Rove Blames War on Daschle

[dajoki]

December 3, 2007
Rove Blames War on Daschle (Bill Press)
@ 8:03 am
http://pundits.thehill.com/2007/12/03/rove-blames-war-on-daschle/

If you ever suspected Karl Rove was nuts, now you know he is. Ever since escaping the asylum, he’s been running around like a madman, blaming the Iraq war on Democrats.

He started it on “Charlie Rose.” He repeated it on “Fox News Sunday.” Back in 2002, he says, President Bush was in no hurry to go to war. He wanted to give U.N. inspectors more time. But Democrats in Congress, led by Rep. Tom Daschle (S.D.), insisted on scheduling a vote on Iraq — in October 2002, before the midterm elections.

It’s an interesting theory. There’s only one problem with it: It is absolutely, totally, no-doubt-about-it FALSE. Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer was on the scene at the time. Like all the rest of us, he remembers well who was driving the issue. “It was definitely the Bush administration that set it in motion and determined the timing, not the Congress,” insists Fleischer. “I think Karl in this instance just has his facts wrong.”

Indeed. As we all remember, it was George Bush who forced U.N. inspectors out of Iraq. It was officers of the Bush White House who publicly attacked Hans Blix. And, when he sent the war resolution to Congress, it was George Bush himself who said: “We’ve got to move before the elections” — meaning the midterm elections of November 2002.

Whatever you think about this war, one thing is certain: It is George Bush’s war. He started it, he directed it, he screwed it up, and now he can’t find his way out of it.

For Karl Rove to try to re-invent history by blaming the timing of the war on Tom Daschle — it’s nuts.

[Skittles]

1. pretty bad when Ari Fleischer is calling you a liar

very bad INDEED

[Kahuna]

3. Boy! Whoo! That's bad indeed. nt

[Richardo]

4. Well said

:patriot: + :rofl:

[Skidmore]

2. Rove is so overdone you can't stick a fork in him anymore.

A bigger more maladjusted loser can't be found.

[droidamus2]

5. What reality?

I don't remember who said it but I bet he got it from Rove, to paraphrase,"What reality. There is no 'reality'. Reality is what we make it". Otherwise, it doesn't matter what the truth of a situation is as long as you can get people to believe your version through use of the media and the echo chamber then that is the 'reality'. I truly believe that is how Rove operates. Decide what you want the reality to be and repeat it over and over in the media until it becomes accepted as 'fact'.

[Gman]

6. I wonder if Rove actually believes what he says

I'm not real sure he doesn't.

[winston61]

7. Well everyone knows that is was actually FDR

who attacked Tokyo and brought Japan into WWII.

[chieftain]

8. I noted 2 interesting aspects to this.

Willie Geist ( of all people ) commented that he believed that Rove made up the lie as he was talking to Rose. That may be true. If you look at his facial expression as the statement was made, you could imagine a light bulb going on over his head.
The second observation is how Rove tried to walk the statement back on MTP. In his debate with Van Hollen, he rephrased what he said on Rose. He said his point was that it was not only Bush who was calling for a vote, but Daschle as well. He completely recast the thrust of his earlier outrageous contention.
I saw Bolton on one of the "news" shows the other day say that we went to war with Iraq to prevent them from obtaining WMD's. He didn't even blush as the lie came from his mouth.
Not that this is news to anyone at DU, but the brazenness of their disrespect for the truth is mind boggling.

[Zorra]

9. Rove's impending prison time is clearly driving him over the edge. n/t