Posted on 11/07/2004 2:10:21 PM PST by Castro
WASHINGTON (AP) - Reflecting on how he delivered President Bush his second term, White House political adviser Karl Rove admitted Sunday that John Kerry's vote for, then against, funding in Iraq and Afghanistan was the "gift that kept on giving."
The deft strategy of Rove, whom Bush calls the architect of his re-election campaign, is credited with helping move the nation from the 49 percent to 49 percent stalemate of the 2000 election to a 51 percent to 48 percent split in the Republicans' favor.
"The country is still close, but it has moved in a Republican direction, and this election confirmed that," Rove said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Tactically, Kerry's decision to vote for the $87 billion in funding for troops and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan, and then deciding in October 2003 to vote against it, was a bonanza for the president's campaign, "the gift that kept on giving," Rove said.
Bush's campaign featured the videotape in thousands of commercials around the country to paint Kerry as a flip-flopper. The label stuck to the Massachusetts senator despite reports about frequent changes in various Bush positions.
Rove played down the importance to the campaign of "moral values," which exit polls last Tuesday unexpectedly identified as a major consideration of many voters, especially those who voted for Bush.
Rove said 34 percent of the voters were motivated by issues surrounding Iraq and the war on terror, compared with 30 percent motivated by moral values. "What essentially happened in this election was that people became concerned about three issues: first the war, then the economy, jobs and taxes and then moral values. And then everything else dropped off of the plate," he said.
Rove said he felt sick, then got mad when he started reading exit polls on Election Day as Air Force One returned from a final campaign swing. Surveys of voters just leaving polling places around the nation tilted toward Kerry early in the day and through much of the evening, causing early optimism for a Democratic recovery of the White House.
That faded through the night as exit polls were adjusted to reflect official vote tallies. But the exit poll was still tracking toward Kerry as the president's plane landed at Andrews Air Force Base in suburban Maryland after Bush's quick Election Day stop to thank supporters in crucial Ohio.
"I was on Air Force One, and we were literally on final approach into Andrews," Rove said on "Fox News Sunday.""The phone connection kept cutting out. I was holding a piece of paper on my knee, trying to scribble it down, holding the phone in the other hand. I got sick as I wrote them down, and then when I looked at them, I got angry, because they simply could not be true."
"I mean, it had us 19 points down in Pennsylvania. It had us 17 points down in New Hampshire. It had us 1 point up in Virginia," Rove said. "I mean, you looked at these numbers, and you realize, this is just insane."
On one sideline row during the campaign, Rove said the president's tailor was devastated about a controversy over a box-shaped bulge in Bush's back that television cameras captured during the first debate. The mysterious bulge spawned speculation that Bush aides were feeding the president advice secretly through a radio receiver tucked under his suit jacket.
"Nothing was under his jacket," Rove said.
"The poor tailor ... he's an awfully nice fellow, he's a rather flamboyant dude," Rove said. "I'm not going to use his name, but he's just - he's horrified. And, you know, it's - there was nothing there."
Yep and if the Dims keep nominating Senators the GOP will keep receiving gifts.
Karl Rove, the man who looks like a timid Elmer Fudd...and he out thought the combined efforts of the DNC, liberal special interest groups and the media. No wonder they're depressed, they just got a sound spanking for Karl.
The Rats have now learned the hard way the same lesson the GOP learned with Dole in 96.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!
5.56mm
The Rats have now learned the hard way the same lesson the GOP learned with Dole in 96.
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Sometimes when you have not good alternative, you go with a Senator. They never win. JFK did 34 years ago and it was another 30 or 40 years before another Senator won before him.
So only when you have no decent candidates should you go with a Senator. As with Dole and Kerry it is often just a life-time achievement award when you have no good presidential prospect.
Word to DNC 2008: Fear Rove! He ain't done with you yet!
That's why governorships are so important, they are like the Triple-A team where you develop the talent that can eventually make a run for the White House.
Curious choice of wording.
Rove needs an apprentice to continue our domination when he retires. I love how the the MSM made him sound crazy about getting out conservative votes rather than getting swing votes before election, but he got them BOTH! The most genious political operative EVER!
Exactly dfw. It is really the big state governorships that is the triple A for the presidency and the last time I checked the GOP held, CA, NY, TX, FL, MA, OH etc. The Dims do hold NJ and PA. Maybe they can run the current governor of NJ in 2008?
It's obvious to me Kerry didn't win Florida, but you could always turn it back around and tell them that it's just as obvious that Bush won Pennsylvania, or Wisconsin.
The "bulge in the jacket" was a bullet proof vest according to some online reports. Wallace should have known that and not even asked the question. Rove knows, he just couldn't confirm it because of security concerns.
This'll keep the conspiracy goofballs busy for months over @ RATS underground...
Reflecting on how he delivered President Bush his second term, White House political adviser Karl Rove admitted Sunday that John Kerry's vote for, then against, funding in Iraq and Afghanistan was the "gift that kept on giving."
Imagine that. I wonder if Las Vegas would let me adjust my football bets during the games so that they end up reflecting the official scores?
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