Blogs throughout Minnesota and the United States reacted to the departure of Karl Rove, whose influence in the Bush administration was greater than his position as deputy chief of staff.

Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo was struck by how calmly everyone took the news:


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Rove has been one of the two or three central, polarizing figures of the decade — an often feared and hated figure among Democrats, at the center of most of the major political scandals of the Bush era, the architect (or so it seemed) of a Republican dominance slated to last a generation. Little more than a year ago you could find a half dozen newly-minted books on the shelves explaining the perpetual motion machine of right-wing dominance he had created. And yet today, when he resigns, I sense that no one really has much to say about it….In part this must be because Rove’s departure seems unequal to his billing. It fits no one’s expectations. He’s certainly not leaving in triumph. And, for the moment, not in handcuffs either.

Amanda Marcotte of Pandagon said that Rove didn’t deserve the “genius” reputation:

I can’t seem to find the quote on Google, but there was an article from a couple of years ago that pointed out what suddenly seemed rather obvious-Karl Rove is not smarter than the rest of us. He’s just more evil. His utter lack of sophistication is what tends to frustrate people. While most of us are out there talking about framing and polling and all that jazz, Rove spreads a rumor that his opponents like it up the butt and watches the numbers roll in. He’s simply willing to do what makes most human beings with a scrap of decency left recoil.

Digby of Hullabaloo agreed, saying that Rove was “extremely overrated, although I’m willing to admit that getting a braindead playboy like Junior elected four times to anything, much less governor and president, does take some skill. But as for his alleged tactical and strategic genius, not so much. His gift is for dirty tricks and thuggish strong arm tactics. Machiavelli and Sun Tzu he ain’t.”

Sean at MNPublius was short and to the point: “Let the church bells peal! Let exaltations be raised from every corner of the Republic!  Karl Rove is leaving the White House!”

Meanwhile, MEC at Mercury Rising was more circumspect, saying, “My first thought: Heaven help us, what’s Karl Rove going to be doing now that’s so much worse than what he’s been doing that it has to be done under the radar?”

Rook at Rook’s Rant, thought Rove’s departure was bad news for George W. Bush’s id:

Say what you will about Rove’s craven political agenda, I believe he was the damper keeping George W. Bush from going up in a blaze of egomaniacal splendor. I am more worried now then before.

However, with Rove gone, and Bush left unhandled, I suspect impeachment might now become a real possibility.

And Flash of Centrisity said that Rove shouldn’t get too comfortable:

Running away at this time should not insulate him for the shenanigans he has orchestrated in this White House. Karl may have been integral in getting this President elected, but his determination to stay in power has created a black stain on that legacy. Time tends to be the great healer, in this case, time will become the great revealer.

Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake noted that Republicans seemed to be distancing themselves from Rove, especially on the immigration issue:

Bush’s poll numbers take a hit among the lizard brains every time immigration cycles into the news, but it looks like many of the GOP 08s think the best way to rally the base is to appeal to its urge to purge. In the wake of the Bush Administration’s new regulatory assault on immigrants last Friday, it looks like Turdblossom’s grand architecture for a permament Republican majority that includes Hispanic voters may exeunt the stage along with him.

Michelle Malkin was one of the conservatives distancing herself, saying:

what I see, alas, is the mark of self-delusion and blindness that has damaged the White House and the Beltway GOP. Rove pats President Bush (and himself) on the back for the disastrous Medicare entitlement expansion and the aborted Social Security reform effort. We get this admission: “His biggest error, Mr. Rove says, was in not working soon enough to replace Republicans tainted by scandal.”…

Not a word here about the Harriet Miers debacle, the botching of the Dubai ports battle, or the undeniable stumbles in post-Iraq invasion policies. 

And not a word about the spectacular disaster of the illegal alien shamnesty, which will be the everlasting stain Rove leaves behind.

John Hinderaker of Power Line dismissed sniping at Rove as “Rove Derangement Syndrome,” and asked rhetorically, “One wonders at what point journalists will start to notice that they are making fools of themselves.”

Ed Morrissey at Captain’s Quarters noted that Rove was unlikely to latch on to another campaign this cycle:

It’s one thing to say that Scooter Libby should get a pardon, but it’s another thing entirely to hire him as an aide. The same is even more true for Karl Rove. Like it or not, fair or not, Rove has served as a lightning rod for the Bush administration for too long to risk adding him to a specific candidate now. The GOP had four election cycles in which to learn from his lessons, and one hopes that they paid attention.

Besides, Rove has better plans at the moment. He can’t write the book that will make him richer than Bill Clinton while running yet another campaign. If Radar thinks that Fred [Thompson]’s “salivating” at the prospect of hiring Rove — which is highly unlikely — then the major publishing houses in New York have to be holding buckets under their chins while mortgaging their last J. D. Salinger first-edition signed copies of Catcher in the Rye to come up with signing bonuses.

But Steve Benen of The Carpetbagger Report ultimately thinks this is all more respect than Rove deserves:

Rove’s genius has always been exaggerated to the point of comedy. In 2000, he pulled out all the stops to help Bush win the New Hampshire GOP primary, where McCain won by double digits. On Election Day 2000, it was Rove’s idea to keep his candidate in California in the waning days, instead of campaigning in key battleground states. Bush lost California by a wide margin, and Rove’s strategy practically cost his candidate the election. More recently, Rove’s single recent responsibility was overseeing the Republican Party’s 2006 election strategy – and Dems won back both chambers of Congress in a historic victory.

No, Rove’s legacy has nothing to do with his so-called strategic brilliance. His significance has everything to do with his cutthroat, win-at-all-cost style. Rove believes the political rule that there are no rules. Laws are meant to be broken. Scandals are meant to be covered up. Enemies are meant to be destroyed. The key to electoral success is to tear the country in half and see who comes out with the bigger chunk….This was Rove’s idea, and it was Rove’s job to execute the strategy. He’ll be leaving the White House in a few weeks, but his place in history is secure. That’s not a compliment.