Bush — Rove firing shows evil genius and not clueless idiot

His mangling of the English language aside, at the time of the 2000 presidential election and even before, there was a lot of liberal debate, including inside myself, as to whether Bush was a clueless idiot, or he was consciously nefarious.

But, the way Bush fired Turd Blossom — in church — clearly points to the “evil genius” side.

That, according to a new book — “Machiavelli’s Shadow” — by former Time magazine reporter Paul Alexander, is where President George W. Bush informed trusted advisor Karl Rove in 2007 that his services would no longer be needed at the White House.

“On a Sunday in midsummer, George W. Bush accompanied Karl Rove to the Episcopalian Church Rove sometimes attended,” writes Alexander. “They made their way to the front of the congregation. Then, during their time in the church, Bush gave Rove some stunning news. ‘Karl,’ Bush said, ‘there’s too much heat on you. It’s time for you to go.’”

Maybe Bush knew what he was doing in breaking such bad news in such serene atmosphere: As Alexander documents, Rove has quite the temper.

Follow the link for some anecdotal comments about that temper, and about the short-term gain, long-term loss of Rove’s political style, all from Republicans.