An ex-Bush speechwriter on the genius of Karl Rove
I mentioned below the forthcoming book from Neil Latimer on his days as a speechwriter during Dubya’s second term.
As part of his self-promotional effort, Latimer has an op-ed piece in today’s Washington Post, where he drops this pithy passage about who he blames for how badly things went wrong:
After the 2004 election, [Karl] Rove was given a far-reaching portfolio — overseeing political affairs, policy and personnel. His operation went on a power trip — and was ineffective at advancing conservative ideals. After Rove took over policy chores, the administration passed no significant conservative legislation through a Republican Congress. Within 24 months the GOP lost the House, the Senate, a majority of governorships and the presidency.
Ouch. Oh, and as a side note about “inexperienced political operatives enjoy[ing] nearly unrestrained power” in the staffing of Cabinet departments, Latimer mentions that “one of the organizers of the ‘birther’ movement is a former personnel vetter at the Pentagon.”