Karl Rove's Campaign Strategy: It's the Terror, Stupid

Hailed as the White House’s political genius, Karl Rove was as ebullient and unrevealing as the Great Oz in journeying here this week for no apparent reason. He seemed to be scouting restlessly for some Tin Man or Cowardly Lion among the passel of Democrats on the campaign road that passes through here next winter. “A complete nerd,” Mr. Rove said by way of smiling self-introduction to political science students at St. Anselm College. But a canny enough nerd at that. Crowds of political junkies reached to touch the hem of his garment, but Mr. Rove was no James Carville strewing raw-meat quotations of Machiavellian cuteness. He amiably disclosed very little about the president’s re-election strategy. Until, that is, a student asked about the war in Iraq. “First of all, it’s the battle of Iraq, not the war,” Mr. Rove carefully corrected. He went on to describe a far larger and longer war against terrorism that he sees clearly, perchance fortuitously, stretching well toward Election Day 2004. Full Story