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01-21-2006, 11:27 PM
In Preview of G.O.P. Campaign, Rove Tears Into Democrats
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
Published: January 20, 2006
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 - Karl Rove, the president's chief political adviser, gave nervous Republicans here a preview of the party's strategy to maintain its dominance in the fall elections today, assailing Democrats for their positions on terrorism, the White House eavesdropping program and Mr. Bush's attempt to shape the federal judiciary.
White House strategist Karl Rove told Republican National Committee members today to make the war on terrorism a central campaign issue this year.
For 26 minutes, after calling for civility in politics in a packed speech before the Republican National Committee, Mr. Rove offered a lacerating attack on Democrats that other Republicans said was a road map for how the party would deal with a tough electoral environment. Mr. Rove sharply criticized Democrats for their opposition to tax cuts and Mr. Bush's Supreme Court nominations, but he left little doubt that once again - as has been the case in both national elections since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks - that he was intent on making national security the pre-eminent issue in 2006.
Mr. Rove speeches this early in an election year have proved to be accurate predictors of what Republican candidates would say in the fall, and thus every seat in the ballroom at a downtown Washington hotel was filled. He lacerated Democrats for what he described their "cut and run" policy on Iraq, for blocking a renewal of the broad antiterrorism law known as the USA Patriot Act, and for challenging the legality of the administration's widespread use of warrantless wiretaps in the face of widespread criticism.
Mr. Rove made no mention of Republican opposition to both the Patriot Act and the surveillance program, which has posed a political problem for this White House, while he laid out his case against the Democrats, speaking rapidly.
"The United States faces a ruthless enemy, and we need a commander in chief and a Congress who understand the nature of the threat and the gravity of the moment America finds itself in," Mr. Rove said. "President Bush and the Republican Party do. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many Democrats."
"Let me be as clear as I can be: President Bush believes if Al Qaeda is calling somebody in America, it is in our national security interest to know who they're calling and why," Mr. Rove said, referring to the program in which the National Security Agency eavesdropped on conversations without getting a warrant from a judge. "Some important Democrats clearly disagree."
The speech by Mr. Rove was by any measure a highly unusual political event in Washington. It marked a relatively rare public speech by one of the best-known public officials in this White House and it came at a time that Mr. Rove himself is under investigation for his role in leaking the name of an undercover C.I.A. officer to reporters.
In his speech, Mr. Rove made no mention of his own legal situation. And even as he sought to rally his troops, he made no mention of an issue that accounts for much of the Republican concern about the coming midterm elections: The influence-peddling investigation of Congress that has focused on some senior Republican leaders, including Tom DeLay, who is stepping down as majority leader.
The issue of ethics was left to Ken Mehlman, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, who in his own tough-worded attacks on Democrats to the committee condemned Republicans implicated in any scandals. Mr. Mehlman, however, sought - as part of what has been a Republican strategy this week - to blame Democrats as well for the investigations now swirling around Congress.
"Public service is a sacred trust - and we cannot allow it to be sullied by anyone, Republican or Democrat," he said. "As Republican chairman, I am proud of my party and loyal to our members. But if Republicans are guilty of illegal or inappropriate behavior, they should pay the price and suffer the consequences."
Howard Dean, the national Democratic leader, responded to Mr. Rove's attacks by noting the investigation into his activities and challenging Mr. Bush's decision to keep him in the White House, with a security clearance, even as the investigation proceeds.
"Rove's political standing gets him an invitation to address Republicans in Washington, D.C., today, but it doesn't give him the credibility to question Democrats' commitment to national security," Mr. Dean said. "The truth is, Karl Rove breached our national security for partisan gain and that is both unpatriotic and wrong."
Mr. Rove was mostly optimistic about his party's prospects at a meeting in which some Republicans have expressed concern about the political environment Republican candidates might be running in, pointing to the war in Iraq, high gas prices and the investigations. "The G.O.P.'s progress during the last four years is a stunning political achievement," he said.
But Mr. Rove got a reminder of the tensions the party faces after a group of Republican leaders tried to push through a tough-worded resolution condemning immigration that explicitly broke with President Bush's policy of allowing illegal immigrants to participate in guest-worker programs. The issue has proved vexing for Republicans as they try to expand their appeal to Hispanic voters while being deferential to voters in states like Arizona increasingly angered over a flow of illegal immigrant .
Randy Pullman of Arizona, the sponsor of the renegade resolution, pulled it back this afternoon after an officially sanctioned resolution reflecting Mr. Bush's immigration policy was passed almost unanimously by the committee, and Republicans warned against any suggestion that the party was not unified on the issue.
"To go forward with another resolution that clearly is contrary to what they want is literally a waste of time," Mr. Pullman said after the vote.
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
Published: January 20, 2006
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 - Karl Rove, the president's chief political adviser, gave nervous Republicans here a preview of the party's strategy to maintain its dominance in the fall elections today, assailing Democrats for their positions on terrorism, the White House eavesdropping program and Mr. Bush's attempt to shape the federal judiciary.
White House strategist Karl Rove told Republican National Committee members today to make the war on terrorism a central campaign issue this year.
For 26 minutes, after calling for civility in politics in a packed speech before the Republican National Committee, Mr. Rove offered a lacerating attack on Democrats that other Republicans said was a road map for how the party would deal with a tough electoral environment. Mr. Rove sharply criticized Democrats for their opposition to tax cuts and Mr. Bush's Supreme Court nominations, but he left little doubt that once again - as has been the case in both national elections since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks - that he was intent on making national security the pre-eminent issue in 2006.
Mr. Rove speeches this early in an election year have proved to be accurate predictors of what Republican candidates would say in the fall, and thus every seat in the ballroom at a downtown Washington hotel was filled. He lacerated Democrats for what he described their "cut and run" policy on Iraq, for blocking a renewal of the broad antiterrorism law known as the USA Patriot Act, and for challenging the legality of the administration's widespread use of warrantless wiretaps in the face of widespread criticism.
Mr. Rove made no mention of Republican opposition to both the Patriot Act and the surveillance program, which has posed a political problem for this White House, while he laid out his case against the Democrats, speaking rapidly.
"The United States faces a ruthless enemy, and we need a commander in chief and a Congress who understand the nature of the threat and the gravity of the moment America finds itself in," Mr. Rove said. "President Bush and the Republican Party do. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many Democrats."
"Let me be as clear as I can be: President Bush believes if Al Qaeda is calling somebody in America, it is in our national security interest to know who they're calling and why," Mr. Rove said, referring to the program in which the National Security Agency eavesdropped on conversations without getting a warrant from a judge. "Some important Democrats clearly disagree."
The speech by Mr. Rove was by any measure a highly unusual political event in Washington. It marked a relatively rare public speech by one of the best-known public officials in this White House and it came at a time that Mr. Rove himself is under investigation for his role in leaking the name of an undercover C.I.A. officer to reporters.
In his speech, Mr. Rove made no mention of his own legal situation. And even as he sought to rally his troops, he made no mention of an issue that accounts for much of the Republican concern about the coming midterm elections: The influence-peddling investigation of Congress that has focused on some senior Republican leaders, including Tom DeLay, who is stepping down as majority leader.
The issue of ethics was left to Ken Mehlman, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, who in his own tough-worded attacks on Democrats to the committee condemned Republicans implicated in any scandals. Mr. Mehlman, however, sought - as part of what has been a Republican strategy this week - to blame Democrats as well for the investigations now swirling around Congress.
"Public service is a sacred trust - and we cannot allow it to be sullied by anyone, Republican or Democrat," he said. "As Republican chairman, I am proud of my party and loyal to our members. But if Republicans are guilty of illegal or inappropriate behavior, they should pay the price and suffer the consequences."
Howard Dean, the national Democratic leader, responded to Mr. Rove's attacks by noting the investigation into his activities and challenging Mr. Bush's decision to keep him in the White House, with a security clearance, even as the investigation proceeds.
"Rove's political standing gets him an invitation to address Republicans in Washington, D.C., today, but it doesn't give him the credibility to question Democrats' commitment to national security," Mr. Dean said. "The truth is, Karl Rove breached our national security for partisan gain and that is both unpatriotic and wrong."
Mr. Rove was mostly optimistic about his party's prospects at a meeting in which some Republicans have expressed concern about the political environment Republican candidates might be running in, pointing to the war in Iraq, high gas prices and the investigations. "The G.O.P.'s progress during the last four years is a stunning political achievement," he said.
But Mr. Rove got a reminder of the tensions the party faces after a group of Republican leaders tried to push through a tough-worded resolution condemning immigration that explicitly broke with President Bush's policy of allowing illegal immigrants to participate in guest-worker programs. The issue has proved vexing for Republicans as they try to expand their appeal to Hispanic voters while being deferential to voters in states like Arizona increasingly angered over a flow of illegal immigrant .
Randy Pullman of Arizona, the sponsor of the renegade resolution, pulled it back this afternoon after an officially sanctioned resolution reflecting Mr. Bush's immigration policy was passed almost unanimously by the committee, and Republicans warned against any suggestion that the party was not unified on the issue.
"To go forward with another resolution that clearly is contrary to what they want is literally a waste of time," Mr. Pullman said after the vote.