Why the 'Rove Presidency' Failed

‘Architect’ tried to force dynasty, cowed Congress instead of winning it

With Karl Rove about to ankle the White House, the Atlantic's cover story on Rove as the principal architect of the Bush presidency becomes prescient. Joshua Green explores why the mastermind of W.'s two election victories—one of the best political minds of a generation—was unable to fulfill any of his considerable ambitions for the occupant of the Oval Office, despite having a Republican Congress for six years.

Rove convinced his boss to hand him the domestic policy reins, but found out that he had all the wrong instincts for working with lawmakers—cowing Congress instead of winning it, choosing divisiveness at every turn. And while he is an admirably acute analyst of history, Green writes, Rove was a poor student when it came to the art of pulling its levers. (More Karl Rove stories.)

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