Courage and Consequence

My Life as a Conservative in the Fight

By: Karl Rove

Narrated by: Karl Rove

Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

From the moment he set foot on it, Karl Rove has rocked America's political stage. He ran the national College Republicans at 22, and turned a Texas dominated by Democrats into a bastion for Republicans. He launched George W. Bush to national renown by unseating a popular Democratic governor, and then orchestrated a GOP White House win at a time when voters had little reason to throw out the incumbent party. For engineering victory after unlikely victory, Rove became known as the Architect.

Because of his success, Rove has been attacked his entire career, accused of everything from campaign chicanery to ideological divisiveness. In this frank memoir, Rove responds to critics, passionately articulates his political philosophy, and defends the choices he made on the campaign trail and in the White House. He addresses controversies head-on - from his role in the contest between Bush and Senator John McCain in South Carolina to the charges that Bush misled the nation on Iraq. In the course of putting the record straight, Rove takes on Democratic leaders who acted cynically or deviously behind closed doors, and even Republicans who lacked backbone at crucial moments.

Courage and Consequence is also the first intimate account from the highest level at the White House of one of the most headline-making presidencies of the modern age. Rove takes listeners behind the scenes of the bitterly contested 2000 presidential contest,of tense moments aboard Air Force One on 9/11, of the decision to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq,of the hard-won 2004 reelection fight, and even of his painful three years fending off an indictment process. He spells out what it takes to win elections and how to govern successfully once a candidate has won.

©2010 Karl Rove (P)2010 Simon & Schuster

An Incredible Story of Courage and Consequence

This is a story only a person like Karl Rove can tell. He was thorough, thoughtful and insightful. He spoke with great passion and wisdom, and at times with great humility. I wept a few times, particularly over the 9/11 passages, how could you not? History will be much kinder to George W. Bush, thanks in part to Karl Rove. Excellent read.

Thank you Mr Rove!

Having this audio book actually narrated by Mr Rove was just icing on the cake. This book provided great insight to the Bush years in the White House and many of those "little details" that seem to have been omitted by the mainstream media. I was also pleasantly surprised at Mr Rove's humility. Not many guys will confess to tearing up as much as he did in this book. The events of his childhood were also a revelation. Many people would have used those events to throw themselves a major pity party, but Mr Rove persevered and I believe became a better person for it. I already admired Mr Rove prior to the release of his book, but my admiration has since grown. Now I'll just wait to see how many come forward to try and dispute what is in this book and what tactics they will use to do so. A great read (or should I say listen) that I recommend to both conservatives and libs alike.

Interesting Inside Insight

If you like the back-story in politics, this book is excellent. Of course it has a point of view. Who doesn't in politics. If you can't stand to read anything positive about Republicans, then read something else. If you want an excellent book from the left, read The Nine by Jeffery Toobin.
I agree that the author, while certainly a fantastic strategist, is only a fair narrator. (can you say "monotone" without emphasizing a syllable?)

Excellent book!

Karl Rove writes a straightforward
narrative of what it’s like to be involved in modern politics here in America. He gives great insight into the decision making process as well as the actual decisions made during his wildly successful political career. This is a must read book for anyone interested in modern politics.

Good political insight

I most enjoyed chapter one, where the author talks about how, when, and where to do things.

Entertaining

I loved the book and in his own words it brought the book to life. Karl has a unique gift and in this book shows how intellegent and human he is.
I am happy to hear the REAL story of what it was actually like being close to GW and what the truth was. Thank you Karl for a very nice listen.

A revealing book

I've had my head in the sand politically till just recently and this book brought me significant insight into Karl Rove. Thought Karl was honest and it showed where he stands politically.

Excellent book!

Thanks for providing your personal account of so many historical events in recent history! I have a better understanding of what happened and why. The no-nonsense approach is refreshing in our "smoke and mirrors" political world. I would (& have) recommended this book to others.

good llisten

I really enjoyed his presentation; it was well done and interesting.

People make things work!

What did you love best about Courage and Consequence?

It was fascinating how Rove described the election process. He really gave us an insight into the process that gets people elected in this country in the modern era.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Everyone called Rove the evil genius that got Bush the bumpkin elected, but Rove shows how he supported the President, and how Bush was always the leader. Rove was a key player, but he humbly shows how he was a part of the team, not the leader who lead the team to success. Leadership was Bush, Rove was an important staff aid to Bush.

What about Karl Rove’s performance did you like?

Great book, and we should all thank Rove for his candid description of his duties, responsibilities, successes and failures.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, not possible.

Any additional comments?

Listen to this book, Cheney's, Bush's,and Rumsfeld's books and you will totally understand the Bush administration.