The Architect: Karl Rove and the Dream of Absolute Power

by James Moore, Wayne Slater

President George W. Bush dubbed Karl Rove “The Architect” for his skill in creating an unprecedented campaign and fund-raising machine. But Rove’s ambitions have always been far more sweeping—to build a right-wing dynasty that can dominate American politics for decades. Rove’s master plan imagines a political system so controlled by Republicans that it is resisted only by symbolic opposition.

In The Architect , James Moore and Wayne Slater, the bestselling authors of Bush’s Brain , return with an even more penetrating examination of Rove, his sweeping agenda, and the price he may have to pay for his audacity. Drawing on their decades-long study of Rove, they provide a rarely seen view of the politics of absolute power in Washington—how it is acquired, expanded, and turned to startling ends. Specifically, they unveil how

• Used lobbyist Jack Abramoff as a cat’s-paw to manage unruly legislators

• Energetically led the antigay marriage movement while protecting a family secret that made his stance bizarrely cynical

• Turned Christian churches into a gigantic vote delivery system, despite privately admitting to being a nonbeliever

• Repeatedly leaked information to harm political opponents, making him the man investigators most wanted to talk to when they began probing the Plame affair

• Was intimately involved in an international disinformation scheme to lead America to war

The Architect is an eye-opening and frequently shocking report on the maneuverings of a brilliant but morally ambiguous political strategist, and the first-ever in-depth look at a political operative striving to absolutely control the future—even if he risks losing everything.



Also available as an eBook


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 5, 2006

About the author

A long-time Texas television reporter.

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written before the conviction of Scooter Libby for the illegal outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame--a conviction which, in all justice, should have included Karl Rove in the authors' view. It is almost a biography of Karl Rove though it focuses on his years in the service of George W. Bush.

Although Rove comes across as a sociopath, the authors avoid sensationalism. Indeed, they could have used a bit of it to spice up what is, as it stands, a rather dry listing of acts of greed, deceit, hypocrisy and betrayal conducted, apparently, in the name of the United States of America but with absolutely no regard for the commonweal.

One example is the issue of homosexuality and gay marriage. Rove was adopted, but didn't know it until he was grown. His stepfather left the family to adopt a gay lifestyle in Palm Springs. Rove remained close to his father throughout, even taking the man to his ancestral home of Norway before his death. Yet, despite this, despite the several scandals involving gay congressmen during the Bush presidency, Rove made gay-bashing a central theme in his campaigns against the Democrats. Similarly, Rove adopted God as a Republican, recruiting and solidifying the party's fundamentalist base, while he himself is an atheist with very low personal opinions of conservative Christians. One could make much of these themes, adduce a lot of eye-opening anecdotes, but even though the authors spend a lot of time on both the gay and Christian themes, they do so dryly, without humor.

Although I'm glad I read this book, I am, of course, always saddened to learn that things are even worse than I thought.

[John Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

For about three years, this book was in my suitcase, a reserve book in case I went on a trip and forgot to bring a book or my nook. Imagine my surprise when I finally started reading it and learned I was quoted in the book! It was a special gift that I forgot that on July 5, 2005 I was interviewed for this book and just captured it while reading the book. It even mentioned my “activist parents” inspiring me when they boycotted lettuce to help farmworkers then tired my quote to how Rove’s anti-worker policies hurt places like Cleveland more than Reagan’s more public attack on unions when he broke the PATCO strike by firing air traffic controllers.

This book shows how much politics can change in a dozen years. Rove was on a march for a permanent majority – then lost the popular vote four times and the presidency three times since the book was published. There was also a focus on Ohio in this book because it was the ultimate swing state and now the national folks fly over Ohio. The attention to ‘gay marriage’ has also changed considerably since the days when Bush won the presidency by putting the ‘Defense of Marriage’ ballot issue before Ohio voters in 2004, bringing out voters and capturing more of the African American vote. Now that is an issue they usually avoid.

But much of the book and especially the history is very relevant. Social issues, abortion, religious right, chipping away at Catholic voters (concentrating on those who attend church every Sunday), and half baked stories like fake increases of liability insurance when, in truth, the doctors with the shooting premiums have drug issues or major claims against them. Still, Rove used their stories and often were not questioned by the press.

Rove took risks. He triggered party discipline. And he had a clear message and didn’t let facts get in the way of winning voters by promoting a stand. I was right when quoted that we need a Rove on our side.

[Micky Livingston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not one that I would recommend to a progressive or liberal individual. If you are and you read this book, it will make you throw-up