So Karl Rove has resigned for the usual cover of “it’s for my family” reasons. I have to being taken completely off guard by this. I figured he would be there until the bitter end. Has Karl forgotten his one-party-nation mission, or is exit more than it seems? Is there some reason he is bolting now as opposed to later? Will some scandal he is knee-deep in unfold and subject him to charges that Bush can pardon him out of? Ahhh, the questions are endless!

Now that he cannot claim executive privilege, will Rove be compelled to testify about “attorneygate”?

Despite protestations to the contrary, will Rove wield his notorious strong-arm skills for a Republican candidate in 2008? If so, which candidate would he work for?

For pure speculation, why do you think Rove resigned now? Is there some nefarious doings lurking beneath this?

Now that he cannot claim executive privilege, will Rove be compelled to testify about “attorneygate”?

Only if he is forced to do such.

Despite protestations to the contrary, will Rove wield his notorious strong-arm skills for a Republican candidate in 2008? If so, which candidate would he work for?

I am sure like some basically infectious bacterial colony that rove will be around for quite sometime. I mean he was a kingpin really for the bushco admin and really that admin consists of who knows how many people that I seriously doubt will somehow aid humanity by getting out of politics.

For pure speculation, why do you think Rove resigned now? Is there some nefarious doings lurking beneath this?

My guess is yes. Remember these are the people that wanted to put a permanent neo con republican type establishment into our political system forever, and from the rather gigantic amount of corruption that this admin has come to be apart of I cant see where it would hurt to suggest that like the mafia this admin is basically trying to shore up any loose ends per say.

Now that he cannot claim executive privilege, will Rove be compelled to testify about “attorneygate”?

Rove will not testify, and even if he did, he would still claim executive privilege. When Sara Taylor testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 11, she still asserted executive privilege, even though she was no longer employed by the executive branch. Even after being challenged by several senators on the validity of her executive privilege claims, she stood her ground and refused to answer questions that her attorney considered privileged. She's yet to be held in contempt of congress, and so my wager is on Rove doing the exact same thing, were he forced to testify.

Oh yeah, and Sara Taylor reported directly to Rove. Consider her testimony to be a preview of what we could expect were Rove to actually testify.

Despite protestations to the contrary, will Rove wield his notorious strong-arm skills for a Republican candidate in 2008? If so, which candidate would he work for?

I personally think Rove is going to take a break. If I had just spent 6+ years getting beat up in the press, I'd want a break too. I doubt he'll groom a candidate for the 2008 election, and if he did, I doubt it would be any of the candidates who are already on the campaign trail. Rove seems like the type of "architect" who likes to design a new building (see Bush, George W) than the type who likes to take a dilapidated old building and remodel (see Republican presidential candidates). There is only one candidate who I think could pique Rove's interest enough to keep him involved in executive-level politics (see below)...

For pure speculation, why do you think Rove resigned now? Is there some nefarious doings lurking beneath this?

I was discussing this with Jaime just the other day. In a normal election year when a president whose second term is nearing completion, the president usually has a clear preference in who the next president will be: the vice president. In our current administration, it really doesn't seem that Cheney would run, and if he ran, it doesn't seem that he would have a chance at winning. So as of right now, Bush has no Republican candidate to back in 2008. Then came the news of Rove leaving.

Since this is pure speculation, the first thought I had when I heard this morning that Rove was leaving the White House was that he might be prepping for a run at the White House. Digest that for a minute. Bush could back him. He's well-experienced. He's young, innovative, and connected. He is also completely different from the current field of Republican candidates.

Rove '08? Yeah, yeah, it'll never happen. But, what would happen if it did...?

Mike

My first thought upon hearing of Rove's resignation is that he's resigning to run a campaign for one of the other Republicans such as Fred Thompson. Does this seem like a possibility to anyone out there? Heavens, he certainly has no young children at home etc. Just a thought.

My visceral reaction to this was holy crap, what a scary thought!

Then after my heart resumed its normal rythym, I thought about it. I don't see him as the "front man". He is more suited to working in the shadows and pulling the strings - more of a king-maker than a king. And I think his many strategic blunders (ex.: Bush admin position on social security, Democratic win in Congress) have overshadowed his successes at this point.

"It's a tragedy that an administration that promised to unite Americans has instead left us more divided than ever before. Without doubt the architect of that political strategy was Karl Rove, who proved the politics of division may win some elections but cannot govern America." — Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

I think John Kerry said it best- he was good at winning elections, but was as incompetent as GW when it came to actually running the country.

Now that he cannot claim executive privilege, will Rove be compelled to testify about “attorneygate”?

No president has abused executive privilege as much as this one- so I am sure he will claim it. I am just hoping the next president forces the issue further, and throws Rove in prison, awaiting the hangman's noose. Though hangin' is really too good for him.

Despite protestations to the contrary, will Rove wield his notorious strong-arm skills for a Republican candidate in 2008? If so, which candidate would he work for?

Any candidate that Rove backs will automatically have the taint of GW all over them- something every R candidate has tried to distance themselves from.

For pure speculation, why do you think Rove resigned now? Is there some nefarious doings lurking beneath this?

I am betting there is some behind the scenes pressure here- or a scandal brewing that is about him personally. I am betting crystal meth and gay hookers.

Now that he cannot claim executive privilege, will Rove be compelled to testify about “attorneygate”?

Despite protestations to the contrary, will Rove wield his notorious strong-arm skills for a Republican candidate in 2008? If so, which candidate would he work for?

For pure speculation, why do you think Rove resigned now? Is there some nefarious doings lurking beneath this?


Karl Rove, the man the wacko left loves to hate. He's comin' to git y'all! Jist you wait and see. Muhahahaa

First of all, he can and will claim executive privilege and if the congress of inquisition wants to press the point, the privilege will be upheld in court. So, no, he won't testify and all you Bush/Rove/Cheney haters out there are just going to have to deal with that.

As far as his future is concerned, I'd expect him to do something similar to what Newt Gingrich has done and put together some sort of an advocacy organization similar to Newt's "Winning the Future Forum". I doubt very seriously that he'd ever run for office himself though.


Aquilla

Give ottimista a cigar! It would seem the Republican network is abuzz with the possibility of Rove shepherding Thompson into the White House.


You know, Aquilla, I could substitute "Clinton" for Rove and "right" for left, and send it right back atcha. It makes me want to save all these bon mots for when the inevitable happens post-2008, and the right squawks as loudly, if not more so, at the Democratic equivalents to Rove & Co. ...but, I am sure that would be different.

Now that he cannot claim executive privilege, will Rove be compelled to testify about “attorneygate”?

If the Congress can get Harriet Miers to testify, then they'll get Rove to testify, too. Just don't hold your breath...

Despite protestations to the contrary, will Rove wield his notorious strong-arm skills for a Republican candidate in 2008? If so, which candidate would he work for?

I see him hitting the lecture circuit and doing consultant gigs for politicians after some time away. It makes sense, though, that a man who has been so successful working in the shadows would continue to do so rather than make a bid to run for office.

Let's see--which candidate? I'll guess a Republican with money (Is that redundant?).

For pure speculation, why do you think Rove resigned now? Is there some nefarious doings lurking beneath this?

Bush Jr. is such a Pro-Family guy--just look at all the former staffers who saw the light while in his glorious presence and left in order to "spend more time with my family"! Of course! If we're going to speculate, let's speculate that Rove was telling the truth! You say you don't believe this? I'm shocked.

Now that he cannot claim executive privilege, will Rove be compelled to testify about "attorneygate"?

The analysts on the television this morning seemed to be in complete agreement that anything that he said to the President in his capacity as an advisor would likely be covered by executive privilege. I understand that he is going on vacation with George until the end of the month, and I suspect that this will be their opportunity to claim that he spent two weeks behind the Presidential confessional curtain telling all and asking for forgiveness and absolution. Look for him to leave his employment holding a string of Rosary Beads.

Despite protestations to the contrary, will Rove wield his notorious strong-arm skills for a Republican candidate in 2008? If so, which candidate would he work for?

and...

For pure speculation, why do you think Rove resigned now? Is there some nefarious doings lurking beneath this?

I think that one response answers both questions. It is my personal opinion that the whole idea of Hillary Clinton running for President began as a Republican plot. My personal speculation has long been that a group of top level Republicans sat down to address the question: "If we can't have a Republican run against Bush, can we influence the Democrats to nominate a candidate that we can beat?" Someone suggested Hillary Clinton, and after the laughter died down, they all agreed they had a candidate to support in 2008. Then began a word of mouth campaign to the media about how difficult she would be to beat in 2008. I can envision that this was a suggestion first put forth by Karl Rove, and that he will work diligently to see that she is first nominated, and then not elected.

I was just on Salon.com reading a column by Garrison Keillor. The following quote heads up Keillor's article and since I've never heard it before, and I thought maybe some of you haven't as well, here it is:

"No wonder they called him Turd Blossom. Karl Rove could put fecal matter on his lapel and call it a boutonniere. Goodbye and good riddance."
GK has an interesting perspective.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/keillor/2007/08/15/rove/

Now that he cannot claim executive privilege, will Rove be compelled to testify about “attorneygate�?

As has been pointed out, Rove can claim executive privilege - at least, he can claim it as legitimately now as he ever could. And even if he couldn't, as has been demonstrated time and time and time and time again, there is not a living soul in this administration that has the faintest qualm about breaking any law in the country. Rove will never testify, at least not without perjuring himself - which, of course, he can do with impunity.

Despite protestations to the contrary, will Rove wield his notorious strong-arm skills for a Republican candidate in 2008? If so, which candidate would he work for?

I suspect that he will - even if he remains more subterranean than ever. There are really only two candidates out there that a neocon could possibly back (and, to the extent that Rove has any politics - or any supporters - at all, they are neoconservative), Those two candidates are Fred Thompson and Hillary Clinton. As Rove would sooner tell the truth than work with a Democrat, it is clearly not going to be Sen. Clinton. For the first time in my life, I'm afraid I have to agree with Fox News: it'll be Thompson - as soon as he decides to cash in his free party political broadcasts and declare his candidacy.

For pure speculation, why do you think Rove resigned now? Is there some nefarious doings lurking beneath this?

Of course there are nefarious doings lurking beneath this - as there have been beneath every action that has originated with this White House - but I doubt they had much to do with the resignation. So far as Rove is concerned, he's untouchable - and, unless and until a single Democratic member of Congress evolves a spine, he is quite right. But if Rove is to have any sort of future, he has to try to start distancing himself from his tarnished Golden Boy. The move was purely pragmatic. The longer he stayed with the most corrupt failure of an administration in US history, the less lucre he'd be able to command on the lecture circuit - and the less likely he'd be to have the ability to pull the strings of some other brain-dead candidate. Karl Rove is nothing if not greedy and power-hungry and abandoning or even stabbing in the back the man who has been the love of his life thus far in order to salvage his own career is certainly not beneath a man so utterly devoid of honor as Karl Rove.

Now that he cannot claim executive privilege, will Rove be compelled to testify about “attorneygate”?

If he is compelled, I can predict the testimony: I don't recall, I can't remember, I'm a complete moron, and so on.

This type of testimony should be stiffly fined. If you are so incompetent, you're not worth your salary, which BTW the taxpayers pay.

Despite protestations to the contrary, will Rove wield his notorious strong-arm skills for a Republican candidate in 2008? If so, which candidate would he work for?

I actually suspect that Rove is out for the count. His tactics aren't working any longer. People have wised up to his kind.

It would be funny if he worked for Thompson, who hasn't declared yet as far as I know. It's getting pretty late in the game too. A cigar-smoking aging ladies man who resembles Dick Cheney? Don't think that's gonna fly.

For pure speculation, why do you think Rove resigned now? Is there some nefarious doings lurking beneath this?

My speculation is that he hasn't come up with a good plan to sell the invasion of Iran and his idea of the Surge is falling apart. Maybe the talking-point writer quit. But I'd have fired him for that rapping bit, just out of common decency. Gawd that hurt.

Now that he cannot claim executive privilege, will Rove be compelled to testify about “attorneygate”?

He'll be subpoenaed, but I truly believe he will only feign sickness of inability to attend through a high powered lawyer is all. The man has nothing but disdain for we the people and our constitution. He considers himself above this law...so far, he's right.



Despite protestations to the contrary, will Rove wield his notorious strong-arm skills for a Republican candidate in 2008? If so, which candidate would he work for?


Jeb Bush




For pure speculation, why do you think Rove resigned now? Is there some nefarious doings lurking beneath this?

Always with Rove there is something sinister and criminal. I'm sure that's a reason, but I think it's more to get Jeb into the White House...be ready for it....it's coming to a town nearest you...