Karl Rove's Idea of the Special Relationship

Wednesday, 10th March 2010

Dave Weigel has an entertaining takedown of Karl Rove's new memoir Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight (a title that, oddly, is simultaneously vainglorious and reeking of self-pity). Meanwhile, here's a snippet of the Rovian style, as relayed by Andrew Rawnsley in his new book*. It's December 2000 and George W Bush has just become President:

[Sir Christopher] Meyer [then British ambassador to Washington] had done his best to cultivate relationships with the Bush team. Karl Rove, Bush's senior political strategist sent both encouragement and a warning, via Meyer: "You're going to start with a blank sheet of paper. By your works shall ye be known."

Blair's critics might contend that he took this warning to heart and held it there too close and for too long. But what's interesting is the light this shines on Rove's preferred operating style (and that of the Bush White House more generally, at least in its first term): even allies can't be trusted. Sure, it was hardly a secret that Blair and the rest of the Labour party would have preferred to have been dealing with President Gore, but Rove's default presumption that this meant the British government was suspect and untrustworthy is telling.

Preposterous too, that Rove should assume that he had the wherewithal to "forgive" Blair's past transgressions (that is, its friendship with Bill Clinton) and revealing that he, a mere functionary, felt he had the right to lecture, and arguably and implicitly, threaten the British government.

As I say, a trivial but telling moment, revealing a certain arrogance, even hubris, that would plague the Bush administration. When your first act is to send a message demanding fealty from suspect allies, it's perhaps unsurprising that you find diplomacy a tricky subject to master.

*It's good! I recommend it, for whatever that may be worth.

UPDATE: In the comments ConservativeCabbie takes a more generous view of Rove's remarks that, while certainly possible, is at odds with most of what else we know about how Rove plays the game.

Filed under: Blair (53 more articles) , Bush (53 more articles) , Diplomacy (71 more articles) , Karl Rove (1 more articles) , Special Relationship (42 more articles)

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Conservative Cabbie

March 10th, 2010 7:17pm Report this comment

Alex

i question your reading of this. How does "By your works shall ye be known." suggest demanding fealty? All this example says to me is that Rove is prepared to ignore the fact that he and the Blair government sit on opposite sides of the ideological fence and deal with Blair on what he does and not form a prejudiced viewpoint. I would have thought that's exactly what you'd want to see in matters of international diplomacy.

And as for being a mere functionary? Does the name David axelrod mean anything? That is modern government for you.

Ronnie

March 10th, 2010 8:34pm Report this comment

Alex, Karl Rove was known as 'Bush's brain'. He was largely responsible for the incredible achievement of Bush being elected twice. He was not a mere functionary.

I agree with Cabbie and actually think that Rove was thinking ahead to the time when a Bush White House might need a friend as they followed a neocon foreign policy. He would be aware of Blairs hubris and his tendency to fold under intimidation from the rich and powerful.

Put it another way, I won't here a word said against Karl Rove as an operator.