A Man Is Known By The Company He Keeps

Jonathan D. Felts thinks the way Karl Rove's mind works is "neat". That in and of itself says a lot about Felts.

The following is an excerpt from: Boy Genius: Karl Rove, the Brains Behind the Remarkable Political Triumph of George W. Bush By Lou Dubose, Jan Reid and Carl M. Cannon

Despite his good moments, toiling alongside Karl Rove is taxing, and Hughes could only laugh aloud after her White House stint when a West Texan named Less Virgil asked her at a public speaking forum in Austin, "How difficult is it for you to work with Karl Rove?"

At least Hughes was on equal footing with Rove. Others were not so blessed. "Family-friendly" White House or not, Rove is wired to hundreds of fellow Bushies by laptop, cell phone, and the BlackBerry he wears on his belt. He doesn't hesitate to use those gadgets regardless of the hour--he sometimes sends text messages while in bed--nor does he tend to ask first what the person on the other end of the line is doing before launching into the purpose of his call.

These "Rove-grams" can be made to adversaries as well as to colleagues and friends. They can communicate pleasantries, matter-of-fact instructions, expressions of glee ("It's Miller Time!" is a favorite)---or they can convey threats, especially to Republicans who have strayed from the path. Stephen Moore, of the conservative, probusiness Club for Growth, recalls wandering around the garage at Reagan Washington National Airport searching for his car one evening, cell phone to his ear, disorientated by the sound of Rove screaming at him in a telephone tirade. "Stupid" was one of the milder insults Rove hurled at Moore. "He's perpetually angry at me," Moore explained later, with a shrug. "I've done so many things to piss him off." In this instance, Rove was incensed by Moore's efforts to rally fiscally conservative Republicans in Congress to vote against a Medicare prescription-drug benefit being pushed by the White House. "You're going to screw everything up!" Rove hollered at Moore. "We're going to get the Democrats' bill if you're not careful!"

Rove continues to dismiss environmentalists as "green beans," and would say that Democrats or liberal reporters who accused Rove of dirty tricks were "sniffing swamp gas." Intimidation also remained part of Rove's repertoire--just as it was back in Texas. Freelance journalist Ron Suskind recalls sitting outside Rove's White House office awaiting an interview for Esquire magazine piece when he heard Rove shouting, either at an aide or someone on the phone: "We will fuck him! Do you hear me? We will fuck him. We will ruin him--like no one has ever fucked him!"

White House officials rejoined that Suskind, who has produced numerous pieces critical of Bush, has "a hyperactive imagination." But no one tried to assert that Rove does not talk this way. Besides Rove's colleagues understand his motivations: In the parlance of the Bush circle, people like Steve Moore---and the person Rove was yelling about screwing over---are not "team players." And the Bushies are nothing if not team players. It is not just a compliment in the Bush White House; it is a requirement. If this makes them seem clannish, or insular, and resistant to outside ideas, the Bushies' attitude is so be it. It is one of the costs of the absolute loyalty demanded by Bush, and, in turn, by Karl Rove.

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