Rove says Obama is 'undisciplined' and 'aloof'

Mar 9, 2010 — USA Today

Karl Rove's book -- Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight -- is on sale today, and the former White House adviser is busy on a book tour contrasting the George W. Bush and Barack Obama presidencies.

In an interview today with USA TODAY colleague Judy Keen, Rove contrasted the candidate Obama of 2008 with the President Obama of today.

"He was disciplined and focused and centrist as a candidate," Rove says. "(As president) he has been undisciplined, unengaged, aloof and focused on the wrong things."

Judy asked Rove, "The book, Courage and Consequence, is reviving Bush-era controversies; is it worth it?"

Rove's response: "You can't win the argument unless you're willing to make the argument, and things as pernicious as 'Bush lied about WMD' or the true record on tax cuts or the reality of the absence of bipartisanship on the part of Democrats in Washington. ... These are things that need to be told."

Look for Judy's full interview in tomorrow's editions of USA TODAY.