'Rove's Resignation'                                       [The Times, U.K.]

O Globo, Brazil

Rove Brought Out the Worst

in the American Psyche …

"The campaign tactics of the 'architect' were simple yet highly efficient: Fill your own voters with fear, bash your adversaries and lie."

By William Waack

Translated By Brandi Miller

August 13, 2007

Brazil - O Globo - Original Article (Portuguese)

For those who like to follow American politics, the second mandate of George W. Bush ended this Monday (Aug. 13) with the departure of his political consultant and White House adviser Karl Rove WATCH . He is the electoral strategist that gave Bush at least two elections - the midterm elections of 2002 and the presidential race of 2004. The 2000 elections were a failure on the part of Democratic candidate Al Gore, which was helped along by the Supreme Court.

Karl Rove is an icon for political consultants around the world, especially on the matter of transforming a candidate without obvious qualities (like Bush) into a winner or, I don’t know which is worse, trying to keep in office someone notoriously undeserving of continuing. The campaign tactics of the "architect," as Bush likes to call him, were simple yet highly efficient: fill your own voters with fear, bash your adversaries and lie.

This alone wouldn't have been sufficient to explain how a president held up in Iraq and swinging in the opinion polls (like Bush did in 2004) still managed to win in such a convincing manner. Rove had his finger on the pulse of the "psyche" of the United States, he knew how to feel and - as his admirers contend - predict how voters would behave.

Contrary to the assertions of many political analysts, Rove perceived that the Hispanic electorate would not necessarily vote Democratic, especially in the South of the country. He was right. He knew how to use the word "liberal" like a weapon, which in the American political vocabulary has a different meaning. It's not a synonym for a left-winger (much less the conventional liberal in European political jargon). Rather, it translates into what a good portion of the electorate abhors: gay marriage, the feminist movement, political and religious tolerance, a balanced foreign policy and respect of other countries and allies.

Rove’s capacity to put his adversaries on the defensive has been his trademark since Bush's time in Texas. On some points he was capable of great irony and critical satire in regard to American society: he used to enjoy "cholesterol meetings," to discuss politics over animated breakfasts of bacon and eggs as a way of ridiculing what he considered the excessive American mania for political correctness, beginning with the first meal of the day.

But like every other political consultant worried exclusively with victory in the short term, Rove leaves a catastrophic legacy. The Bush government will likely be remembered for the disasters it provoked, and not for its victories at the ballot box. In short, for its ability to bring out the worse in the "America psyche" (the prejudice, the arrogance, the religious radicalism) - in sum, for political dishonesty.

This isn’t to imply that any illegality took place, although Rove had been involved in several scandals that cost the heads of people very close to the president; up to now, he hasn't been accused of committing a crime. The political dishonesty is the consultant’s capacity to conceal facts, twist them to survive an election period and afterwards, say that the voters "approved" the conduct of the winner.

I continue to believe that facts end up beating out political tricks, as skilful as tricks may seem in the short term. And the longer the moment of reckoning is delayed, the greater the price that has to be paid by a society or a country. In the case of the United States, two years after Rove's latest great "victory," the Republicans were slaughtered in the midterm elections. This is one of the reasons for his departure.

What cannot be denied Rove is his great knowledge of American politics. He left on this Monday making two prophecies. Let’s remember them so that we can properly attribute them. Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic candidate for the White House in 2008, and she will be defeated by a new Republican name.

SEE ALSO:

Tribune de Geneve, Switzerland

Bush's Former Brain:

A 'Liar in Good Faith' ...

http://www.watchingamerica.com/oglobo000040.shtml

Financial Times Deutschland, Germany

EDITORIAL: Rove's Mission Aborted

http://www.watchingamerica.com/financialtimesdeutschland000042.shtml

Arab News, Saudi Arabia

EDITORIAL: Karl Rove,

Master of Dirty Tricks ...

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=99814&d=14&m=8&y=2007

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