Three faces of Karl

"Bush's enabler" or the ice cream man?

Published August 14, 2007 12:05PM (EDT)

Karl Rove on the Bush White House: "What's amazing to me is the collegiality takes place in an environment in which people can have deep and serious disagreements about things -- you know, try and litigate it through to a point where they come to an agreement, and if not, carry them into the Oval Office, and at the end of it, feel that . . . they were heard and that they were well-served and that the country has been well-served by the decision that was made."

Newsweek's Michael Isikoff on Karl Rove: "From the day he went to work in the White House, Karl Rove has been Bush's enabler as much as his master strategist -- a key adviser who saw no subtleties or nuance, brushed aside internal qualms and ferociously went after critics who raised any questions about the president's policies."

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino on Karl Rove: "You know, there is no doubt that it's going to be different around the White House [without Rove]. Some things that people don't know about Karl is that like on Fridays, he started 'Ice Cream Fridays,' and he would bring around ice cream to all of the staff. And when you're doing your West Wing tours, he will point to you and say, 'Dana, you are needed in the West Wing immediately. The president needs your advice on something.' And it just thrills the tourists. He's such a fun-loving guy."


By Tim Grieve

Tim Grieve is a senior writer and the author of Salon's War Room blog.

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