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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The Real Reasons Karl Rove Might Have Resigned
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Reader Comments ( Page 4 of 5)
46. the sad fact is the damage to our country is done all of them should go to Iraq -
cowboy1936 at 11:41AM on Aug 14th 2007
47. Before making assumptions, try reading Paul Gigot's piece in Monday's Wall Street Journal. I forget that young liberals like you aren't smart enough to read a real newspaper.
I know people who have worked in Washington, and it's a lousy place to work. No one stays in Washington after retirement age. They move away.
Anyone in the military will tell you that the Pentagon or anywhere else in the Beltway is a lousy duty station. Schwartzkopf avoided Washington assignments like the plague.
Kent at 12:19PM on Aug 14th 2007
48. The kk in Karl doesnt fit, ya silly little liberals. THE KK IS FOR KKKENNEDY "still in the senate" a democrat senator that let a young woman drown in a wrecked car he was driving while drunk back in the 60's, her name was MaryJo. Then there is KKKRobert Bird another democrate senator "still there" who was a real heavy involved in the KKKCLAN, all a matter of record. Know your people for what they are folks. Oh yes, the party of tolerance....for who? The victims of these sickening creeps, or the creeps themselves. Must be the creeps themselves because they are still in power while the victims are six feet under. And you have the gull to talk about Karl Rove? Not silly liberals but stupid, uneducated, intolerant liberals.
jane at 2:00PM on Aug 14th 2007
49. To JANE#27 You have probably hit the nail on the head to get the reaction of BOB#32 since we all know the only way a liberal thinks he can win an argument is to call people names.
jen at 2:52PM on Aug 14th 2007
50. I still find it difficult that there are still people in this country backing and believing anybody in this Administration. There was only one member that showed honesty and had class, Colin Powell. When he realized what was going on, he admitted he lied to the UN and resigned his position. When he exited so did any shred of decency and honesty. We were left with incompetence, ignorance, liars and arrogance. There wasn't anyone that knew how to run a country, they made it up as they went along.
The Consitution became "Just a piece of paper" The voice of the people went ignored. Majority rule was lost. Our system of Check and Balance was shut down.
After all this, there are still some that follow this crew of criminals.
David Rosenberg at 7:16PM on Aug 14th 2007
51. Sure, Rove made some mistakes, but on balance he has served Bush well and after all, that was the main part of his job. Whether he helped the Republican party is another matter. In any case, the Republicans would be foolish to rely so heavily on one man.
Democrats hate Rove because he was so good at his job, a main part of which in the past included getting Bush elected, and re-elected.
Also if note is the rabid Rove hatred Democrats routinely display. While Republicans wasted a lot of their energy getting worked up over president Clinton's antics and daliances, I do not recall Republicans "hating" James Carvelle or Leon Panetta or others in the Clinton administration in the way Democrats seem to hate Rove.
In fact while I recall Republicans being upset with Clinton and their thinking he should leave office over the Lewinsky scandal, and I recal them routinely trying to trip him up (efforts that due to Clinton's own political skill usually backfired on them anyway), I do not recall Republicans ever "hating" Clinton either.
More than a few Democrats in the media have in fact written articles on "why they hate" Bush or Rove or Cheney, or all three. While the fact that they felt the need to write about those feelings like that speaks volumes about their mentality, it says very little about the objects of their hatred.
Democrats have wasted a lot of their own time and energy seething and grinding their teeth over Rove, and that of course has helped the Republicans.
Oh well... it's all in the game I suppose.
Ken Berg at 10:22AM on Aug 17th 2007
52. An Jen, you are correct. Leftists mix up their politics with childish and immature behaviors, which of course lowers the level of discourse, which of course serves their purpose. They also like to limit speech. Keep in mind that "Liberal" and "Leftists" are NOT synonymous with Tolerant.
Generally, leftist ideology cannot stand the light of day; it cannot hold up under logical, rational discussion, let alone scrutiny. Democrats and the those on the far Left cannot be engaged in the arena of free ideas; they immediately get huffy and emotional and start with the hissy fits. If pushed further, will soon (reflexibly it seems) climb to withering heights of hysteria. That is why Democrats an leftists like to put limits on discussion, or use un-elected judges to circumvent the legislative process in order to push their un-American socialist agenda.
We Conservatives are happy to discuss our ideology and ideas, and we embrace the word conservative, and gladly accept and own up to our position on the Right side of the political spectrum (right wingers, capitalists, etc.). Leftists won't even admit to being Leftists or socialists. When asked, Liberals shun the term Liberal with babble like "I don't like labels" or some other such nonsense. Recently Democrats have revived the term "progressive", a term they had frankly run into the ground back in the 1920's and 30's. We shall see how far they can ride that donkey now before it tires out again.
Ken Berg at 10:38AM on Aug 17th 2007
53. All rats leave a sinking ship!!
mdembree at 1:01PM on Aug 18th 2007
54. 53. An Jen, you are correct. Leftists mix up their politics with childish and immature behaviors, which of course lowers the level of discourse, which of course serves their purpose.
50. To JANE#27 You have probably hit the nail on the head to get the reaction of BOB#32 since we all know the only way a liberal thinks he can win an argument is to call people names.
=======================================
Really, Jen? And Ken Berg? OK I will read these entries again with an open mind. Take a walk with me, won’t you?
I’m just going to look at the tolerant Republican-types, to see how these comments of yours stand up…. Perhaps you are right, and the only people calling others names, are the so-called liberals.
==============================
42. from Jane: edwards comments are typical of someone who looks like a "pretty playboy" this guy is such a loser and should give up now. He is such a phony and his wife looks a and sounds like his mother always speaking out in the most idiotic ways.
35. Thomas Gassett: First they run the lunatic Gore, then the cardboard cutout John Hines Kerry, and now they are going to trot out walks like a man Hillary. A women whose only claim to fame is being publicly humilated by her husband. And when she goes down in flames ... you stupid liberals will blame everyone and everything
34. Thomas Gassett: Lefty rainbow Dorothys running congress conservative ... God help us all, when the lunatic Left rears their ugly heads
23. Thomas Gassett: Apparently all we have here are liberals that wouldn't know the truth if it crawled up their leg and bit their fat whinning ass
7. Sqnotsailor: morons like yourselves will say & do anything to feel & pretend to be important in front of the sheep who read your crap.
4. Mary: Typical liberal way to look
Elaine at 4:23PM on Aug 18th 2007
55. OK Ken Berg - if you read my post #55 - what do you think?
Isn't it more correct to say that people on BOTH SIDES can be equally guilty of the name-calling, and that it serves NEITHER SIDE and does not further political discourse in any way?
Each side is so quick to point the finger, and in the end, we haven't learned a thing. I'm all for political discussion, but not when it gets to the ad hominem level.
I'm not so sure about the word "reflexibly" maybe you meant "reflexively"??
Elaine at 4:31PM on Aug 18th 2007
56. he quit because he's balding and stupid-ass looking for a white guy and chubby-ass to boot.
preppy at 2:29AM on Aug 19th 2007
57. SO KARL LEFT TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH HIS FAMILY? THEN WHY HAS HE BEEN ON ALL THE TALK SHOWS BASHING HILLARY? LOOKS TO ME LIKE THEY ARE AFRAID OF HER.
B MATHEWS at 12:56PM on Aug 19th 2007
58. Rove really resigned to FINALLY come out of the closet and live openly as a gay man with his longtime lover. I bet he can teach McGreevy a thing or two.
Charles Almon at 10:05PM on Aug 19th 2007
59. If the work Bush is doing is so important,i would find it difficult to believe that a loyalist like Rove could not play an important part.We are in a war without an end in site.Soldiers are doing second and third tours.It is no time for someone to cut n run even if they want more time with family.
ervin pitts at 11:14PM on Aug 19th 2007
60. If the work Bush is doing is so important,i would find it difficult to believe that a loyalist like Rove could not play an important role.We are in a war without an end in site.Soldiers are doing second and third tours.It is no time for someone to cut n run even if they want more time with family.
ervin pitts at 11:18PM on Aug 19th 2007