Waxman Targets Future Roves

The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports that Democratic Representative Henry Waxman may introduce a bill that would keep political advisers from officially serving in the White House. Members of Congress already operate under similar conditions. The law would prevent another Karl Rove-type hybrid official. Rove guided President Bush's 2004 reelection while earning a salary as a member of the president's staff.

Waxman asked rhetorically, "Why should we be using taxpayer dollars to have a person solely in charge of politics in the White House? Can you imagine the reaction if each member of Congress had a campaign person paid for with taxpayer dollars?"

I can imagine that reaction--there would be no reaction because Waxman is talking about a nuance very few voters understand. Rove's move into the White House in 2000 was widely unprecedented (and ignored).

In his book The Architect journalist Wayne Slater explained the inherent conflict of interest.Slater wrote:

Historically, the presidential political adviser has maintained a certain distance as his newly elected client begins running the country. Counsel has been offered from an outside office. Generally, the adviser's insights are narrowly confined, in most cases, to politics. Rove, however, went into the White House on the federal payroll and eventually merged his political expertise with a considerable knowledge of policy to create an unprecedented hybrid creature. The political strategy Karl Rove helps George W. Bush execute is defined by the policy Rove and the president have determined will serve GOP goals. Rove is best suited to the martial arts of political combat and thus has pursued public policy as if it were a campaign rather than a public debate on the merits of any proposal.

Waxman could introduce a bill later this year or early in the next administration.

Meanwhile, Rove faces the possibility of being found in contempt of Congress later this week if he fails to testify before a House subcommittee on the subject of the 2006 U.S. Attorneys purge. Reports have emerged, however, that Nancy Pelosi may block the contempt charges and that Democrats are fighting over the issue internally.

Waxman is fighting a contempt battle of his own with Attorney General Michael Mukasey. Raw Story reports that Waxman said today that his committee will vote next week to hold Mukasey in contempt if transcripts of an FBI interview of Vice President Dick Cheney are not handed over.