Although attitudes have certainly changed in Washington, Karl Rove is continuing the misinformation campaign that has characterized some of the Republican leadership, and is partially responsible for their defeat in 2006 and 2008.

In a final farewell to the Bush Administration, Karl Rove repeats in the WSJ the same erroneous and untrue propaganda that the Bush administration and Republicans have been scolded for promulgating.

For example, Rove says, “Mr. Bush was right about Iraq.”  In the 2003 State of the Union, Bush laid down justifications for the War in Iraq — that Iraq posed a significant threat to the United States due to possession of WMD’s and support for al Qaeda.  Turns out, none of the conditions for war in Iraq have been found untrue in many different forms.  Even Colin Powell, Bush’s own Secretary of State, said (on Meet the Press, May 16 2004 — transcript) he “deliberately mislead” the UN on the issue of WMD.

Rove again pushes the false link between al Qaeda and Iraq: “Iraq is on the mend…al Qaeda has been dealt a humiliating defeat.”  Truth is, the bipartisan 9/11 Commission found “no credible evidence” of any link between al Qaeda pre-9/11 and Iraq.  Furthermore, a National Intelligence Estimate released more than four years after the invasion of Iraq found that al Qaeda “has protected or regenerated key elements of its Homeland attack capability,” and has been re-energized by anti-American sentiment.

While Bush will be remembered by most for bringing us into the largest budget deficit in our history, Rove will remember Bush for his “spending restraint.”

Rove says, “The result was 52 months of growth and the strongest economy of any developed country.”  And in the 53rd month…

–Jordan Levine