Bush's Brain: Karl Rove Goes Mental

In a fit of pathos and nauseating self-pity, Karl Rove had the temerity to claim that Washington partisanship is to blame for the failures of the Bush Administration. That pushes the extreme outer limits of hubris and intellectual dishonesty. Rove whining about partisan politics is like a child who murders both parents, then pleads for leniency before the judge because he is an orphan. We can only stutter in astonishment at the sheer audacity of the claim.

Apparently King Karl has never encountered the biblical concept that "you reap what you sow" or "as you made your bed, so you must lie upon it." Rove is the Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods of partisan politics all rolled into one, so any complaint about partisanship is beyond outrageous. Rove's bizarre complaint is as absurd as if the Pope was lamenting that religion made ruling the Vatican so much more difficult. We just have to shake our head, and say, "What?"

Bush occupies the White House only because Rove mastered the divisive politics of hot button social issues so dear to right-wing evangelical Christians. He energized his base by demonizing the left. He took partisan politics to a new hateful extreme as a deliberate policy. He divided the nation into god-fearing, anti-abortion, anti-gay, church-going conservatives and latte-drinking, BMW-driving, French-speaking liberals who despised America. Never mind that his characterization of the left is absurd, or that Bush had a Republican majority on the Hill for six of his eight years. By obscuring reality, he convinced the religious right that the world would end if liberals won the election. It was "us against them" taken to an all new level of vitriol and rage in 2000 and 2004.

And now he wonders why Bush encountered partisanship in Washington. I'm breathless.

Rove's plea would be easy to ignore, but dangerous to do so. This is the opening salvo in the Republican effort to rewrite history and sanitize the Bush Legacy. Rove and his colleagues will try to use sleight of hand, smoke and mirrors and outright lies to get us to forget the horrors of the past eight years. We can easily see the path they will take. We must block their advance.

Rove said the following: "nobody will say that taking out the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was a mistake or that the broader war on terrorism was a miscalculation." Really? Nobody? Are you sure, Karl? How about 63 million Americans who voted for Barack Obama? Here Rove is intentionally confounding his ill-fated war in Iraq with terrorism, again confusing Saddam with 9/11 even though we know conclusively that Hussein had nothing to do with the attacks on the World Trade Center. The CIA has concluded unambiguously that al Qaeda was not in Iraq before we invaded. At the same time, Rove is deflecting attention away from Bush's failure to finish the fight in the real war on terror in Afghanistan. Rove is trying to obfuscate, deflect, misdirect, but we will not let him. Bush took his eye off the ball, diverted resources to Iraq, and let the Taliban, who really are responsible for 9/11, regroup and rebuild. He also let bin Laden escape. If a Democrat was president, and bin Laden was still roaming free, we would hear of nothing else, every day.

Rove goes on to say that, "no president in the foreseeable future is going to step back from the tenets of the Bush philosophy, which are: better to fight them over there than to fight them here..." We should probably ask Sarah Palin for an explanation, because what Rove said makes no sense. That is only one tenet, too, by the way. By invading Iraq we created a new breeding ground for terrorists, an entire new generation of radical Muslims who hate us, and who cannot wait to get here to kill us. And al Qaeda can multi-task: just because we are now fighting them in Iraq does not mean they will not come here as well. Have Bush and Rove never heard of a multi-front war? (Hmmm, perhaps that is why Afghanistan is going so poorly...). If Bush and his brain understand that a war can be fought in more than one place, do they believe only we are capable of doing so? The views espoused by Rove are ridiculous, constituting a naïve pipe dream, not a philosophy. If a Democrat said something as idiotic as we are fighting them there so we won't fight them here, he would be drawn and quartered.

Israel Hernandez, a longtime Bush supporter who entered politics as a Bush aide in Texas, said of Bush: "What you see is what you get...and what you get is a man who loves his country dearly and will do anything to protect it." Yes, that is the problem, he will do anything, including break the law, trample our civil rights, condone torture and initiate an illegal war. Explaining that Bush loves America is like a wife-beater who explains his actions by pleading that he loves his wife. Yeah, maybe, but we would all be better off if he loved a little less, or with a bit more wisdom and restraint.

The Big Lie has begun. Republicans are desperate to whitewash the intense red stain of Bush and his hideous legacy. Like the Shadow, they will try to cloud our minds. Much is at stake, because Bush's failures are the failures of his party, and of conservative ideology. We must resist every effort to cleanse the record so that the world never forgets the tragic consequences of faith-based conservative rule executed in the name of a stubborn conviction immune to reason and immutable in the face of a changing world. Bush nearly drove this country to its knees, and Karl Rove must never be allowed to twist that basic truth.

Comments

[sognimils]

Well put, Mr. Schweitzer. I read Rove's WSJ assertion that partisan politics hobbled Dubya. My reaction was the same as yours. Despite that Rove and other Neocon mouthpieces are still out there trying to sell their "heads I win, tails you lose" snake oil, and despite that we need to take their presence seriously and respond to the seemingly neverending stream of fact-bending, fallacious arguments coming from Neocon extremists like Rove, I am encouraged. I am encouraged by the fact that there is a growing chorus of voices like yours which reflects the growing awareness that the words of Rove, Coulter, Hannity, and other disingenuous, outspoken acolytes of the Neocon religion are good for exactly one thing: growing mushrooms.

[Jeff Schweitzer - Huffpost Blogger]

I suspect all mushrooms and the fertilizer in which they grow would be offended by the implied association with Rove and company. Let's hope the chorus of voices you mention grows ever stronger as the Bush Legacy Project gets more desperate to bend facts.

[jrockbg]

I wish this mythical world that you seem to exist in were real. A world where the worst attack on our homeland, intentionally waged on civilians, could be answered with diplomacy that wouldn't offend the sensibilities of people who feel it is ok to murder those who disagree with them. A simple world where defending this country from similar attacks could be so easily accomplished without ever having to use methods that ride the line of legality.

I'm not angered by liberals today because they want to defend the Constitution or they advocate diplomacy. I'm angered because they don't understand the real world limits of the two. That occassionally, diplomacy does not adequately convey that we will not allow horrible attacks on our civilians. That occassionally, in the face of an enemy that disguises itself as an American citizen, we must hug the line of legality in order to stop them.

You may note sarcasm but I truly wish this mythical world you seem to live in exists. It would all be so simple. And while I am not a Bush or Rove apologist I will say this: It is no wonder you claim that Rove is trying to twist basic truths, because you, Jeff seem to live in a twisted reality.

[Jeff Schweitzer - Huffpost Blogger]

If my twisted reality means condemning torture and holding up our Constitution, then so be it. You make the classic mistake of confusing support for the rule of law with weakness or lack of resolve to fight terrorism. Nothing could be further from the truth. If we abandon the principles for which we are fighting, what exactly are we fighting for? If you think abandoning legality is acceptable, I would suggest that you are the one who occupies a twisted world. If you think abandoing legality is OK, go live for awhile in Iran or North Korea.

[jrockbg]

I suggest no such thing as abandoning the law. But there are things like Gitmo and waterboarding which i submit, ride the line of legality. I have no doubt the decisions to do these things were not entered into lightly. I also know that it is the opinion of liberals who are not used to having their assertions challenged that blindly buy into calling harsh interrogation techniques "torture". And what law or court decision, pre 9/11, explains what we do with captured enemies on the battlefield willing to operate in secret dressed as civilians?

This is what I mean, and vets like me who understand the fog of war understand how inprecise these situations can be: Life and laws are not always that simple. Quite often it is a living thing and must be adapted to the situation. I see you are still in that simple world where none of these conflicts arise. But I shall stay in the real world and continue to be pragmatic and fair.

Lastly, the #1 reason that I know many liberals aren't dealing with reality is their inability to come up with solutions of their own. Obama will have to govern the "real" world and I can't wait to see your dissappointment when he can't afford to appease your fantasy.

[bobhobard]

While I agree with you completely about Rove, I think it's time we acknowledged that his characterization of the average Republican was just as off-base. That "god-fearing, anti-abortion, anti-gay, church-going conservatives" moniker applies to only a small part of the Republican constituency. We will never achieve any kind of unity until we acknowledge that Rove did the conservative just as much damage as he did the liberal. One of the reasons Obama won the election was because unlike what we saw in past years, Rovian politics served to divide and fracture the Republican base this go-round. Many Republicans couldn't identify with the foaming-at-the-mouth, drill, baby, drill maniacs portrayed at the McCain rallies who were screaming for Obama's head. It's one thing to be in favor of small government. It's another thing to be a hate-mongering member of a lynch mob. Rove is an anachronism struggling to stay in the game. We shouldn't let him.

[Jeff Schweitzer - Huffpost Blogger]

I agree with what you say here. Rove is a destructive force on both sides of the aisle. Let us hope that Obama can heal the wounds that Rove created in our body politic.

[Vyvjala]

Excellent article,........................thank you Jeff...................

[Jeff Schweitzer - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you for taking the time to give me that positive feedback. Much appreciated.

[barblibrarian]

Talk about rubbing salt into our wounds. Just when we think we are starting to get past our country's worst nightmare, we are being told - you got it wrong, he was really a very good President and the 75% of the country that thought otherwise is mad! Thanks, Jeff. Great article. Isn't there some way to rub that smug smile off Rove's face?

[Jeff Schweitzer - Huffpost Blogger]

Yeah, send him to jail. That would do it.

[Geoffreys]

For those that still think Reagan was the greatest President and that Clinton is the embodiment of all things evil,convincing them of the lie will be no problem whatsoever. At the moment, though, I think the vast majority of Americans finally understand what has gone on and just how awful Dubya and his boys have been.

While I agree that we have to push back against the Big Lie, I also think their job will be much harder than our job. We have 70% of the US population and about 95% of the global population in our corner.

[Jeff Schweitzer - Huffpost Blogger]

We just need to keep pushing back every time they lie about their accomplishments and try to hide their crimes.

[DthemanN]

Which is why it is so imperative that we document now the past 8 years and piss on Rove's Bush Legacy Project. Americans have absolutely atrocious historical myopia and I bet Rove knows it. A little make-up and a bit of time and voila! Bush wasn't so bad...was he?

I wonder if Lee Atwater had any inkling of the abomination he would unleash in the form of Republican partisan politics and Rove. I'm inclined to disbelieve stories of his deathbed confession/conciliation as I don't see his twisted progeny being capable of such an act.

[Jeff Schweitzer - Huffpost Blogger]

I suspect Lee Atwater would rejoice in the twisted and hateful politics that Rove pushes.

[JoKr]

What Rove is doing is the reason we must remain vigilent and make sure that the facts and not the spin is what is remembered.

[jfor]

There is only one reason Rove even has the chance to rewrite history and for that he should get on his knees and thank Nancy Pelosi who took impeachment off the table and allowed President Bush to fade into history with his Presidency intact and his supporters still able to deny the truth.

Bush was a horrible President and Pelosi allowed it to happen.

[Jeff Schweitzer - Huffpost Blogger]

I blame Bush for Bush, not Pelosi. I am no big fan of hers, but only Bush can take responsibilty for his horrors.

[kjstjohn]

"Republicans are desperate to whitewash the intense red stain of Bush and his hideous legacy." I like that sentence. It is hard to discuss Bush's and Rove's malfeasance in polite English with an appropriate degree of intensity. I think you did it.

[Jeff Schweitzer - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you; I appreciate the kind words.

[slarabee]

Fantastic column! But will those of us who write be heard above those that shout the lies?
I hope so.

[Jeff Schweitzer - Huffpost Blogger]

We can only hope.

[txbluedot]

rbenjamin, that is exactly what I was going to say! It's the Big Lie, Volume III. Volume I was the first term, Volume II, second term, and Volume III is the post-debacle cleanup.

Great post-- your analogies are right on target! Wow, Karl Rove complaining about partisanship--that's a good one, Karl!

[rbenjamin]

Agree with the gist of your post, but what's up with "The Big Lie has begun." Is that a typo? The Bush ramp up to war in Iraq began before the 2000 election. Weapons of mass destruction = a slam dunk? Didn't you mean "Big lie goes on" or "Big lie gets even bigger" (my choice)?. Thought about "Big lie takes a last fling before Big Liar retires" but it's a mouthful.

[Jeff Schweitzer - Huffpost Blogger]

Yeah, I lost my head. The Big Lie continues...