Rove: Obama Did Only Barely Better Than Bush in '04

When the president you helped steer to the White House is widely considered one of history's worst, and the Republican Party you once projected would hold a permanent majority is now in complete disarray, there is only so much you can do to bat down the critics.

But Karl Rove -- the man known alternative as "Bush's Brain" and "The Architect" -- gives it a whack in the upcoming Sunday New York Times Magazine. Here are the first two (bound-to-be-disputed) answers he provides to Deborah Solomon in the magazine's Q&A column.

Do you see the election results as a repudiation of your politics? Our new president-elect won one and a half points more than George W. Bush won in 2004, and he did so, in great respect, by adopting the methods of the Bush campaign and conducting a vast army of persuasion to identify and get out the vote.

But what about your great dream of creating a permanent Republican governing majority in Washington?
I never said permanent. Durable.

For the record:

Bush won 51 percent of the vote in 2004 (three percentage points more than Kerry), 62 million votes total and 286 Electoral College votes

Obama won 53 percent of the vote in 2008 (seven percentage points more than McCain), 66.6 million votes and 365 Electoral College votes.

Comments

[SailFree]

Rats! There goes Karl Rover speaking the truth again!

And as for "stealing," one has much clearer evidence of the cheating in Obama's favor than was ever delineated by any evidence that Bush's supporters cheated. There were plenty of CHARGES of cheating, but no hard evidence at all. In Florida, there was not a single person who could show that he had been dissuaded from voting by any harassment or other tactics. It was the Al Gore supporters who were manufacturing the Gore votes by interpreting ballots rather than actually counting the clear votes. Get over it.

[BelGazou]

This flaccid porker just can't stop lying. (I can't help but remember his complaint during the early days of this presidential campaign that Obama "acted like the good-looking guy in high school who got all the girls", or words to that effect. That comment pegs the flatulent Rove as the unattractive loser, sitting in the corner, bitching about "some guys having all the luck".

[kylennblack]

I want to take a pin and pop his fat head. All that hot air rushing out...

[jrjoyrae]

I'm afraid it would be more like popping a pimple... Rove is too nasty for only hot air to rush out.

But yes... he is like a festering blemish that needs to be popped.

[pros54]

And in 2004 Bush was a sitting president with the Nation at war. What a comparison.

[TimeToUnite]

What wrong with the media? He should be in jail, not giving interviews and a working as a Fox News hack.

[getoffmedz]

Karl who?

Obscurity awaits, Karl.

[KNadine]

There were 2 columns - One for Winner and One for Loser. Doesn't matter the count or what MC Rove says, a WIN is a WIN and Obama WON!!!!!

[chris2fer]

When are you going to jail? I hope very soon.

[getoffmedz]

yep

[realpolitic]

Rove just does not get it and maybe never will. America rejects him and his signature brand of divisive, hate-based politics. We are a kinder and fairer country than that. Too bad for Rove!

[Joeblue]

Make sure to contact all your senators and congress critters and tell them to have this guy brought up under oath and asked about his involvment in sending Don Siegelman to jail.

[joceeco]

Rove is "ein stueck Scheisse."

[jaslyn]

ditto.

[JiminNC]

One word for you ... boybutter

[CaptainStormfield]

This is too good not to share. from Bartcop.com

"And now the liberals want to stop President Reagan from selling chemical warfare agents
and military equipment to Saddam Hussein, and why? Because Saddam allegedly gassed a
few Kurds in his own country. Mark my words. All of this talk of Saddam Hussein being a
war criminal or commiting crimes against humanity is the same old thing - liberal hate speech.
And speaking of poision gas, I say we round up all the drug addicts and gas them."
-- Rush Limbaugh, November 3, 1988

[vandegrasse]

I say you could get enough gas from Limbaugh to do the job. Republican hypocrites!!

[realpolitic]

Yes, and then Rush wants to invade Iraq years later because Saddam gassed the Kurds. His words show a real sociopathology.

[canucklivinginUSA]

OMG, I didn't know that. LOL.

[a lewis]

Does Rove believe, honestly, that Obama won by using the "methods of the Bush campaign"? Rubbish! Obama's campaign was positive, it 'swiftboated' no one, and didn't rely on wedge issues like gay marriage or flag burning, etc. There's a stark difference between the hopeful, inspirational message Obama peddled and the xenophobic fear mongering that was the currency of Rove, Bush and the rest of their crowd.

[Emlyn]

I don't think the Republicans have got over the fact that they LOST the election yet. It hasn't sank in yet.

[BuzzingAlong]

This excuse for a human being goes home at the end of the day and kisses his children goodnight. How gross that their mother allows him to pollute her children.

[Gmoney1]

I thought he was in jail - Bush and Rove stole both elections - doesn't Doe Boy know we know that -