In telling Paul Gigot of his departure from the White House, Karl Rove said:  “I’m a myth. There’s the Mark of Rove.  I read about some of the things I’m supposed to have done, and I have to try not to laugh.”

I don’t think he was falsely modest, just candid.  In a review of a pair of Rove biographies a few years back, I wrote:  “In Washington, there are two kinds of politicians with a stake in hyping Rove’s influence: Republicans and Democrats. When Republicans disagree with the administration but do not want to criticize their president, they blame Rove … And when Democrats have to admit that anything intelligent comes out of the Bush administration — headed by a man they dismiss as a grinning, brainless frat boy — they need Rove to take the credit.”  We also need to remember the role of contingency.  “There’s no question that Rove is a smart political operative who deserves careful study. But it’s important to remember how easily things could have been different. If a few hundred more voters in Florida’s Palm Beach county had understood simple ballot instructions, Rove would be back in Texas, Gore would be in the White House, and Gore campaign manager Donna Brazile would be on the cover of a book titled Girl Genius.”

 

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