frontline: karl rove -- the architect | PBS

frontline: karl rove -- the architect | PBS

After surviving one of the roughest presidential elections in modern times, President George W. Bush singled out one member of his team in particular, calling Karl Rove the campaign's "architect." But Rove, a longtime Bush adviser and confidant, is much more than a political guru, he is also the single most powerful -- and ambitious -- policy adviser in the White House.

In "Karl Rove -- The Architect," FRONTLINE® and The Washington Post join forces to trace the political history and modus operandi of the controversial figure who has been on the inside of every major political and policy decision of the Bush administration. With the campaign over, Rove has turned his attention to the battle for Bush's legacy on issues like Social Security, taxes and tort reform. But his ultimate goal is something larger. (more)

The Many Faces of Karl Rove

By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Monday, November 8, 2004; 11:46 AM

The political press is obsessed with Karl Rove, and here are some of the adjectives they have been using lately:

Bright, brilliant, capable, charming, funny, generous, ingenious, omnipotent, powerful, shrewd, skilled, thoughtful and visionary.

Oh wait, I left some out. There's also:

Crude, devious, dorky, evil, feared, foolish, mean, repellent and vindictive.

Almost everyone, it seems, is giving Rove an enormous amount of credit for winning his boss a second term last week. From his office in the West Wing, Rove has been President Bush's senior adviser and chief political strategist.

What people don't tend to agree about, however, is whether Rove won it elegantly -- or down and dirty.

Even President Bush has two entirely different nicknames for Rove: "Boy Genius" and "Turd Blossom," a Texas phrase describing a flower that grows in manure. (more)