Karl Rove Drops Prep School Speech

WALLINGFORD, Conn. — Following protests from students, former presidential adviser Karl Rove has withdrawn as this year's commencement speaker at a prestigious prep school, the school's headmaster said Monday.

The choice of Rove as speaker for the June commencement at Choate Rosemary Hall had led some students to plan to walk out of the ceremony. Others had sought to bring comedian Stephen Colbert to campus for an alternate speech.

Instead of commencement, Rove now will speak at the school on Feb. 11, headmaster Edward J. Shanahan said. Shanahan said he will deliver the commencement address at the school, the alma mater of John F. Kennedy and Adlai Stevenson.

Shanahan said he had asked seniors for their opinions on the proposed commencement speech and many said they wanted to hear from Rove _ but at some time other than commencement.

He said they also were concerned that outsiders might disrupt graduation if Rove appeared in June.

In an e-mail to students and staff Monday, Shanahan quoted Rove as saying: "I would not want 12 minutes of remarks to be used as an excuse by a small group to mar what should be a wonderful day of celebration for the members of the 2008 graduating class and their families, so I am delighted to instead accept Choate's invitation to speak on campus Feb. 11."

"He was more than understanding," Shanahan wrote to the students. "He was gracious and generous in his thinking about you and 'your day.'"

Rove, one of President Bush's most influential advisers, left the administration last year.

Comments

[KOisGod]

Oh Karrrrllllll,

Fuck off

[loki]

I'll bet he still gets his speaking fee in full though.

[leftbehind2000]

A small group? Sounded more like a full-fledged insurrection.

Way to go kids. You did a much better job of repudiating this administration than the rest of us have been able to do in the past 7 years.

[Troubledwawa]

Rove not speaking due to the pressure that the article describes speaks to the deteriorating situation rather vividly.

One day it could be hard for him to show his face in public if this trend continues.

Oh well.

[traveler501]

Rove was "generous and gracious".­..oh yeah, sure...gra­cious as a flatulent lizard (!) I'm not saying his words weren't gracious, I'm not even saying his tone of voice wasn't gracious..­.but ultimately­...to be gracious..­.you have to have a gracious spirit. Somehow old "would you vote for McCain if you knew he had a bastard black child?" just doesn't strike me that way. Maybe it's me.

[nellie]

Good for Choate.

[thebeerdoctor]

Is it not strange that those who complain about liberal fascists keeping Rove from stinking up some ceremony at a private prep school, have no problem with censoring real people with real ideas from being allowed on a public debate?
No, that same liberal fascist media that they constantly complain about, saw fit to marginalize Kucinich and Ron Paul for questioning their version of reality. That very same liberal fascist media that tells us, like little children, that McCain is a war hero. The very same that provided a forum to Don Imus until he blew up, in all of its racial-phobic glory. Who saw fit to put Michael Wiener on television briefly. Who decided that Bill Kristol needed a home at the New York Times. That very same liberal fascist media that keeps you informed of Rush Limbaugh's latest pontifications, and that Rudy was an important candidate. Without that damn fascist liberal media, what would these reactionary goons have to complain about? Flash! Turd Blossom told by school children to go away!

[doneflyin]

"He was gracious and generous," definitely 2 words one would not use to describe The Turdblossom.

I think he was just afraid a nubile group of co-eds would moon him.

Eeeeeeuwwww!

[jdoginthehouse]

Fuck you Karl.

[EspritDeVoltaire]

I, for one, am surprised that Rove didn't lambast them as traitors and homosexuals. That must be the subject of his next editorial since it's too trivial a matter to initiate a push poll against.

[GeoLee]

GOOD1

[suntzu]

It's a generational thing at Choate. The parents are rich conservatives who probably were for the war, and the kids want to think for themselves, not be told what to think by an evil old fart like Rove. I have a suspicion some super-rich donor shoehorned Rove into that speaking slot and the school, not being able to bite the hand that feeds it, agreed. Good for the kids.

The other day the Times ran an article about the richest prep schools in the country, some having endowments bigger than most universities. Choate was one of them.

Re comment by Reasonable Thought

As far as free speech, no administration in recent years has trampled more on free speech than the Bush administration, including arresting and harassing peaceful war protesters, and spying on its own citizens, and killing habeas corpus.

Plus, the students were not denying Rove the right to speak. They were just asserting the right to walk out. Please read the article before accusing them of trampling on free speech.

[Bernique]

There is a god.

[fitCTmom]

Speaking as someone not far from Choate, I am speechless as to how the administrators thought having Rove speak at a New England prep school could have been a good idea. They clearly don't understand the school's student population. They should look for another line of work.

[sammy333]

The next logical step would be to press charges for 150,000 people murdered as a direct result of the Iraq war.