Rove's Version of 2002 War Vote is Disputed

[Hissyspit]

Source: Washington Post

Rove's Version of 2002 War Vote Is Disputed

By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 1, 2007; Page A06

Former White House aide Karl Rove said yesterday it was Congress, not President Bush, who wanted to rush a vote on the looming war in Iraq in the fall of 2002, a version of events disputed by leading congressional Democrats and even some former Rove colleagues.

Rove said that the administration did not want lawmakers to vote on a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq that soon because it would "make things move too fast," before Bush could line up international allies, and politicize the issue ahead of midterm elections. But Democrats and some Republicans involved with the issue at the time said yesterday that Bush wanted a quick vote.

- snip -

Speaking on PBS's "Charlie Rose" talk show last week, Rove said Congress pushed to have the vote before the election. "The administration was opposed to voting on it in the fall of 2002," Rove said. Asked why, he said: "Because we didn't think it belonged within the confines of the election. There was an election coming up within a matter of weeks. We thought it made it too political. We wanted it outside the confines of it. It seemed to make things move too fast. There were things that needed to be done to bring along allies and potential allies abroad."

Democrats accused him of rewriting history. "Either he has a very faulty memory, or he's not telling the truth," said ex-Senate majority leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.). In an interview, Daschle said he asked Bush during a breakfast to delay the vote until after the election. "They told us time was of the essence and they needed the vote and they were going to move forward," he said.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/30/AR2007113002256.html

[tomhayes]

1. Why don't they jsut accuse of lying?

Forget that "faulty memory" or "two honorable men can disagree" stuff, he's clearly a liar.

Just say it.

[Suich]

2. What a doofus.

Rove is usually very calculating. I can't figure out why he came up with this bs.

[0rganism]

3. the BS was smart, the venue was wrong

Charlie Rose's show was not the place to go to find an audience that would rally behind such absurdity. It's outside the echo chamber, and his ruse will end up backfiring somewhat as a result.

Putting the idea out there is half-smart, but it has to find a receptive uncritical audience. He could easily have planted it on rw hate radio, and it would have propagated quickly among the fanatics, then trickled out to the moderates before the Dems even knew what was happening.

You're onto something, Rove might be losing his touch. It's unusually wasteful of him to bungle a useful slur like this.

[some guy]

4. feh

If Karl Rove couldn't tell lies, his only career option would have been as a mime.

[nightrider767]

5. I imagine Rove as a small bug,,

and in my vision I see my booted foot stomping down on the nuisance.

A nuisance silenced and quickly forgotten.

[calimary]

6. Visualization is a VERY effective manifestation tool.

Good work! Keep it up! If millions of us do that, just think...

[deacon]

7. Struggling to get his last entry in for Lunatic of the Year Award. n/t