Karl Rove's Astounding Interview with GQ: 'CBS is a Shoddy Operation'

Photo of Noel Sheppard.
By Noel Sheppard | April 3, 2008 - 20:07 ET

In the past, NewsBusters has not been kind to GQ magazine.

However, an interview with former White House advisor Karl Rove, published in the most recent issue, is an absolute must-read.

And that's putting it mildly.

Although readers are strongly encouraged to peruse the entire, lengthy piece, special attention must be given to Rove's strongly negative opinions of the media, especially CBS (h/t TVNewser, emphasis added throughout):

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LISA DEPAULO, GQ: Let's talk about the last couple of scandals you've been involved in. Don Siegelman in Alabama [the Democratic governor whom Rove was recently accused of trying to sabotage by forcing U.S. attorneys to bring corruption charges against him prior to an election]. What happened?

KARL ROVE: [rolls his eyes] Will you do me a favor and go on Power Line and Google "Dana Jill Simpson" [the Republican lawyer who told 60 Minutes that Rove asked her to take a picture of Governor Siegelman cheating on his wife]? She's a complete lunatic. I've never met this woman. This woman was not involved in any campaign in which I was involved. I have yet to find anybody who knows her. And what the media has done on this… No one has read the 143-page deposition that she gave congressional investigators—143 pages. When she shows up to give her explanation of all this, do you know how many times my name appears? Zero times. Nobody checked!

DEPAULO: Then how did this happen?

ROVE: Because CBS is a shoddy operation. They said, "Hey, if we can say 'Karl Rove,' 'Siegelman,' that'll be good for ratings. Let's hype it. We'll put out a news release on Thursday and then promo the hell out of it on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday." And Scott Pelley—the question is, Did [60 Minutes correspondent] Scott Pelley say to this woman, "You say you met with him. Where? And you say that he gave you other assignments earlier. When did he begin giving you assignments, and what campaigns did you work with him in? What evidence? I mean, this woman, she said she met with him: Okay, you met with him—where? Did you fly to Washington?" Now she says that she talked to me on the phone and she's got phone records. Of calls to Washington and Virginia. But what's Virginia? I don't live in Virginia. And it's 2001. What is in Virginia? It's not the Bush headquarters; that was in Austin, Texas. What is in Virginia? So—but look, she's a loon.

Delicious. But, there's more:

DEPAULO: Do you think Obama's gotten a free ride from the press?

ROVE: Yes.

DEPAULO: How so?

ROVE: I don't think they hold him to the same standards. You know, look, his Web site is full of all kinds of proposals written by academics galore. But he's not required to defend them. He's not required to explain what it is he wants to do. Now I think that's changing. I think, when you have an editorial in USA Today that says, in essence, Where's the beef, what's the substance? When reporters start asking him tough questions about his relationship with Tony Rezko—you know, what was the value of the lot? What was the price that you paid? How many fund-raisers did he do for you? How much money did he raise at those fund-raisers? When they start asking him those questions, then it starts to change. I mean, the kind of questions that have been routinely asked of other candidates—about their background and associations and involvements—have only recently begun to be asked of him.

How true. Do yourself a favor -- read the whole thing. You won't be disappointed.

—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters.

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Wow, Noel

So many money quotes in this one.  And before anyone else comments....Noel is right...read the whole thing, it's worth ten minutes.

On the democratic conundrum regarding superdelegates, votes, & should they decide early:

Well, you know, people will have to decide whether they're going to act as reflectors of the popular vote in their districts or states, or whether they're going to exercise independent judgment. I think this is the big dilemma the Democrats face: Are they going to choose a nominee who essentially is chosen, validated, by a minor aristocracy, by essentially an undemocratic group? Because, look. Does anybody think that Patrick Deval [sic], governor of Massachusetts, and Senator Ted Kennedy are gonna respect the wishes of their home-state crowd and go for Hillary Clinton, who won their state? No.

About the disingenuousness of HRC:

Which flaws?
Uh, calculating. You know, she went through the period where she had the calculated laugh, she went through the period where she had the calculated accents, and you build that on top of a person who already has the reputation that anything she says is calculating, you know…

Is calculating a terrible thing?
It is if people think it's phony. And that's what her problem is. That and the sense of entitlement. You know, the sense of "This is mine, I deserve it; we're the Clintons, this is ours." And I think that really caused a lot of people to say, "You know what? It's not yours." And do we really want to go back? The '90s were nice in a lot of respects, but do we really want to go back to all that drama?

There is something ironic about Karl Rove criticizing someone for being calculating.
Right. Look, it's one thing to calculate and say, "What's the best way for me to do this?" It's another thing to say, "What's the best way to do this, even if it means the sacrifice of my fundamental principles?" When she stood up there and said, "I'm in front of an African-American group in Alabama, so let me adopt a phony southern accent!" And when she sat there and said, "You know what? I need to warm myself up, so for the next weeklong period I'm gonna sit there and laugh and cackle at anything that is even remotely funny." You know, when both she and he, who are free traders by instinct, went to Ohio and said, "We're gonna renegotiate NAFTA," when they know that (a) there's no provision to renegotiate NAFTA, and (b) the Canadians and the Mexicans are not gonna want to renegotiate NAFTA, and (c) when both of them understand that trade liberalization, particularly with our neighbors, has been to our economic advantage, who are they kidding?

My apologies, NS, if you quoted these in your piece, but I went straight to the link.  Must say, I am IMPRESSED.  Great stuff, thx.   

David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive

 

B

B,

My pleasure, as always. And, yes, people MUST read the entire interview. To quote Randy Jackson, "We've got a hot one right here, baby!!!" ns

Hot one here, baby!

You betcha....and now that I've had a chance to see what you excerpted, I'm glad I c/p'ed what I did.

I bet all here will get a little something different out of this excellent article.

I'm a wee bit disappointed though, that there was no reference to the weather machine.  Hurricane season is soon to be upon us. 

David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive

 

B

B,

I intentionally excerpted little. This one's too hot for folks not to read. Make sense? ns

Quite, NS

David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive

 

Blonde. I'm on the way..

Blonde. I'm on the way.. out to the deck with an icy cajun M.(w/3 jalepano stuffed olives) to enjoy the read. Thanks Noel. Looks super. Sun is low and warm in S. CA. (;~>

Nice Gary

I hope it's not an Absolut cajun (lol).

Cheers!

I hear it's somewhat warm in NoCal today too.  It's certainly warm here...I've had the a.c. on for a week.

David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive

 

Blonde, Absolut?

LOL-Why, everybody knows that stuff is nothing more than severely over-priced Swedish horse-squirt. 

Theme for Election '08: I want my mommy!

Natch

Having said that, tho...they were the first to introduce "flavored" vodkas to the market.  Which are essential to things like, um, Cosmos! 

David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive

 

Gary, Blonde, and RD

Gary, Blonde, and RD:

Heck with those imitations. The best cajun martini I've ever had was at a restaurant that used to be near why I currently live in Nor-Cal. What they did -- going back to 1985 now! -- was marinate jalapenos in 100 proof Stoli. Bear in mind that this was 23 years ago before anybody in the States heard of Belvedere, Chopin, Ketel One, etc.

Anyway, after a few days, they strained what was left of the jalapenos, and stuffed it into olives. Then, they'd serve the green vodka chilled, up with the jalapeno-stuffed olives for a cajun martini delight.

Those were the days!!! ns

NS

Earlier this year, Gary sent me the recipe for cajun martinis.... which was great.  However...

Unfortunately, I bought some insane jalepenos....and I now have a bottle of what I call "suicide vodka". 

I'm waiting to use it as a weapon, just in case some lunatic tries to break into my house....LOL. 

David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive

 

B

B,

Suicide Vodka from the Suicide Blonde! :-) Very cool!

Someday over a cajun, ask me about those days. 23 years ago. Where'd they go?

On a different note, my son's in Tucson as we speak getting ready for his first meet of the spring. I'm kicking myself for not being there. Kind of a hop and a skip. Just too much travel right now.

Should be there, though. :-( ns

I hear you, NS

Travel is so tiring, sometimes.  Or not.

I'm alone tonite, due to travelling.  So be it.

Hope Brandon has a great meet, tho, N.

Keep us posted! 

<edit>  Suicide Blonde....LOL!

David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive

 

Blonde, hang on to that bottle.

:-)

Theme for Election '08: I want my mommy!

 

Wow, Noel,

Those must have been some seriously powerful martinis.

As I consume jalapenos like most people do pickles, I might just have to try that out over the weekend. It would be a nice diversion from the usual fare.

Theme for Election '08: I want my mommy!

Blonde,

I think I'll stick with the single malt Scotch selections.

LOL-When I can afford them.

Theme for Election '08: I want my mommy!

Glenfiddich

BTW....I still know where to find shrimp the size of kittens.  :D 

David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive

 

*

*

LOL that reminds me of when

LOL that reminds me of when my dad and I used to go fishing on the Gulf.  We would pick up a couple of quarts of bait shrimp and some were 8" or longer.  I cant find any that big anywhere any more much less for bait.  I still prefer artificial bait though.  And they used to sell shrimp on the highway about the same size from coolers.  Ahhh those were the days.

Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.

Superb. Thank you. RRAM

Superb.

Thank you.

RRAM Tough! 

Rove goes off on CBS?

Rove goes off on CBS? Shocking. 

Rove goes off on CBS?

Rove goes off on CBS? Shocking.

Okay, but he was specific about his criticism. It wasn't just a generic "They're all liberals out to get me" potshot.

What about this woman, Ms. Simpson? Did "60 Minutes" do any investigation into her accusations? Did they try to find phone records or hotel/gas records or other documentation that buttressed her claims?

We addressed this issue after the story ran. Rove has substantive, specific questions about the piece. Questions that, it seems to me, "60 Minutes" failed to address.

 

 

No I know. I'm just trying

No I know. I'm just trying to figure out why Noel used the word "astounding"? 

B

B,

Tell the truth: did you read the entire interview? Be honest! ns

I read it. It's interesting

I read it. It's interesting stuff. I'm surprised you didn't point out where the interviewer asked pointed questions.

Such as? You should offer

Such as? You should offer examples, not easy for us to know what a lib thinks is a pointed question?

 

"Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest". Mark Twain

My bad. Voila:  And the

My bad. Voila: 

And the first question, someone called you a cancer. 

You must get that all the time.

When you look back at your career, especially in the Bush administration, what's the worst thing you did? 

But is there anything you feel guilty about? Or wish you did differently? 

What did you do wrong? 

Bal

Well, you certainly know you liberal playbook, I'll give you that. Seems those exact questions have been asked of conservatives over and over, while liberals get asked such pointed questions as "Do you where boxers or briefs?" or "How do you do it (your hair)?" and many others I am too lazy to type out now. 

Realy, I just wonder how you might answer those very same questi

Figures you would point to the most wretched of nonsense

 

"Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest". Mark Twain

As I said, I would've

As I said, I would've thought that NewsBusters would point those out as questions that were framed in a biased way. I'm surprised they didn't. I didn't say anything else.

B

B,

We're a media bias site. Yes? My job is to focus on that.

Also, I wanted people to read the entire interview. If I quoted too much, people would have just read my take. That would have been inappropriate given the quality of the piece I was "reviewing."

So, my goal here was to tease enough to get the reader to enjoy the entire article. Fair enough? ns

Yup. I guess I just would've

Yup. I guess I just would've thought the focus would be more on the "liberal" questions that were asked. Like I said, very interesting interview.

Good reading material

Thanks for the link, I enjoyed the interview.

Thanks Noel

That was one fun read. Thanks again Noel for another great post.

When liberals hate a person as much as they do Rove, I have observed over the years (since Reagan) and drawn the conclusion that the hated person is in fact a really great guy....Rove does not dissapoint.  Rock on MC Rove.

Love it

I LOVE this article. I can't believe that GQ even allowed this to be printed. 

The comments after the

The comments after the artical are equaly good,,,hope I have hope

 

"Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest". Mark Twain

Rove is toooooo kind about

Rove is toooooo kind about CBS.  They are worse than  a shoddy operation. 

I have renewed respect for Rove.  He has a great perception and a great way of describing things.  No wonder the democrats tried to hard to indict him.

THE EVIL KARL ROVE...

He was too kind & has too much class to use the proper profanities that would perfectly describe CBSnews. I would use those words, & have used em' elsewhere, but this I would'nt want this site to look too much like Media Matters.

 

"Some of us are wise, some of us are otherwise"  Mark Levin

Two words: Read it!

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

I sorry I cant get past the

I sorry I cant get past the point where Rove and Bush has taken this party. Now as the country swings further to the left with the three choices we are getting, now I get to see Rove on my Fox network. Lucky me.

Oh, while I am complaining, the fence is still not up.. Don’tworry we will help Egypt build theirs.

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7010409049

 

He is right on CBS though.

 

 

Ronald Reagan, 1962: I did not leave the Democratic party, the party left me.

Insert: your name, 2008, and the Republican party.

Romney / Jendil  2012 (if,we survive)

USA4, I agree. This is rapidly becoming a sick joke.

And I hope the Egyptians like their new fence. Perhaps they can even get Karl Rove to set the last post for it. You know, media, cameras, dignitaries, groupies and the rest.

God knows our own government is not competent enough to build one here in our own country.

I find it disheartening to the point of near depression that so many here at NB, people who I truly like, consider friends, and respect, are so willing to cast their vote for a man who has done all he could to keep our southern border wide open for the Mexican invaders.

Theme for Election '08: I want my mommy!