Rove reactions
Posted: Monday, August 13, 2007 2:34 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
White House, Democrats, Republicans
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro, Kelly O’Donnell, Mike Viqueira, Libby Leist, Joel Seidman, Ken Strickland, Carrie Dann and Jenny Anzelmo
In response to Karl Rove announcing he will leave the White House at the end of this month, presidential candidates and inside-the-beltway officials have been reacting on both sides of the aisle. Here’s some of what was said from Edwards, Obama and Huckabee to Joe Wilson, Karen Hughes, Senate Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy and others.
Hughes said the White House will be losing “the Energizer Bunny of the West Wing.” Obama called Rove the “architect,” who “left the country more divided.” Edwards was more flippant, saying just “Goodbye and Good Riddance!” Huckabee said he thinks Rove “wants to spend more time with his banker.” Wilson said, “Rove's resignation signals the final chapter in the
Bush administration's betrayal of the identity of a covert CIA officer.” Leahy said, “Rove's apparent attempts to manipulate elections and push out prosecutors citing bogus claims of voter fraud shows corruption of federal law enforcement for partisan political purposes.”
Here are the full quotes:
EDWARDS in Iowa: “Goodbye and Good Riddance!"
OBAMA: "Karl Rove was an architect of a political strategy that has left the country more divided, the special interests more powerful, and the American people more shut out from their government than any time in memory. But to build a new kind of politics, it will take more than the departure of a man or even an Administration that constructed the old - it will take a movement of everyday Americans committed to changing Washington and reclaiming their government."
HUCKABEE on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Rove leaving to spend more time with his family: "I think he wants to spend more time with his banker"
WILSON: "Karl Rove's resignation signals the final chapter in the Bush administration's betrayal of the identity of a covert CIA officer. When this breach of national security occurred, the President promised the American people that anybody in his administration responsible for the leak would be removed. Rove, identified by the prosecutors as one of the leakers, not only was not summarily dismissed, but has been allowed to leave on his own terms, to praise from the President. This sordid tale of compromising national security to cover-up and distract from the false rationale for the invasion of Iraq will forever remain in history a black mark on the Bush presidency."
HUGHES, a longtime Bush adviser, on camera at the State Department: She said she choked up when she called Karl Rove this morning to wish him well now that he's leaving the White House. Speaking after a public diplomacy event featuring Baseball Hall-of-Famer Cal Ripken, Hughes said she called "to let him know that I knew what he was going through. I felt those same emotions several years ago when I left the White House." Hughes, who is now in charge of public diplomacy at the State Department, described getting emotional waiting for him to pick up the line: "I thought about what a huge impact he's had on the president’s life and career and on my own life and career."
Hughes and Rove have a long history in Texas politics and with President Bush since his days as governor and she said today she didn't think his advisory role was over. "Karl is brilliant; he is funny, and he's a passionate advocate for the president and his policies. And I know that he will continue to play that role outside the administration.”
What will the White House be like without Rove? “The Energizer Bunny of the West Wing," Hughes said.
"Karl is definitely constant motion and action and booming voice and presence and a funny, witty voice and presence. Always upbeat. I don’t recall ever seeing him down"
On the Valerie Plame case, Hughes would only say, "Let’s put it this way, the people that I know and the caricatures that sometimes are portrayed are two very different things and I think that’s been the case with Karl and a number of other people that I know well"
Was Karl in part responsible for the President's low approval ratings? "Polls rise and polls fall," Hughes said, "Karl has been an instrumental part of what i believe has been a very successful Presidency"
PAT LEAHY: "Earlier this month, Karl Rove failed to comply with the Judiciary Committee's subpoena to testify about the mass firings of United States Attorneys. Despite evidence that he played a central role in these firings, just as he did in the Libby case involving the outing of an undercover CIA agent and improper political briefings at over 20 government agencies, Mr. Rove acted as if he was above the law. That is wrong. Now that he is leaving the White House while under subpoena, I continue to ask what Mr. Rove and others at the White House are so desperate to hide. Mr. Rove's apparent attempts to manipulate elections and push out prosecutors citing bogus claims of voter fraud shows corruption of federal law enforcement for partisan political purposes, and the Senate Judiciary Committee will continue its investigation into this serious issue.
"The list of senior White House and Justice Department officials who have resigned during the course of these congressional investigations continues to grow, and today, Mr. Rove added his name to that list. There is a cloud over this White House, and a gathering storm. A similar cloud envelopes Mr. Rove, even as he leaves the White House."
RNC Chairman ROBERT M. "MIKE" DUNCAN: "I have known Karl Rove since we were both in the College Republicans. His devotion to Republican Party principles and to our nation was strong back then, and has never wavered. He will be remembered most for engineering two successful Presidential campaigns, but those of us who have worked closely with Karl know that his dedication to politics was not for its own sake: Karl was and is, at heart, a policy person, someone who has strong beliefs and a deep commitment to making our nation better.
"The President and our party have benefited from his commitment, along with his good counsel, his optimism and his sense of humor. He has served his country long and well. I would like to thank him, and wish him, his wife Darby, and their son Andrew all the best."
MITCH MCCONNELL: "Karl Rove has made an enormous contribution to our country and our party. Now, as he leaves the White House and turns to new challenges, I wish him and his family well as they begin this new chapter in their lives."
****UPDATE****
CHUCK SCHUMER: "Karl Rove's resignation will not stop our inquiry into the firings of the U.S. attorneys. He has every bit as much of a legal obligation to reveal the truth once he steps down as he does today."
**** UPDATE 2 ****
JOHN CONYERS: "The need for Karl Rove to explain his role in the firing of the U.S. Attorneys does not diminish when he leaves the White House. Our investigation to date has revealed the White House's contempt for the rule of law and its interest in the politicization of the Department of Justice. While resignations at DoJ and the White House continue to mount, questions raised by this investigation remain. We will continue to seek answers to these questions and expect full cooperation from Mr. Rove and other officials regardless of whether they are employed by the White House."
