OK, so [tag]Karl Rove[/tag] 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 [tag]Joel Kaplan[/tag]. Who’s he? I’m glad you asked.
According to his official WH bio, Kaplan seems like a logical choice to coordinate policy from the [tag]West Wing[/tag]. He’s been helping to do this anyway since Bush took office. (Before joining the [tag]White House[/tag] staff, he worked on Bush’s campaign and clerked for Antonin [tag]Scalia[/tag]. Natch.)
But there’s also the part of Kaplan’s political background the bio doesn’t mention.
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 “[tag]Brooks Brothers Riot[/tag].”
In other words, when it comes to coordinating White House policy, the Bush gang is going from Karl Rove, a campaign hatchet man with zero policy experience/expertise, to Joel [tag]Kaplan[/tag], who demonstrated his fealty to Bush by intimidating Florida election officials and helping steal 25 electoral votes nearly six years ago.
As Michael Crowley put it, “That doesn’t mean he’s not qualified. But it sheds some light on the continued value Bush apparently places on total loyalty.” As if there was any doubt.