New book reveals
Karl Rove's stepfather was gay

A new book from the authors of a previous tome about the life and work of President Bush's political adviser Karl Rove claims Rove's stepfather was gay, The [Austin] American-Statesman reports. In The Architect: Karl Rove and the Master Plan for Absolute Power, James Moore and Wayne Slater dedicate two chapters to the touchier side of the Republican Party's exploitation of antigay sentiment.

In chapter 9, "A Few Simple Questions: What's in Karl's Closet?" the authors draw on interviews with gay acquaintances of Rove's stepfather, Louis Rove, as well as an interview with a circumspect Karl Rove, to reveal that Louis came out as gay after divorcing Rove's mother, according to the American-Statesman. The chapter jabs hard at Rove, pointing out that Louis Rove, who was clearly Rove's primary father figure, died in Palm Springs, Calif., just as "his son was in the midst of launching the antigay issues campaign that was to lead to the reelection of George W. Bush."

The authors quote Rove and friends of Rove's stepfather to illustrate that Rove was close to him throughout his life and seemed not to judge his sexuality. This and Rove's self-professed agnosticism are major exhibits in Moore and Slater's claim of hypocrisy.

Moore, an Austin-based journalist, and Slater, senior political writer for The Dallas MorningNews, paint a sharp portrait of an intelligent, ruthless, and deeply cynical Karl Rove. Though this is their second book on Rove (after 2003's Bush's Brain), there's little overlap. Bush's Brain focused on Rove's rise and the development of his association with George W. Bush; The Architect focuses on how he pursued the creation of an enduring Republican hegemony. (The Advocate)