Who Has Bush's Ear?
Atlantic, The, May, 2006
Q: Right now, who is the most influential member of Bush’s inner circle on matters of foreign policy? Please rank Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Karl Rove, and Donald Rumsfeld. (85 votes) Democrats (44) CHENEY (101 points, 15 first-place votes) “He’s number one now, but if Dick Cheney keeps shooting campaign contributors, he might drop down to number two.” “If he wasn’t he’d be fired.” “The president only seems to care about foreign policy as far as it serves American interests; he’s not thinking about the impact of U.S.
actions within the larger global arena.” ROVE (101 points, 13 first-place votes) “No matter who may be the domestic- and foreign-policy legs connecting to the power base in the Bush administration, Karl Rove is always at the vertex of the triangle of power.” “Rove, Rice, Rummy, and Remington [the American gun manufacturer]—in that order. I think the president would be wise to ...