WashingtonPost.com
From White House reporter
Peter Baker's chat:
Washington, D.C.: I find it interesting that Mr. Rove's leaving was announced via an interview with the WSJ ed page and then confirmed by the WH. Is this as unusual as it seems? Why didn't the WH make the announcement?
Peter Baker: Rove obviously crafted his own departure strategy, starting with a mostly sympathetic ear in Paul Gigot, the editorial page editor of the Journal. Gigot got the scoop and wrote a piece that let Rove largely frame his decision on his terms. It's a little unusual to do it that way, but I suppose not entirely surprising. It certainly made for an early morning since the Journal email came out around 4:45 a.m.
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Jeremy Herron:
It was Rove doing what he has done, consummately, for his tenure in The White House: controlling the message.
(AP)
