Republicans Say They're Happy About Rove
Karl Rove Will Now Focus on Elections Instead of Policy
April 20, 2006 —
Bush adviser Karl Rove's duties have changed.
His day-to-day control over domestic policy issues have been handed over to another deputy chief of staff , but his friends say that his legendary influence remains.
Republican strategist Mary Matalin said she wouldn't characterize it as Rove's duties being reduced or lessened.
"I'd say it's a reassignment," she said. "Karl has been and will be the MVP. We need him back on the pitcher's mound. This is a critical midterm election. Karl made history in the last midterm election, and we need him again."
"If we lose control of either chamber, it will be nothing but chaos for the final two years of the presidency," she said.
Mark McKinnon, a media consultant who was an adviser on Bush's presidential campaigns, agreed with Matalin.
"Karl has more bandwidth than anybody on the planet, but there's only so much that he can do and now adding the responsibility of the midterm elections he had to give up something," McKinnon said.
Conservatives like Rush Limbaugh applauded the move.
"That's probably a net positive in terms of trying to secure Republican success at the polls this November," Limbaugh said on his radio show Wednesday.
The Rove move was a surprise, and a way for the new White House chief of staff to make a very public statement that big changes were ahead. In his years crafting the political career of President Bush, Rove and his power has never been checked -- until now.
Insiders say the move is not just window dressing. They say that Rove's role in the CIA leak investigation may have also triggered the move, and that Rove has not proven as adept at the nuts and bolts of policy as he is at political strategy, citing the failure of Social Security reform and the lack of a compelling domestic policy agenda.
Matalin says, however, that Rove is not taking the fall for these political problems because the president has not been failing politically.
"There will be Social Security reform, and it will be remembered that this president stepped up to the plate to reform not only this, but Medicare," Matalin said. "And we also have a good economy, and we're making progress on the global war on terror."
Rove's change in responsibility is still bound to be a disappointment to him. Years ago, he was frustrated at being known only as a political wizard.