(CNN) - Karl Rove denied Monday being the source of the infamous rumor in the 2000 presidential campaign that erroneously alleged Arizona Sen. John McCain had fathered a black child out of wedlock.
Rove, a longtime political and policy advisor to former President George W. Bush, said in an interview on NBC's "Today" show he had "nothing to do with" the smear tactic that began circulating prior to the South Carolina Republican presidential primary. The rumor was false as one of McCain's daughters, Bridget, was adopted from a Bangladesh orphanage.
Rove, who is promoting his new book "Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight," said he was "seized with fear" as the rumor began to spread.
"I thought John McCain would seize it for what it was, which was an enormous opportunity to give an insight into who he and his wife are," Rove said. "Because they adopted, Cindy McCain adopted a child from an orphanage in Bangladesh, who is their daughter, and the story of this is an incredible tale of love and compassion. But rather than doing that, John McCain said 'I'm a victim' and was angry and complained about it and pointed the finger at Bush when he had no evidence whatsoever that he was behind it."
Rove said he became an easy target for critics to accuse him of masterminding this malicious campaign tactic.
"Cindy McCain and the McCain campaign, [Deputy Campaign Manager Roy] Fletcher and others – they needed somebody to blame and they didn't want to blame Bush," Rove said. "It was hard to blame Bush. He's a nice guy. People knew him. It wouldn't stick. So why not pick at the sort of dough-faced, balding guy who's the grey eminence behind the campaign and blame him?"
From CNN Politics
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Nice spin Rove, very nice. This is why he will go down as one of the greatest political minds.
To hear Rove tell it, he and Bush weren't really responsible for much of anything.
Someone should ask Rove who, then, was in power from 2001-2008? If not Bush and Rove – his chief strategist and closest advisor – then who?
In other news, a strange brown marking is found on former Vice President Dick Cheney's briefs. When questioned about it, Cheney denied that he was the source of the smear.
Liars always have a couple of alternative viewpoints. No less, no more.
Yeah, sure, Karl. Just like you had nothing to do with Valerie Plame. Liar.
I wouldn't believe a word Rove said. His whole book is to whitewash the Bush administration and his own mi8x in it. Its all a bunch of repig propaganda. UGH!
Lets start worring about today and tommorrow and not 2000. I listening to the OB speech in PA and what a joke. this guy is back at the campaignehe needs to stay in washington adn stop running around making more promises to the little kiddies at school. it really shows how even though you are so called educated you dont know nothing. Just we can live off mommy and daddy until where 26. jobs and money mean nothing to those who just get it from there folks to live.what a joke of a adminstration and president
His story sounds plausible, but quite frankly based on his well-earned reputation I don't believe a word of it. Nice spin though!
The underlining pinnings of this situation is infamous and highlights that America still has a long way to go when it comes to race relationships!! Here we have a case of someone crying that a white man sleep with a black woman and such is considered a scandal; possibly aggregious enough to derail Presidential aspirations! The fact that he may have cheated on his wife is blurred in the public frenzy. We are such a sick society.
"I thought John McCain would seize it for what it was, which was an enormous opportunity to give an insight into who he and his wife are,"
Attempts to shift blame back on to the victim are usually good indicators of who was responsible.
I don't like or believe republicans of any kind and I think that karl rove is one of the biggest liars of our time along with Bush and Cheney!!! and in my opinion they did lie to get us into A war in Iraq along with destroying our economy and then trying to blame it on president Obama ,Speaker Pelosi and Harry Ried !!!!
That man has no courage but he will never face the consequences because of that lack , as the saying goes he can not handle the truth.
He ideas are talking points, with no conviction.
False pride an inflated ego are his only alley.. blame an shame on him an his bushwacker friends.. U can hide but you cannot re-write history any more.
Karl,
And we are supposed to believe you!! Sure we do (not!).
Ol' Rovey is cracking me up.
If you believe him, he was just the Knight in shining armour and did nothing wrong.
He and dubya, nothing but th truth and character. LOL!
I'll also say that Rove came up with other dirty political plays. In Texas, one of the most corrupt political scenes around, he came up with a rumor about Gov. Ann Richards, implying she was a lesbian. It's sickening that he plays the "poor me" card, talking about being doe-faced and bald...good grief man...People don't hate you because you look bad, they hate you because you're a jerk.
Must be slow day on the ticker
of course he denies it along with everything else that places an unflattering light on him..........the fat old lying gasbag is at it again!
Duh!
You think the Rove would start telling the truth now and mess up his perfect record?
Please. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck.......
More revisionest history. Next W and Cheney's.
Who cares what those two totally uninteresting and irrelevant people
have to say about anything?
Rove has the right to write whatever he wants in his book. I have the right to totally disbelieve what he has written in his book. He is and will continue to be nothing but an ass.
Rove has a history of these kinds of attacks. Not only is this his MO, he didn't deny it back then either.
This gets more like the Sopranos every day. Who is he trying to kid when everybody knows he was the architect behind every smear campaign from Swift Boat to this one. Bush didn't and doesn't have the brains. I can just hear Rove talking to Chaney who did an end run around Bush anyway. Not that it was that difficult. Their protestation defy any credibility at all, at least among anybody with an IQ larger than their shoe size.
Poor Carl,the kids probably kicked alot of sand in his face as a child and he never got over it.