He is one of the main reasons that Bush spearheaded four successful elections, two of which were campaigns to achieve the presidency.
During George W. Bush's presidency, his Senior Advisor and deputy Chief of Staff, Karl Rove, was often considered by critics and journalists. Also known as "Bush's brain," and nicknamed "Boy Genius" (by Bush himself) and "The Architect," Rove remains a controversial figure. He was senior advisor to the president for six and a half years, although he and Bush had been acquainted for over three decades, working on early campaigns together, albeit unsuccessfully at first (e.g., Bush's race for congress 1978). First meeting in the 1970s, Bush and Rove have been a part of each other's lives and careers ever since, and Bush would refer to Rove in 2007 as a "dear friend."
Rove resigned to spend more time with his family and still backed Bush's administration including the very controversial war in Iraq. It has been suggested that the Iraq war was Rove's brainchild, and he has been accused by critics of expanding the war on terror to an unprecedented scale, although there is no current evidence to suggest that he is solely responsible.
In 2002 and 2004 Rove successfully strengthened Republican majorities in Congress by implementing two national election strategies. He is one of the main reasons that Bush spearheaded four successful elections, two of which were campaigns to achieve the presidency. Some believe that Rove had little to lose by the time of his resignation in 2007, as Bush's popularity was beginning to dwindle and spiral down. Rove was involved in an email controversy under President Bush that led to the dismissal of several U.S. attorney generals.
One of his largest scandals was the Valerie Plame scandal. Plame was an undercover agent and wife of Ambassador Joe Wilson. It is still a matter of debate whether Rove and the rest of the Bush administration took part in a string of events that led to outing Plame's cover. Scott McClellan's book "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception" claims that Rove was indeed involved in the Plame affair, despite the Bush Administration denying the allegations. The entire case is shrouded with conflicting opinions on the matter. At his resignation, Rove stated Bush would move up the polls, which was clearly something that 'boy genius' didn't correctly predict. Despite Rove's autobiography, biographies, and analysis written about him, there is still a lot of missing information about his time working as senior advisor.
After writing about the 2008 Presidential Election for Newsweek, Rove released a book in 2010, entitled "Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight." The release of the book had been anticipated by many politicians, journalists and critics. In it he discusses in detail the "Plamegate" scandal, as well as the history of Bush's presidential campaign. At a book signing in 2010 Jodie Evans, co-founder of CodePink, attempted to make a citizens arrest on Rove, citing him as a war criminal. Rove's book is clearly a transparent attempt at putting Bush's government in a more positive light. He is an avid historian and it was his duty to Bush's legacy to write his version of history.
Despite the controversy and mystery that has surrounded Rove, he is a successful politician regardless of his unpopularity, and he will be studied and debated for many years to come for political, academic and historical reasons.
The Washington Post; February 4, 2012
The Washington Post; February 2, 2012
Chicago Sun-Times; September 28, 2011
The Washington Post; August 4, 2011
Albany Times Union (Albany, NY); August 14, 2007
The Record (Bergen County, NJ); August 14, 2007
The Washington Post; January 21, 2001
The Washington Post; May 9, 2002
Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service; January 22, 2003
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