# Karl Rove Is Slated to Head the Reconstruction Effort - Feel Better Already? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 15, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813 "2005-09-15T16:49:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/1 "2005-09-15T16:49:19Z")
According to this article in the NY Times, the President’s chief political advisor and unindicted co-conspirator, Karl Rove, is slated to head up the reconstruction effort of New Orleans: [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/15/politics/15bush.html](http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/15/politics/15bush.html) Mr. President, you won the election and can’t run again (more’s the pity as I suspect you’d be handed your ass right about now) - please stop campaigning already. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/2 "2005-09-15T16:57:20Z")
I sincerely hope that was just somebody playing with the reporter. Has Rove ever held a job that was not purely political? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/3 "2005-09-15T16:57:58Z")
If it means Rove spends 12-15 hours a day for the next several years wading through toxic muck, acting as a guide for bulldozers and sandbag-dropping helicoptors, and personally hosing out the interior of the Superdome, keeping him free from any Beltway commitments, then Yes, I do feel much better. Otherwise, uh, No. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/4 "2005-09-15T16:59:09Z")
So the levee will be repaired, but it’ll still leak. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/5 "2005-09-15T17:07:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Mr. Bush would not use the speech to name a “reconstruction czar” to oversee the effort. A number of White House officials have advised the president to name such a czar, with Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of forces in the 2001 war in Afghanistan, being a favorite of Republicans who are pushing the idea. > … > \ > … > Republicans said Karl Rove, the White House deputy chief of staff and Mr. Bush’s chief political adviser, was in charge of the reconstruction effort, which reaches across many agencies of government and includes the direct involvement of Alphonso R. Jackson, secretary of housing and urban development. So – which is it? ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/6 "2005-09-15T17:12:03Z")
It’s hard to know what to make of this. It could be nothing more than that Rove is chairing the meetings, which probably falls within normal day-to-day White House business. Or it could be that Bush/Rove see the reconstruction as primarily a political problem, with Rove in charge of spinning things to make it seem that the reconstruction is proceeding in the best possible way. It seems unlikely to me that Rove will be made reconstruction czar. Bush needs him too badly just to manage all the other political shit – Supreme Court, Iraq, etc. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/7 "2005-09-15T17:13:33Z")
Just when I thought this administration couldn’t get any more self-parodying… Is Rove going to draw a big fat paycheck for overseeing this thing? But I can’t object too strongly to this. Rove is a very smart guy. A traitorous, treacherous, slimeball fucknose cuntnugget assbomb, but a smart one. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/8 "2005-09-15T18:25:14Z")
Hubris strikes again. When you have a man who’s been strongly linked to exposing a CIA agent and putting lives at risk for petty political reasons, what better way to show the world “I don’t give a fuck” than to put him at the head of the country’s most visible project? “I take responsibility” my ass. > [@Revtim](#): > > So the levee will be repaired, but it’ll still leak. This? Is brilliant! ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/9 "2005-09-15T21:04:37Z")
Paul Bremer has more experience at this sort of thing than Karl Rove. They could even use the same abbreviation for the organization; instead “Coalition Provisional Authority”, call it the “Cajun Provisional Authority.” ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/10 "2005-09-15T21:05:33Z")
Say what you want about him, the dude is extremely effective in getting the job done against seemingly insurmountable odds. After all, he has been credited for spearheading the campaign which brought us G.W. Bush. If Rove can get Bozo the Clown elected to the most powerful position in the free world, rebuilding the Gulf should be a piece of cake. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/11 "2005-09-15T21:25:10Z")
Oh, I just can’t get riled up over this. If Rove is at all successful, it’ll be the first good thing he’s done for the country in a decade. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/12 "2005-09-16T00:06:07Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Say what you want about him, the dude is extremely effective in getting the job done against seemingly insurmountable odds. After all, he has been credited for spearheading the campaign which brought us G.W. Bush. How will New Orleans be rebuilt by having Rove start anonymous smear campaigns? “Hey, contractors, come build in New Orleans because Chicago residents secretly eat boiled puppies”? ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/13 "2005-09-16T00:18:04Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > But I can’t object too strongly to this. Rove is a very smart guy. A traitorous, treacherous, slimeball fucknose cuntnugget assbomb, but a smart one. He’s good at campaigning, creating talking points, etc. I don’t see any reason to belive that he’ll be good at managing a reconstruction project (other then the fact that he undoubtably has the ear of the Prez). That said, I can’t believe this is true. The main reason the hurricane hurt Bush is because it revealed he’d put a crony with little disaster management skill in charge of FEMA. Putting a second crony with little relavant experience in charge of reconstruction isn’t going to show that he’s learned his lesson. Also, Rove is mainly known to the public for his ability to manage the press and spin the news. Putting him in charge makes it look like Bush’s #1 priority in this is damage control, and that the actual reconstruction is an after thought. I can’t belive someone as politically astute as Rove wouldn’t realize this. ---
**Author:** ![THespos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@THespos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/THespos)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/14 "2005-09-16T00:33:03Z")
50 clams says that when Rove is finally crucified in the Plamegate affair, Bush and all his cronies will cry to the press, “Why are you going after the guy heading up our New Orleans reconstruction efforts? Why do you hate America?” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/15 "2005-09-16T01:31:14Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > If Rove can get Bozo the Clown elected to the most powerful position in the free world, rebuilding the Gulf should be a piece of cake. Damn, you beat me to it!! I’m skeptical about the veracity of this rumor, though. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/16 "2005-09-16T04:16:13Z")
I expect Rove to announce on Thanksgiving Day that the Reconstruction Project (Code Name: Operation Gulf of Freedom) has been completed. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/17 "2005-09-16T04:28:38Z")
Jesse Helms is going to lead the NAACP. (It’s about as beleivable) ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/18 "2005-09-16T12:20:23Z")
> [@Malodorous](#): > > Putting him in charge makes it look like Bush’s #1 priority in this is damage control, and that the actual reconstruction is an after thought. You mean his #1 priority _isn’t_ damage control? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/19 "2005-09-16T12:36:43Z")
This is only fair and long overdue. I mean, why should Cheney and his cronies always get all the fat contracts? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813/20 "2005-09-16T13:33:55Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > This is only fair and long overdue. I mean, why should Cheney and his cronies always get all the fat contracts? Be fair – Rove doesn’t care about money. He cares about power, and wielding it invisibly. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-is-slated-to-head-the-reconstruction-effort-feel-better-already/321813.md?page=2)