Rove to the Rescue

Is Karl Rove's new assignment going to help Bush?
By John Dickerson
Posted Friday, April 21, 2006, at 6:18 PM

Karl Rove, political genius, hasn't been paying attention to politics, then what has he been doing? This week, when it was announced that the president's senior adviser will no longer be overseeing day-to-day policy operations at the White House so he can focus exclusively on his political portfolio, Bush allies hailed the chance to reverse all the dismal poll ratings the president and Congress have been seeing lately. But if just part of Rove's attention got the Republicans in this much trouble, what will his undivided attention do to them?

Never mind logic. There's something in the Rove shakeup storyline for everyone. It supports the White House narrative that Josh Bolten is bringing big change to the administration. The press loves power in flux (Bolten up; Rove down) and political desperation (Republican congressional control in peril in the 2006 election). Plus, any reporter who hasn't had Rove return his call can stick a pin in him on A1. Republicans use the move in two ways: to explain failures of the past (Rove was too busy with, um, policy), and to kindle hope for the future (Rove's on the case!). Democrats like to see the White House in disarray, so they're happy. What's more, Rove's new, pure focus will allow them to blame their own continuing troubles on their enemy's supposed political genius. This is one of the Democrats' favorite myths: It's not their party's fecklessness, or their own soggy leadership, that hurts them. It's Karl's powders and potions.

But what does the move really mean? There's no question it was a public slap for Rove and an admission that his talents have limits. Rove would have preferred, no doubt, to leave the White House with a reputation for mastering policy intricacies as completely as he had the political ones. But even after the "shake-up," he's still going to be mighty powerful. "Karl could be the intern coordinator and his influence would be undiminished," said one top administration official, putting the move in perspective. >>>cont

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