MAIN People in the News Karl Rove

Up until recently the Republican party's chief political strategist in the George Bush administration, Rove announced that he would be resigning his current post at the end of August, but did not cite any specific reason for his departure other than "for the sake of my family".

As 'The Architect' of the Republican reelection campaign, some political pundits charge that Rove had no choice but to step down following the distasterous loss of Congressional seats to the Democratic candidates following the 2006 elections.

Critics also charge that Rove may be sidestepping a clash with a Congressional investigation into the alledged political motivations for a spate of U.S. attorney firings in 2006.

Rove now adds his name to the list of key departures from the Bush administration. They include of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Chief of Staff Andrew Card, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, and Secretary of State Colin Powell.

White House Scandals

He, and Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis Libby have been making headlines over the past year for their alleged involvement in the Valerie Plame investigation being led by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald.

Libby, having been found guilty of 4 out of the 5 charges leveled against him in the Valerie Plame case later had his sentence commuted by President Bush.

Meanwhile, Valerie Plame & husband Joseph Wilson filed suit in U.S. District Court accusing Vice President Cheney, Rove and Libby of revealing Plame's CIA identity in seeking revenge against Wilson for criticizing the Bush administration's motives in Iraq. That suit was dismissed by a federal judge in July 2007.

In other news, Rove and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales are reportedly at the center of a spate of US attorneys’ firings who believe they were improperly dismissed because of political pressures.

Seven U.S. attorneys were fired last December with no explanation for their dismissals. Another U.S. attorney, Bud Cummins of Little Rock, was dismissed last summer in order to make room for a former Rove aide.

Most recently, Rove admitted to possibly millions of missing e-mails written by him in connection with the U.S. attorney firings, which have recently become the subject of Congressional hearings.

Related News, Bios & Pictures | Quotes

Born Karl Christian Rove in Denver, Colorado on December 25, 1950, Rove has been known for his winner-take-all strategy and unconventional political tactics even from his earliest days on the political scene.

Beginning at 19, he admittedly stole letterhead from the campaign office of Illinois Democrat Alan Dixon in 1970 on which was printed the message, "free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing."

The printed letterhead was later used for political fliers and distributed at nearby homeless shelters and at rock concerts. As a result, hundreds of homeless turned up at a Dixon reception looking for the promised handouts. An embarassed Dixon was nevertheless elected state treasurer and went on to become a senator.

Rising to the Top

Rove's political career began in earnest as a member of the College Republicans, an organization in which Rove fought his way up to office of chairman in 1973.

Throughout the subsequent decade, he worked for various Republican political causes, most notably for George Bush Sr.'s 1980 vice presidential campaign.

By 1981, Rove founded the direct mail consulting firm, Karl Rove & Co., which grew to serve a Republican Who's Who of clients.

As Rove continued to operate his direct mail business, George W. Bush's gubernatorial campaign hired him as an advisor in 1993. Six years later, Rove finally sold the firm to focus on Bush Jr.'s bid for the presidency and after Bush's successful election in 2001 became White House senior advisor.

A college dropout from the University of Utah, Rove is referred to as "Boy Genius" and "Turd Blossom" by the President for his ability to come out ahead even under difficult circumstances. Today, he has risen to become one of the administration's top political strategists and most influential policy makers.

Valerie Plame Affair

In recent years, Rove has become even more visible in connection with the controversial Valerie Plame affair.

The potentially explosive scandal began on August 29, 2003 when career diplomat Joseph Wilson accused Rove of being the White House official who leaked the identity of his wife, CIA agent Valerie Plame, to the press.

According to Wilson, it was Rove who sought to punish him and his wife for Wilson's public contradiction of President Bush's claim that Saddam Hussein sought to build up his nuclear arsenal by purchasing yellowcake uranium from Niger.

(Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction were key in the decision-making process that eventually led to the invasion of Iraq. That Hussein held any such weapons has now been proved false.)

In October 2005, the special prosecutor summoned Karl Rove to return to testify numerous times in a highly unusual step that resulted in widespread rumors that charges were about to be filed in the case.

However, it was Libby who resigned from his top-level position on October 28, 2005 after a five-count indictment was handed down charging him with obstruction of justice, making false statements and perjury.

Libby, whose sentence was commuted by President Bush, was found guility of 4 out of the 5 charges leveled against him.

Despite his unusual cooperation with the Plame case, Rove has steadfastly refused to testify at ongoing Congressional investigations regarding the firing of eight federal prosecutors in 2006. His refusal comes at the behest of President Bush, who claims executive privilege forbidding him to appear.

The once-divorced Rove has a son with his current wife, Darby, who he married in 1986.

Related News, Pictures & Biographies:

Karl Rove - Wikipedia

The President and His Leadership Team - Karl Rove

Karl Rove - The Architect

Disinfopedia - Karl Rove

Guardian Unlimited - Who is Karl Rove?

Bush's Brain - A Documentary About Karl Rove

Famous Quotes:

• [George W. Bush] was the kind of candidate and officeholder political hacks like me wait a lifetime to be associated with.

• Have a robust domestic and foreign agenda. Don't trim your sails. Be bold. People want to hear big, significant changes. They don't want to be fed small micropolicy.

• As people do better, they start voting like Republicans - unless they have too much education and vote Democratic, which proves there can be too much of a good thing.

• Those that the gods destroy they first make prideful. - statement following the 2004 election.

• People like this president. They're just sour right now on the war. - In response to 29% Bush approval rating, May 2006.