Maureen Dowd’s latest op-ed in the New York Times is entitled “Rove’s Revenge.” It begins thusly:
“Just how much did Karl Rove not being one of the cool guys in high school in the 60’s? Enough to hatch schemes to marshal the forces of darkness to take over the country?”
Oh yes. Karl Rove must have despised his days at Olympus High School in Salt Lake City in the 1960’s.
My mother graduated from high school the year after Karl and knew him,albeit only as an acquaintance. Looking through her yearbook, I caneasily see what Dowd was talking about.
It must have just torqued him to no end when all those darn jocks andhippies elected him Senate president. He must have d it when theyear book described him as “a man of the people” and “mighty funny.” Ican see him plotting his ultimate revenge as he was awarded theSterling Scholar Award, the Elks Leadership Award, or the OutstandingTeenager of America award.
More intimate moments in the yearbook pages further show Karl’smotivation for his future manias. The pretty young woman holding hishand fondly in the Senate picture must have stoked his desire forrevenge, a desire that could only have been compounded by the otherpretty young lady holding his hand in the debate photo. All thosepictures of Karl laughing, surrounded by people with looks ofadoration? Fuel to the fire, I’m sure.
My mother remembers Karl as a very intense, very intellectual, butwell-liked and popular young man. This latest attempt to portray himas some kind of hand-wringing, obsessive villain twirling his mustacheas he plots to revenge childhood wrongs is as laughably pathetic as itis false.
I don’t see why so many liberals feel they must seek comfort innarratives painting Bush as a moron, Rove as an obsessed maniac, andconservatives everywhere as fanatical illiterates. What comfort doesit provide to think yourself to have just been thoroughlyout-maneuvered by incompetent mental cases? Why not accept the facts:that intelligent people might actually believe in the conservativeworld view, and that intelligent people who disagree must startworking to convince those 59 million who think otherwise, rather thaninsulting their intelligence and calling them names
Travis CurritSophomoreHistory, English, Nurse Mid-Wifery