackpots would resign...

twann9852 is exactly right.

Joe at 1:16PM on Aug 13th 2007

4. Typical liberal way to look at wanting to spend a little more time with a son going off to college, "stalking". Also typical is your idea that a dream job is more important than a son. Your true colors are showing.

mary at 1:18PM on Aug 13th 2007

5. That is one speculation, however, do you think perhaps he is simply tired and wishes to spend more time with his family? Remember, Stephenopolous left around the same time when he was in the Clinton Administration.

This administration has dealt with more crises in our country than any other administration, with the exception of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

We had the largest major attack on our country since the Civil War. We had numerous hurricanes in which there was considerable loss of life and property. There were floods and fires.

The President entered during a time of declining economy. He had to revamp the intelligence and immigration and customs processes.

We have an ongoing war on terror and thankfully as a result of their efforts, we have not had another major episode of terrorism to date.

So, it may be different than what you are speculating. He may simply be tired.

2LB at 1:28PM on Aug 13th 2007

6. Whatever the real reason(s) we know Rove and Dumbya were lying in their announcement...their lips were moving.

Randy at 1:37PM on Aug 13th 2007

7. I believe it's for two reasons. One, He's tired of fighting the days to days battles. Two, he's finally realized that morons like yourselves will say & do anything to feel & pretend to be important in front of the sheep who read your crap. My advise to you is, if you are getting paid for this blog go turn yourselves in to the local police & show you are a little better then OJ. Also, go get a real job & live in the real world. From what I see you couldn't spell the word truth even if I spotted you the first four letter. If you must write, stick with SciFi maybe it will sound a little more realistic.

Sqknotsailor at 1:39PM on Aug 13th 2007

8. yo, what a charade,and bad acting, that duo put on for reporters. rove is a fact member of the bush clan politcal mischief maker for both father and son.rove has an inexhaustible supply of tricks in his bag.

as for your contention that ther is nothing more left to in the whitehouse, you guys are kidding, aren't you. the WH is more in need now than it ever. rove may have bypassed testifying a la the hatch act but he will continiue to run the operation from a bunker somewhere in virginia.

rove is astute and perhaps even omniscent.he is afterall the consummate gladiator (underscore GLAD)in the political arena. he knows when to get out to save his skin AND the peeling lead paint in the WH.

boredwell at 1:54PM on Aug 13th 2007

9. Mary @ 1:18pm on 8/13..is very naive. I suppose you think Bush is doing a wonderful job also Mary.

Maya at 2:17PM on Aug 13th 2007

10. Mary,

I find it laughable that you could possibly believe A) Rove would actually resign from the White House because his son is going to college....what, he can't commute?
B)you think that disbelieving Rove's reason for leaving has anything to do with his record for DISHONESTY? For the love of God, Mary, look what he does for a living!

Sigh.

Anyhow, I don't care why the man leaves, so long as the door really hits him on the ass on the way out. And any republican candidate that signs him up, is just asking for trouble. To be associated with this man openly is saying to the American people that they are ethically and morally questionable, not to mention legally, in their doings.

Suzanne at 2:06PM on Aug 13th 2007

11. you critisize him for anything. being in, getting out. your column here is just indicative of what you're all about, you're not really a columnist, but rather a gossip always looking for dirt. y'all hate rove because he is capable and smart and knows how to handle guys like you. he's smarter than all of you liberals even with half his brain tied behind his back.
the only true statement you made in your column was that this administration doesn't care about popularity, unlike the clintons who presided by whatever the polls said, they did and still do whatever is necessary.

dantez at 2:25PM on Aug 13th 2007

12. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN - KING GEORGE'S BRAIN HAS LEFT THE BUILDING!!!

Karl Rove announced today that he will be leaving the White House at the end of August - leaving behind debris and decay, devastation and desperation, and the hollowed out body he has possessed for the past 14 years.

Like the demon he is, Mr Rove identified a man, George W Bush, devoid of a brain and soul, with no accomplishments or convictions of his own, and effortlessly took possession, and ultimately took him all the way to the White House.

Without the semblance of a soul himself, Mr Rove deceived, disparaged and destroyed all that crossed his path or attempted to keep him from reaching his goal - becoming the President of the United States.

Read the rest of my response at www.2288beckleyrd.com and click on MY RANTS.

Gpawilli at 2:24PM on Aug 13th 2007

13. Nothing like front-end loading your "opinion poll" with a hit piece blog.

Bruce at 2:41PM on Aug 13th 2007

14. to mary, honey i think you struck a nerve. congrads!

SUZIE at 3:11PM on Aug 13th 2007

15. I guess one to many little LAMBIES read your crap!!Ha Ha

Jim Patton at 3:20PM on Aug 13th 2007

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Mo Rocca appears on a bunch of shows, including CBS News Sunday Morning (with the indescribably wonderful Charles Osgood), The Tonight Show on NBC, and NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He's a sometime judge on Iron Chef and was featured on Telemundo's Amore Descarado. Last year he starred on Broadway in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His expose "All the President's Pets" was published by Crown in 2004.