Karl Rove to lose policy portfolio

[sabra]

http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/breaking_news/14377932.htm

Karl Rove to lose policy portfolio
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - In another move in an ongoing shakeup of President Bush's staff, longtime confidant and adviser Karl Rove is giving up oversight of policy development to focus more on politics with the approach of the fall midterm elections, a senior administration official said Wednesday.

Just over a year ago, Rove was promoted to deputy chief of staff in charge of most White House policy coordination. That new portfolio came on top of his title as senior adviser and role of chief policy aide to Bush.

But now, the job of deputy chief of staff for policy is being given to Joel Kaplan, now the White House's deputy budget director, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the president had not yet made the announcement.

The move signals a possibly broad effort to rearrange and reinvigorate Bush's staff by new chief of staff Joshua Bolten. Bolten moved into his position last week; Kaplan was his No. 2 person at the Office of Management and Budget.

[KingFlorez]

1. Something is going on

They know they're in big trouble

[primavera]

8. Just window dressing

Polls show approval rates at historic lows, Bolton wants to dress up a few windows to give the old White House a cosmetic veneer of improving integrity and professionalism. Naturally, it has to be superficial; they can't risk disturbing all of the rot, corruption, and psychosis which is the WH's life's blood. Just enough rearranging to provide a diversion for a while until the public's fleeting memory drifts off to something else.

[Binka]

12. Exactly They Just Switched From Pink Chocolate To Coral Reef

Someone needs to tell them that lipstick on a pig is still a fucking bad idea.

[stepnw1f]

13. Hi Binka!

How is your son doing?

[Binka]

21. I Haven't Heard From Him In Two Weeks So He Must Be Doing Great!

His unit got back three weeks ago so he is probably drinking a lot of beer and shooting the shit. Thanks for asking!

[stepnw1f]

26. Cool

Let him know people are behind him and his buds.

[sofa king]

62. I'm very glad to hear that, Binka

Seems to me like the fellow has earned himself a lot of time off.

[0007]

76. That's good

:thumbsup:

[symbolman]

80. Hiya Sweetie

glad to hear the kid is making a great comeback, hope all is well is you and the rest of your adorable kids :)

[Kikosexy2]

47. Arrggghhh!..

You have "Hell(o) Kitty" ..evil little kitty how cute! (just teasing).

[Canuckistanian]

20. Right, this in itself means nothing

But what if something else is afoot? This can't be a mere distraction.

Rove leaving policy decisions? Snottie out? Is there a connection somehow?

[Kikosexy2]

49. Actually more like...

working under the table, behind the curtain..not seen, not heard but yet his screwball ideas will be implemented no doubt.

[Fridays Child]

32. Would this be anything like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic?

We can only hope.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

59. yep

perfectly stated. especially the bit about rot being their lifeblood. i like that.

[wordpix]

34. Rove's about to be indicted, that's my guess. His lawyer's given him the

bad news.

[w4rma]

46. They don't want newspapers saying "head of policy decisions was indicted"

They don't want the newspapers to be able to say "the head of policy decisions for the White House and the Republican Party was indicted today on felony charges from leaking national security secrets about the name of an undercover CIA agent which most likely resulted in the deaths and discoveries of many of the agents in agent Plame's former network. Agent Plame was an important U.S. security link in stopping nuclear proliferation around the world."

[calimary]

73. Aha! An added aspect I hadn't thought of. VERY good. Probably

it, EXACTLY! Or at the very least, a part of the REAL stsory that nobody else suspects, much less ever gets to report.

Frankly, kkkarl doesn't lose ANYTHING here, I'd suspect. Even if he "appears" to be demoted or his responsibilities "streamlined," you can bet bush's brain will never want for any of the top-level perks, security clearances, or any other privileges. If nothing else, bush'll pass it to him through the mail slot. He isn't in any trouble - at least in White House pecking order standards, and he hasn't been diminished in practicality, AT ALL. He's too tight with junior. Even if perceived as lessened or "wounded," it'll be a cold day in Hell before anybody in there counts him out, or tries to challenge his primacy. It WON'T happen. Just like bush is NOT going to fire him, ever, even if his fingerprints are found all over Valerie Plame's neck. It'll be "described" or "characterized" differently - to the least detriment of all concerned (as they said in the movie "Network") and he'll just go straight on doing what he's always enjoyed doing. And bush will provide him plenty of cover. It'll only be if bush ever perceives that it's either him or kkkarl. Only then will he abandon his little pet pig.

[sojourner]

52. We can hope...(I really do hope!) ...but this is really no demotion IMO.

[Fovea]

44. Exactly "Call me, irresponsible."

Time to insulate the pretzel-dent from peaches.

[Notoverit]

2. Like when they "retired " Karen - to send her for electoral psy-ops

Election stealing is a full time job!
Good ol Karrlll didn't lose anything. Yet!

[Cha]

19. Then they brought

it back to oversee "diplomacy" or some such shite.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

3. Unsurprising, I guess.

Seeing as they actually have no policy.

[ClintonTyree]

65. "The military option"....

is their only policy. Diplomacy is a foreign word to the Bush cabal. Could you see Bush actually sitting down to talk things out with a foreign Head 0f State? :eyes: Neither can any foreign Heads Of State, they all know he's an idiot and avoid him like the plague.

There is no way Rove has lost Bush's ear. Rove IS Bush. Bush would be working at a car wash if not for KKKarl.

[wake.up.america]

4. Rove should not be in charge of a school crossing....

Instead of helping direct traffic, he would be shaking kids down for lunch money.

[saigon68]

7. He could be in charge of cleaning up after the horses

At the end of the Parade

[Roland99]

5. Gotta focus on pandering to the pseudo-Christians and the bigots.

[Julius Civitatus]

6. Karl needs to focus on the nightmare of managing the 2006 Rep campaign

This is a big sign that they are very worried, and things are going poorly for the Repugs. Rove will need to dedicate all his time, nastiness, dirty tricks, and bile to manage the upcoming 2006 electoral campaign.

Given that Chimpy's ratings are in the toilet, the Rep leadership indicted or about to be indicted, and serious scandals popping up everywhere, Rove will need all his dirty-trickery and focus on this mess.

Look out for "Swift Boat" operations coming out of the woodwork everywhere. And this time they will be nastier, and more vicious than before.

[wake.up.america]

11. I suggest we immediately compile a list of what we believe Rove..

will do the upcoming months and forward the list to Dr. Dean.

Seriously. It is good to think out of the "box" and we have the people who can do it, right here.

Personal attacks and the use of fear will be on Rove's list.

Dear voters, this is what you can expect from Rove:

[katinmn]

22. He's going to be working on fixing the elections again

[sojourner]

29. this is my thought also. this IS a sign that they're worried. Rove will

continue to make his presence known in this administration - i feel sure that bush can't breathe without kkkarl's assistance - and things ARE going to get dirtier and meaner than we've EVER seen. ooops...you said that already. well, anyway i agree with your assessment.

[Nictuku]

58. Our Taxes at Work?

You mean our taxes will be paying this man's salary for him to smear democrats?

Something is very very wrong with this picture.

[Sammy Pepys]

9. If this is true...

..I don't blame the White House one bit. Rove has the magic neocon touch when it comes to elections...might as well let him play to his strengths.

[onehandle]

10. Now EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT!

General Rove is still running the White House. I'm not impressed.

Fire him.

[LisaLynne]

15. I agree -- I think this is all for show.

They think that by appearing to "shake things up" people will feel that Bush, that guy you want to have a beer with, is really DOING something, getting rid of the corrupt people in his otherwise pristine administration. I'm not sure if this will work or not, but it's what they're tring to do.

[onehandle]

36. "Rove is not the 'decider' anymore". Lie, repeat. Lie, repeat. nt

[lonestarnot]

14. None of your dumb shit moves are going to do a damn thing for you

bushitler! You are finished you lying, cheat'n thief. And Rover you're going to be giving up much more before it's over.

[Cha]

16. That anonymous source is

is taking his life in his hands considering how much the bushites Hate Leakers! Snark,Snark.

[Botany]

17. Merry Fitzmas ..... Pat might be getting things all tied up.

[Demeter]

23. That's What I Think, Too!

I think the writing is on the wall for Rove. The Domino Theory might finally have found its purpose in life!

And after Rove, Rumsfeld; after Rumsfeld, Cheney; after Cheney, Bush; after Bush; Scalia and Thomas and other players yet to be named, and after that, a general purge of the American intestinal system!

And it will TRULY be Morning in America for the first time in a LOOOOONG time!



And the true axis of evil: Nixon/Bush/Reagan/ et al., will be broken.

[Botany]

24. One can only hope

The level of corruption is mind numbing.

Fix elections, start wars, and manipulate the media.

I really think that some of the Generals coming out against Rummy is a sure sign that
a backlash against bush & company is brewing.

[central scrutinizer]

18. As if Rove could tell the difference between policy and politics

With him it was always about politics and policy was only a means of keeping power, not the good of the nation.

[geiger]

27. Well said; this "move" means nothing

[Cyrano]

25. Does this mean "Karl the Ripper" is trading in his scalpel for an axe?

[Gregorian]

28. Surely there can't be many more cards in this guy's deck.

What the fuck is wrong with the html around here?

Exposed.<\s>

Edit- Overexposed.

[thereismore]

30. Is this why we are paying him? So he can direct repug elections??? nt

[PRETZEL]

31. I'm not sure what to think of this,

Is it possible that Rove is being pushed to the sideline because of an impending indictment? Yes and with this announcement it could possibly take away some of the spotlight from the WH. I don't think it will, but I guess the possibility does exist.

Is this something being done for the mid-terms? Probably, but aside from Santorum's campaign, who is that important to the R's that Rove's strategies will work.

What I think this signals and what I tend to believe is that this signals that the administration no longer has an agenda and is bracing for a switch in Congress. It signals that Rove no longer can strong arm the leadership and that Bush truely has become a lame duck. We'll see no more proposals from the administration on any domestic issues and the focus will be Iraq/Iran all day, every day.

[Time for change]

33. Rove is going to focus MORE on politics?!

Wow, that's a scary thought. I didn't know that that was possible.

[rodeodance]

42. the 06 elections--per msnbc

[cosmicdot]

63. more HAVA machines in place

requires more time to coordinate (fix) another Republican mandate to (mis)govern

[shanti]

68. he's got much work to do here in cali

THAT'S what THIS is about...:(

[sojourner]

53. 'zactly! how on earth can machiavelli's star pupil do anything but?

[rateyes]

Why do the words....

"deck chairs" and "Titanic" come to mind?

[lovuian]

35. under the cover of Scotty he's slowly creeping out before he

is indicted for perjury...

[madrchsod]

37. bye karl...i think you`ll have another job soon....

and it will be ratting out your buddies..fitzgerald is going to get you...

[usregimechange]

38. In prep of indictment.

[sendero]

66. That's what I think..

... as well. That is the only reason I could think of that Bush** would do this. Him and Rove are too close, and of course Rove's real job is not going to change anyway.

[marmar]

39. Lowering his profile, pre-indictment?

:shrug:

[Fovea]

45. By Friday he will be demoted to running

the motor pool, or worse, the kiddie pool.

Then he and Tom DeLay can start having sleepovers in preparation for their abrupt change in residency. Start reading up on Kansas, guys, it's your future home state.

[marmar]

48. They're going to have to hold the 2008 Republican Convention...

in Leavenworth, with many speeches given from behind bars.

[leftcoastlefty]

40. hey, a guy can dream, can't he???

[progressivebydesign]

41. Read the fine print: He's doing this to focus on MID-TERMS

They want it to sound like a demotion or something.. it's not. It's a way for Rove to concentrate on sliming up the mid-terms. Expect dirty tricks, filthy lies, and push polling galore. Hey.. maybe even some phone jamming to boot! Rove is not in trouble, he's working on mid-terms.

[No Exit]

78. Aw gee... he's not doing it to spend more time with his family?

I mean, isn't that supposed to be The Official Reason, always, when these things happen?:)

[leveymg]

43. Did they finally revoke his security clearance?

Seems that's been long overdue since confirmation that he revealed classified information about Plame to reporters, and he couldn't continue acting as Bush's Policy Coordinator without a security clearance.

[cascadiance]

64. That's exactly what I've been asking myself!

That's been the source of a lot of the problems! We need to DEMAND that he now have it revoked! He shouldn't need it where he's at now (unless Bush's domestic spying program that they don't want to talk to FISA is spying on people that his new role is interested in!)

[gatlingforme]

50. This means nothing. Rove will never change his place in the retards circle

[sojourner]

51. they're sure trying to spin this as if it is a big shake-up...a "demotion"

my eye! Rove's just being sicced on the next big one: stealing elections in 2008.

[katty]

54. fitz has present for rover-W talked to poppy on easter wkend...

poppy detests rover...poppy to the boy: i know you only listen to God and yr gut, but start distancing yourself from rover-NOW

[Pithy Cherub]

55. Is this a precursor to revoking Rove's security clearances

as he is no longer in the policy shop? The corpulent White House would then be able to put lipstick on this cooked ham by stating that his clearances are no longer valid because of his new role rather than having Special prosecutor fitzgerald embarras them with the fact he should never have had them while they were cooking and frying the intel for the Iraq messhall.

Methinks Rove is in more trouble and he has signaled that to the Whitehouse sous WHIG chefs.

WHy is the absolutely NO CHANGES in CHENEY's side of this maladroit misadministration? :freak:

[gkhouston]

56. Since when

are policy and politics separate concepts for this administration? :shrug:

[TankLV]

57. He's working overtime on new slim for the upcomming elections.

Doesn't have time for any more "responsibilities".

Dirty tricks in the past will look TAME. He's going underground to go into OVERDRIVE this time around.

Gotta get those voting machine codes in place.

Time to browbeat any wayword media whores who might be less than pit bull on Dem slime, while propping up the shit that is the repuke record.

Gotta get out all the dirt - false or not - on Democrats - and hype it constantly, just like the placing of blame on DEMS for REPUKE policy, which of course is the OPPOSITE of what the dems did.

[CTyankee]

79. EXACTLY my take on it!

This is not good news. Rove is now freed up to think up new ways to steal the 06 election in key races all over the country.

[AlinPA]

60. That's B.S.- Rove will run things for the White House until we win in'08.

[katinmn]

61. If he is focusing on campaign work, he needs to get out of the WH!

The RNC owns him, let them pay for him.

Why must taxpayers pay his salary and office expenses when he is working against more than half the country's interests?

This is wrong.

[sofa king]

67. Rove is dropping policy so he can steal the election full-time.

You watch, even if he's indicted Rove will be the first to be pardoned by President Bush; he's too important to the theft of the 2006 elections.

If these guys lose this midterm election big enough, they're all looking at life imprisonment or the death penalty. Think about what they've done: allowing terrorist attacks on American soil if they didn't direct the operation themselves; the attempted murder and successful intimidation of Members of Congress with Ames-strain anthrax; starting a war on false pretenses; allowing contractors to rob an occupied nation of its wealth; and of course, stealing the elections of 2000 and 2004. Toss in also the CIA's control of the Afghan heroin trade and you have the makings of the most criminal government in the history of the world.

Now, you might say those allegations are not proven. That's right, they're not, because the White House and Congress have covered up, stonewalled and sabotaged every investigation into these allegations.

The election of 2006 absolutely must be stolen to protect the criminals in charge, because if they lose big enough, both the President and the Vice President are in danger of impeachment, and if they are impeached, pardons are not possible for the dozens of criminal executors within the Bush Administration, and the hundreds or thousands of minions beneath them. Their only option beyond that is to usurp the democratic process in America entirely and create a dictatorship, and if they try that, there are one hundred million armed Americans prepared to stop the attempt.

That's Karl Rove's new job: figure out how to steal America a third time, and this time, his life depends on it. He's got no time for policy any more.

[maryallen]

75. Ding! Ding! Ding! Rover: THIEF-IN-CHIEF!!!!

We have a winner:
Rove has GOT to STEAL the '06 Mid-Term elections or the Dems will have supoena power; they can hold investigations into these crooks' actions; and they can IMPEACH Bush & Cheney, BUT ONLY IF THEY WIN.

Oh, but that's wishful thinking because Rove will set up a HACK on the vote like this nation has never seen before ...

Stay tuned, fellow political junkies: Maybe there's a super-fragilistic hacker out there who will out-cheat the Rover.

[Norquist Nemesis]

83. Said it better than I could have!

100% agreed! :thumbsup:

[cassiepriam]

69. Rove just going to help rig, oops, I mean, plan upcoming elections

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

70. Karl IS the Republican Party. Why should he stick with this lame duck?

Plus he won't be far from W's ear.

[JohnnyLib]

71. Grandpa always said

"don't worry about the rattlers sunning themselves. It's the ones hiding who can kill you."

I'm staying on guard.

[Olney Blue]

77. Smart grandpa.

Welcome to DU, JohnnyLib!


:hi:

[Rex]

72. They still need an all Repuke Congress to keep up the pillaging

of our Treasury! I'm sure Rove will do as much dirty politicking as possible for his party. Tick-tock tick-tock Rove! There is a jail ceil just waiting for you and Libby! Get ready for it Rove cuz it's gonna happen.

[Veronica.Franco]

74. Down With Tyranny!

Let's impeach the president for lying
Misleading our country into war
Abusing all the power that we gave him
And shipping all our money out the door

http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2006/04/neil-young-is-living-with-war-can-he.html


I wanted to start a new thread with this link. Since I am new here I am not allowed to do this. Maybe one of you would like to use it to start a new discussion. CSNY will tour with this new music soon!

[symbolman]

81. Yeah, they're also going to ask a guy named John Smith

to resign because he really sucks at shredding, and can't pack a C-5A Galaxy with pallets filled with 100 bills to fly them to the Cayman Islands VAULT..

This reminds me of my old Chevy, I can't possibly give it a good cleaning, like with engine degreaser, because if I did the engine would probably spring 30 leaks and die within 20 miles.. just keep slapping paint on it and new seat covers and it's like a new car :)

[Veronica.Franco]

82. Grand Jury Hears Evidence Against Rove

Fitzgerald told the jurors that he would soon present them with a list of criminal charges he intends to file against Rove in hopes of having the grand jury return a multi-count indictment against Rove.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042006Z.shtml

The fat greasy lying bastard is going down! ....

[brentspeak]

84. "Focus more on politics" = expect dirty tricks in every state election

[alfredo]

85. His new job will be partisan. We should not be paying his wages.

Call congress and ask who is paying his wages.

[Veronica.Franco]

86. Man will never be free ..... quote ...

"Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest." - Denis Diderot

[allemand]

87. The scary part is that Rove is "adamantly opposed to a war" against Iran,

according to Vincent Cannistraro:

Vincent Cannistraro, a former CIA counter-terrorism operations chief said Mr Bush had not yet made up his mind about the use of direct military action against Iran.

"There is a battle for Bush's soul over that," he said, adding that Karl Rove, the president's chief political adviser is adamantly opposed to a war.

The Guardian, April 10, 2006
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1750679,00.html

Have Cheney and Rumsfeld won the "battle for Bush's soul"?

[SeaBob]

88. K. Rove

He will keep his job until he is indicted. Which may be very soon (cheers rise from the crowd)