Former Presidential Deputy Chief of Staff
Karl Rove to Discuss Politics and the Presidency

Karl Rove, former Deputy Chief of Staff and senior advisor to President George W. Bush, will discuss "Politics and the Presidency" during a visit to the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum on Monday, September 15. Mr. Rove's talk begins at 6:45 p.m. Seating in the Athenaeum is limited to CMC students who have signed up in advance. Overflow seating will be accommodated in McKenna Auditorium and is open to all on a first-come basis.
Rove's visit is sponsored by the Res Publica Speaker Series and the Pacesetters Memorial Fund, created by the members of the College's first three graduating classes1948, 1949, and 1950.
A lifelong conservative Republican, Rove dropped out of college in 1971 to become the executive director of the College Republican National Committee. From there, it was a steady climb to new political posts as finance director of the Republican Party of Virginia and as a key consultant on the campaign staffs of many of the leading lights of the Republican Party.
Rove's campaign clients have included more than 75 Republican U.S. Senate, Congressional, and gubernatorial candidates in 24 states, including George W. Bush (2000 and 2004 presidential elections, 1994 and 1998 Texas gubernatorial elections), Sen. John Ashcroft (1994 U.S. Senate election), Bill Clements (1986 Texas gubernatorial election), Sen. John Cornyn (2002 U.S. Senate election), Governor Rick Perry (1990 Texas Agriculture Commission election), and Sen. Phil Gramm (1982 U.S. House and 1984 U.S. Senate elections).
In his acceptance speech for re-election in 2004, President Bush thanked Karl Rove, referring to him as simply "the architect." Rove has known George W. Bush since he delivered a set of keys to him as chairman of the College Republicans in Washington, D.C., when Bush was a student at Harvard Business School.
In the 2002 midterm elections and the 2004 reelection of President Bush, Rove made the decision to make the War on Terror a central issue of the ultimately successful campaigns for Bush and Republicans in Congress. In 2005, President Bush made him an assistant to the President in addition to being deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor, reflecting his importance in the Bush Administration.
Author and columnist Michael Barone described Rove in U.S.News & World Report as, "unique no presidential appointee has ever had such a strong influence on politics and policy, and none is likely to do so again anytime soon."
After leaving the White House last year, Rove has worked as a political analyst for Fox News, Newsweek, and the Wall Street Journal.