Boy Genius: Karl Rove, the Brains Behind the Remarkable Political Triumph of George W. Bush (Publicaffairs Reports) - Softcover

George W. Bush calls Karl Rove "boy genius" and "the man with the plan. " Insiders call him the man behind the Republican ascendancy. Who is this guy? And what is the plan?. How did George W. Bush--a man of little political experience, little policy know-how, and no clear positions on national issues--become President? How, in the midst of national economic freefall, did the Republicans win complete control of Congress in the midterm elections in 2002? Political insiders credit Karl Rove, a brilliant political consultant and tactician who Bush calls "Boy Genius" and "The Man with the Plan," and Texas legislators call "King Karl. " Where did Rove come from and how has he engineered his candidates' victories? Even more important, what does he want? In Boy Genius , two seasoned political reporters who know Rove from his years as a political consultant in Texas, fill readers in on the man and his methods. From running a dirty tricks school and bugging his own office, to masterminding the defeat of popular Governor Ann Richards in Texas, to seeing and harnessing the potential in Dubya ("Political hacks like me wait a lifetime for a guy like this to come along, "Rove said of the future President), to the master plan for the 2002 elections, Dubose and Reid detail Rove's ascendancy to the center of our national political life, illuminating both the dirty underside of politics and Rove's vision for who should be governing our country and how. Boy Genius is a fascinating, entertaining look at the political life of the Man Who Would Be Kingmaker--and a disconcerting expose about exactly how American politics works.

Lou Dubose is the co-author, with Molly Ivins, of Shrub: The Short But Happy Political Life of George W. Bush. He was the editor of the Texas Observer for eleven years and worked briefly as politics editor of The Austin Chronicle. Jan Reid is an award-winning novelist and magazine journalist. His most recent book is a much-praised memoir of Texas and Mexico, The Bullet Meant for Me. He is a veteran observer and analyst of Texas politics.