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April 20th, 2006

02:34 pm [Link]

Rove surrenders some control in shake-up Indianapolis Star 04/19/06 White House political mastermind Karl Rove surrendered a key policy role Wednesday and press secretary Scott McClellan resigned in an escalation of a Bush administration shake-up driven by Republican anxieties. Rove gave up his responsibilities as chief policy coordinator, a position he assumed just over a year ago that strengthened his influence over matters ranging from homeland security and domestic policy to the economy and national security. The promotion had left him stretched too thin in the eyes of some officials, as the White House grappled with mounting problems... http://tinyurl.com/r52dj So, who's the new guy? The Carpetbagger by staff 04/19/06 OK, so Karl Rove is giving up the policy job he never should have had in the first place. Who's getting the responsibilities that have been taken away from Rove? That would be Joel Kaplan. Who's he? I'm glad you asked. ... The man Bush tapped to fill Karl Rove's spot as his policy wizard is none other than Joel Kaplan, who took part in the infamous 'Brooks Brothers riot' of 2000. That's when a bunch of Washington GOP operatives, posing as outraged Floridians, waved fists, chanted 'Stop the fraud!' and pounded windows in an effort to intimidate officials engaged in the Florida recount effort. In George Bush's Washington, there's no shame in staging a fake protest to undermine a democratic election, apparently: last year, the Washington Post's Al Kamen noted that 'the rioters proudly note their participation on resumes and in interviews.' Kaplan was even the one to cheekily dub the fracas the 'Brooks Brothers Riot'... http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/wp-print.php?p=7187 Informant: Thomas L. Knapp