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After repeatedly vilifying conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh for saying he hopes that President Obama’s liberal policies fail, the Democrat Party apparently may be trying to make another mountain out of a molehill -- this one involving Karl Rove. Rove, a former adviser to President George W. Bush, described President Barack Obama as “arrogant” in a recent interview with Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly. "I've always said I think he's kind of an arrogant guy," Rove said during his analysis of Obama’s prime-time press conference on Tuesday, Mar. 24. The next day, March 25, the Democratic National Committee called Rove’s statement...

Here is video from last-night's O'Reilly Factor where Karl Rove said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs talked like "a wise-cracking junior high smart mouth" the other day when commenting on Vice President Cheney. He makes the comment at around the 2:00 mark of the video. I must say, Rove described Gibbs perfectly! . . . . . . . . (Watch Video)

Presidents throughout history have kept lists of political foes. But the Obama White House is the first I am aware of to pick targets based on polls. Even Richard Nixon didn't focus-group his enemies list. Team Obama -- aided by Clintonistas Paul Begala, James Carville and Stanley Greenberg -- decided to attack Rush Limbaugh after poring over opinion research. White House senior adviser David Axelrod explicitly authorized the assault. Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel assigned a White House official to coordinate the push. And Press Secretary Robert Gibbs gleefully punched the launch button at his podium, suckering the White House...

Team Obama, aided by Clintonistas Paul Begala, James Carville and Stanley Greenberg -- decided to attack Rush Limbaugh after poring over opinion research. White House senior adviser David Axelrod explicitly authorized the assault. Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel assigned a White House official to coordinate the push. And Press Secretary Robert Gibbs gleefully punched the launch button at his podium, suckering the White House press corps into dropping what they were doing to get Mr. Limbaugh. Was it smart politics and good policy? No. For one thing, it gave the lie to Barack Obama's talk about ending "the political strategy...

Here is video of Karl Rove talking with British TV Sky News, where he said that President Barack Obama is "diffident" when it comes to the details of the massive legislation he is pushing through Congress. Rove cited several examples where Obama has made sweeping decisions only to reveal that he really had not thought through the consequences of those decisions. One example he gave is that of announcing the closing of the Guantanamo Bay Terrorist Prison facility within a year without even knowing what he plans to do with the terror suspects being held there! Rove also flatly states...

MONTEREY, Calif. - The Leon and Sylvia Panetta Institute announced Saturday it's 2009 list of invitees to it's popular public policy Lecture Series. Among the names of political movers and shakers set to debate are Gen. John Abizaid, Tom Daschle, Michael Leavitt, David Plouffe, Alice Rivlin, Karl Rove and George Tenet. The theme of this year's Lecture Series is The Challenges Facing the New Administration. "New leadership has brought new opportunities for reform," said Institute Director, Sylvia Panetta. "However this spirit of optimism is weighted by the daunting reality of the domestic and global challenges that this new administration faces....

Team Obama demonstrated remarkable discipline during the presidential campaign. From raising an unprecedented amount of money to milking every advantage from the Internet to grabbing lots of delegates from inexpensive caucus states, they left nothing to chance. And now the administration has scored a major legislative victory in an extraordinarily short period of time. Less than 700 hours after taking the oath of office, President Barack Obama signed the largest spending bill in American history. Nevertheless, this fast start can't overcome a growing sense the administration is winging it on issues large and small.

Rove Responds to Axelrod Karl Rove, a former senior adviser to President George W. Bush, insisted in an interview with "Today" show host Matt Lauer this morning that he had every right to offer his analysis of the economic strategy adopted by the Obama Administration -- a response to critical comments made by Obama senior adviser David Axelrod in an interview with the Post last week. "I am not giving him advice, I am commenting on what they are doing," Rove told Lauer. "And I'm sure even this White House would say people have the right to offer an opinion."...

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics." That was part of Barack Obama's inaugural speech, given about one month ago. It seems that Patrick Leahy, a Democratic senator from Vermont, was sick that day, or had a dentist's appointment, or was on vacation, or just decided to completely ignore what the president said. Last week, Sen. Leahy trotted...

The Bush legacy-protection machinery isn't in full gear yet. But it's getting there, with former aides gathering online to share talking points and swap spin. "We were there. And as members of the team, we know the difference between rumor, reality, fact, and fiction. This is our chance to stand up, speak up, and set the record straight," says the Web site dedicated to the task. The Bush-Cheney Alumni Association Web site, 43alumni.com, appeared last week as a link from the Web site of the George W. Bush Foundation, which is raising funds to build the Bush presidential library and...

Rove subpoenaed by Conyers By: John Bresnahan and Andy Barr January 26, 2009 06:31 PM EST House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) has subpoenaed Karl Rove, the former top political advisor to President George W. Bush, to question what Rove knows about “politicization” of the Justice Department. The Senate Judiciary Committee had subpoenaed Rove during the last Congress, but relying on an executive privilege claim by Bush, Rove refused to appear. Conyers had previously subpoenaed former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten, Bush former White House chief of staff, seeking any information they had. Conyers is also...

Speaking to students at Miami University, Karl Rove—who has thought a bit about the politics of national security —predicts: “One year from now, Gitmo won’t be closed.... If it is, there will be an uproar in the U.S. about where to put these people.” Which is to say, expect the GOP to keep laying a groundwork for attacks on this issue.

As the curtain closes on the presidency of George W. Bush, the one loose end dangling is the pardon of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. In 2007 Mr. Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, was convicted for perjury and obstruction of justice. Let us be clear about the Bush legacy. After September 11, not a year into Mr. Bush's term, his became a war presidency. George Bush's place in history will turn on what becomes of Iraq and al Qaeda. If Iraq fails, history will mark down the Bush presidency. If by fits and starts Iraq grows into the...

When a group of pundits gathered for a recent Oxford-style debate, the proposition alone was provocative: "Bush 43 Is the Worst President of the Past 50 Years." But when you consider that one of the panelists defending President Bush's legacy was his longtime adviser Karl Rove, the night became even more interesting --snip-- Before and after each debate, the audience is asked to vote on the motion. At the start of the evening, 65 percent of the audience was in favor of the proposition that George W. Bush is the worst American president of the past 50 years; 17 percent...

By KARL ROVE With only five days left, my lead is insurmountable. The competition can't catch up. And for the third year in a row, I'll triumph. In second place will be the president of the United States. Our contest is not about sports or politics. It's about books. It all started on New Year's Eve in 2005. President Bush asked what my New Year's resolutions were. I told him that as a regular reader who'd gotten out of the habit, my goal was to read a book a week in 2006. Three days later, we were in the Oval...

As the chief strategist who married President Bush's political goals to national policy initiatives, Karl Rove was more responsible than any other member of the administration for the delusional and disastrous immigration policy that Mr. Bush doggedly pursued throughout his eight years in office. The disgraceful twin hallmarks of that immigration policy remain a violently unsecured border and the continuing demand for an epic amnesty of illegal immigrants that's unprecedented in the history of nations. The numbers themselves are staggering, with the lowball figure of four million to the more realistic estimate of 12 to 16 million illegal immigrants crossing...

The next day, I got an email from the retired Navy Seal buddy who'd talked me into speaking at NSWF. He shared a picture of the sign the wounded Seal put on his Baghdad hospital door. On it, the Seal had scrawled that visitors shouldn't "feel sorry" for him. "The wounds I received," he wrote, "I got in a job I love, doing it for people I love, supporting the freedom of a country I deeply love. I am incredibly tough." And on his sign he promised "a full recovery" and wrote that his hospital room was a place of...

In a WSJ column, Karl Rove reports that President Bush has read an astounding 186 books in the last three years. That translates to well over one book per week. I don't read nearly as much, and just in case you didn't know, I am not President. Rove's column concludes with the following: In the 35 years I've known George W. Bush, he's always had a book nearby. He plays up being a good ol' boy from Midland, Texas, but he was a history major at Yale and graduated from Harvard Business School. You don't make it through either unless...

I wont post this as the original source is Ap ...but its funny http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202426219680

O'REILLY: All right. Are you worried about Obama? Are you worried about this man? ROVE: Look, I think… O'REILLY: Come on, tell me the truth as an American, not as a pundit, not as a… ROVE: Let me tell you what I feel as an American. First, as an American, I love my country and I want my president to succeed. O'REILLY: So you want him to succeed… ROVE: I want him to succeed. O'REILLY: ...even though he's in the other party. ROVE: That's right. Look, I was there when a president came in whom a lot of people in...

Late today, Karl Rove's Electoral College projection changed from 311, McCain 160, toss-up 67 to Obama 338, McCain 200, no toss-ups. I’ve only been doing professional GOP politics for 18 years, and Karl is a lot smart than I am. But the only way I will agree with him is when the final vote is tallied. We all know John has a huge mountain to climb tomorrow, but all the battleground states races have greatly tightened up. - FlA Latest update.....

Many of you have been wondering what in the hell Karl Rove has been doing with his goofy looking electoral map on the O’Reilly Factor. Karl is acting like he believes most of what the pundits are saying. After watching closely last night, I’m convinced that O’Reilly, Drudge, Rove, et al. know exactly what is going on. Karl is sitting on a royal flush and trying his best not to smirk. The guy is a genius. Listen, Karl Rove has access to the same internals we do. In fact, he has a hell of a lot more information at his...

Forty-six new polls over the past two days—nearly one per hour—have widened Barack Obama’s lead in the Electoral College. The Illinois senator now holds 317 electoral votes to McCain’s 157 ...

On Wednesday, the Susan B. Anthony List held a luncheon to launch their Presidential Battleground Get Out the Women’s Vote Campaign. SBA List is a premiere women’s group working on behalf of the pro-life issue nationwide. Guest speaker Karl Rove was in his element, talking history, poll numbers and presidential politics -- with the elections less than two weeks away. SNIP Rove said, “I can’t give you any good news but the news that there is: we’ve got a chance. The reason we have a chance is the consistent deep concern on the part of the American people about whether...

Here is video of a radical protester in San Francisco who attempted to "arrest" Karl Rove today during a seminar and place him in handcuffs. The woman was taken away by security. Karl Rove, nor any other political figure, should be subjected to this kind of treatment. There appears to be no end to the depths to which the radical left will go, even as they criticize Republicans as being "hateful" and insensitive. They are totally blinded by their own hate. . . . . (Watch Video)

While most of us focus on national polls or battleground state polls, Karl Rove always raises one additional poll question. Is Barack Obama qualified to be president? On that question, Obama consistently does poorly, and he is not improving. This week also brought a reminder that Sen. Obama hasn't closed the sale. The Washington Post/ABC poll found 45% of voters still don't think he's qualified to be president, about the same number who doubted his qualifications in March. This is seven points more than George W. Bush's highest reading in 2000 and the worst since Michael Dukakis's 56% unqualified rating...

In the campaign's final two weeks, voters will take a last serious look at both presidential candidates. The outcome of the race isn't cast in stone yet. Barack Obama holds a 7.3% lead in the Real Clear Politics average of all polls, but the latest Gallup tracking poll reveals that there are nearly twice as many undecided voters this year than there were in the last presidential election. APThis week also brought a reminder that Sen. Obama hasn't closed the sale. The Washington Post/ABC poll found 45% of voters still don't think he's qualified to be president, about the same...

In the campaign's final two weeks, voters will take a last serious look at both presidential candidates. The outcome of the race isn't cast in stone yet. Barack Obama holds a 7.3% lead in the Real Clear Politics average of all polls, but the latest Gallup tracking poll reveals that there are nearly twice as many undecided voters this year than there were in the last presidential election. The Investor's Business Daily/TIPP poll (which was closest to the mark in predicting the 2004 outcome -- 0.4% off the actual result) now says this is a three-point race. This week also...

WASHINGTON — Karl Rove has inspired a generation of Republican imitators, Democratic vilifiers and, in this election, a term that has reached full-on political buzzword status: “Rovian.” As in, this presidential campaign has been rife with “Rovian tactics” in recent days. This essentially means aggressive tactics — or dirty, in the view of Democrats, who use the term often, and not lovingly. “John McCain has gone Karl Rovian,” Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. said at a recent campaign stop, a variation on a standard stump line from Senator Barack Obama’s running mate. Karl Rove, of course, is the revered and...

The performance of Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives on Monday reminds us of Hamlet. Something is rotten there, but, like Hamlet, we are not sure exactly what, except that it is even worse than it looked. Was this a ploy to hand the presidency to Obama? Was this a trap to hang on Republican Congressmen? Was this a way to get back in new negotiations slush funds for ACORN and other atrocities Republicans had negotiated out of the bill? Probably all of the above. This was a setup that ended up costing investors twice...

Excerpt - Presidential debates are important -- and the first debate is the most important of all, establishing an arc of opinion that persists unless jarred loose by big mistakes or dramatic events. So whether this year's first presidential debate between Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain is Friday night or postponed a few days, it may be the fall's most critical event. In the nine first debates since 1960, the perceived winner of the debate averaged a 4.2 point net swing in the Gallup poll. ~ snip ~

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The White House Writers Group and West Wing Writers have come together from opposite sides of the political spectrum to host a bipartisan forum, America's Health Care At Risk: Finding Cure, on Sept. 17 and 18 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Hotel in Florida. Across the nation there is significant agreement that the health care system needs to be fixed and the next president -- no matter who takes office -- will have to approach Members of Congress and find champions on both sides of the aisle to enact change. With the upcoming...

Be careful not to assign too much scientific precision to polls. They aren't as accurate as portrayed. But several different surveys at roughly the same time that show similar results are useful guides. So three trends in recent polls must worry Sen. Barack Obama and encourage Sen. John McCain...

Serious question. Is this over? I mean there is no objective reason for a thinking adult to vote for Obama over McCain. Barry has all the earmarks of a flash in the pan, a guy who could be expected to lose in a landslide. Landslides don’t just happen on election day, they start with a trend leading to that result. A blind man can see this is a very bad trend for Obama. Soon-to-be landslide victims flail and insist right up until election day that they will win. They are then discarded on the ash heap of history’s losers with...

Karl Rove is so powerful, he is probably toying with the Libs by putting out these maps showing Obama anywhere near winning this thing. We all know he will draw upon all the powers of heaven and earth (or hell if you are a Dem) and put McPalin over the top in November. For now, though, he shows an interesting dynamic.

Of all the advantages Gov. Sarah Palin has brought to the GOP ticket, the most important may be that she has gotten into Barack Obama's head. How else to explain Sen. Obama's decision to go one-on-one against "Sarah Barracuda," captain of the Wasilla High state basketball champs? It's a matchup he'll lose. If Mr. Obama wants to win, he needs to remember he's running against John McCain for president, not Mrs. Palin for vice president. Michael Dukakis spent the last months of the 1988 campaign calling his opponent's running mate, Dan Quayle, a risky choice and even ran a TV...

Of all the advantages Gov. Sarah Palin has brought to the GOP ticket, the most important may be that she has gotten into Barack Obama's head. How else to explain Sen. Obama's decision to go one-on-one against "Sarah Barracuda," captain of the Wasilla High state basketball champs? It's a matchup he'll lose. If Mr. Obama wants to win, he needs to remember he's running against John McCain for president, not Mrs. Palin for vice president. In Mrs. Palin, Mr. Obama faces a political phenomenon who has altered the election's dynamics. Americans have rarely seen someone who immediately connects with large...

Will Barack Obama and John McCain's picks for their running mates affect the election? I asked some leading political science professors what research on this topic revealed. Their answer: Running mates usually don't matter, but this may be an unusual election. John Petrocik of the University of Missouri, Columbia told me his analysis of vice presidential choices between 1972 and 2004 showed they had an impact of "less than 1%" on the outcome of the election. "Running mates have a significant impact," said James E. Campbell of the State University of New York at Buffalo, "but only in their home...

.........While, we know that NASA is operating -- as it has been for fifty years -- on a carefully calculated, “timed release aspirin,” national security model -- dictated (in part) by the paranoid excuses framed by "the Brookings Report." Augmented -- this unique year -- by Karl Rove's converging campaign calculations .... So as to bring maximum political advantage, regarding this extraordinary new Reality, to ... John McCain.

Biden's Exaggerations - Inflating Obama's record will not resolve doubts. 08/28/2008 THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION exposed the central defect of Senator Barack Obama's candidacy: the absence of compelling evidence he is up to the job of president. The exposé comes courtesy of a bad habit of his running mate, Senator Joe Biden. When in doubt, Mr. Biden exaggerates. And in the past week, he did a lot. Voters expect candidates to embellish, but only so much. Go beyond acceptable stretching and a candidate may squander his most precious political possession: credibility. Mr. Obama may be on this perilous path. Last...

Republican strategist Karl Rove called Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) late last week and urged him to contact Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to withdraw his name from vice-presidential consideration, according to three sources familiar with the conversation. Lieberman dismissed the request, these sources agreed. Lieberman “laughed at the suggestion and certainly did not call [McCain] on it,” said one source familiar with the details. “Rove called Lieberman,” recounted a second source. “Lieberman told him he would NOT make that call.” Rove did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rove, President Bush’s former top campaign adviser and arguably the most...

What must Barack Obama and John McCain achieve at their conventions? Conventions are the best, most controlled opportunities left for the candidates. Only the debates come close in impact, but they are unpredictable and not susceptible to the choreography available at the conventions. Mr. McCain's handlers must achieve three things. First is a greater public awareness of the character that makes him worthy of the Oval Office. Mr. McCain's warrior ethic makes it difficult for him to share his interior life, though his conversation with Rick Warren did provide moving glimpses into it. To win, Mr. McCain will need to...

Rove: Obama should be ‘way ahead’ By Klaus Marre and Walter Alarkon Posted: 08/10/08 12:40 PM [ET] Republican strategist Karl Rove said Sunday the fact that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama does not have a large lead in the race shows that there are “grave doubts” about the Illinois senator. “With a restive electorate, with an economy that's sort of chugging around, with a war in the background, at the end of eight years of Republican rule in the White House, Obama should be way ahead,” Rove, who engineered President Bush’s two election victories and whose name is synonymous with...

The Talk Shows Sunday, August 10th, 2008 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Rick Davis, John McCain's campaign manager; Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Amy Zantzinger, White House social secretary.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Gov. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Karl Rove, former deputy chief of staff to President Bush. THIS WEEK (ABC): Govs. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., and Bobby Jindal, R-La.LATE EDITION (CNN) : T. Boone Pickens, chairman of the energy investment fund BP Capital and creator of an alternative energy plan; Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and...

The trend of the tracking polls hasn't been good of late. Rasmussen, which is a quite reputable poll, has Obama and McCain tied today -- and with leaners (basically people who haven't made up their minds, but are forced to choose for the poll), McCain is up by one point. This is the first time that McCain has tied or beaten Obama in the poll, Obama has always been up. Not anymore: The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows the race for the White House is tied with Barack Obama and John McCain each attracting 44% of...

Judge says "It's about time," to Rove Arresters The four Iowans arrested last Friday for attempting to make a citizen's arrest of Karl Rove Retired Methodist minister, Chet Guinn, 80, and Des Moines Catholic Workers, Ed Bloomer, 61, Mona Shaw 57, and Kirk Brown, 25, were arrested at a Des Moines country club where Rove was appearing at a Republican Fundraiser. Shaw was the first called before Polk County Fifth Judicial District Associate Judge William Price. After entering her plea, the judge asked Shaw, "Mamn, what were you doing at the Wakonda Country Club?" "I was attempting to make a...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Ben Stein says he knows how Sen. John McCain can win in November: Karl Rove. Ben Stein tells CNN's Mark Preston that John McCain is running the "most pathetic campaign" he's ever seen. That's right, that Karl Rove. At a time when McCain is seeking to distance himself from President Bush, Stein argues McCain needs to enlist Bush's chief political guru in order to defeat Sen. Barack Obama. "I don't discount the possibility that some really smart person at the McCain campaign might go over to Karl Rove, and say 'We will offer you all the kingdoms...

The war of hot button words is revving up in the Presidential campaign. In John McCain’s newest ad today, the McCain camp calls Barack Obama, “the biggest celebrity in the world.” (VIDEO AT LINK) The word “celebrity” tested very negatively with voters, essentially linking Obama with Angelina Jolie and Madonna. “Celebrity” equals superficial for voters, people who are well known for being well known. This is the approach to advertising that gave us “Death Tax” and “Family Values.” It’s smart strategic political hardball. It is starting to look like the McCain campaign, as I have said before, is pursuing the...

House Panel: Karl Rove Is In Contempt Of Congress Ignores House Judiciary Committee Subpoena WASHINGTON (AP) ― A House panel Wednesday voted to cite former top White House aide Karl Rove for contempt of Congress as its Senate counterpart publicly pursued possible punishments for an array of alleged past and present Bush administration misdeeds. Voting along party lines, the House Judiciary Committee said that Rove had broke the law by failing to appear at a July 10 hearing on allegations of White House influence over the Justice Department, including whether Rove encouraged prosecutions against Democrats. The committee decision is only...

Picture the scene from the DUkes of Hazzard. Same theme music. Only instead of the sheriff chasing the Dukes' Dodge Charger, it is reporters from the National Enquirer chasing John Edwards all around the basement of the Beverly Hilton with the chase ending up in a restroom where the Breck Girl remained trapped for 15 minutes until rescued by hotel security. In case you haven't heard about this Edwards scandal, here is an excerpt from the National Enquirer STORY: Edwards went out of the hotel briefly with Rielle, they were observed by the NATIONAL ENQUIRER and then went back...