Karl Rove's political reach unprecedented

WASHINGTON , Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Strategist Karl Rove's effort to promote U.S. President George W. Bush and his allies was unprecedented in its reach, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

Previous administrations sought to maximize control of government for political gain, but Rove carried it to new extremes, systematically enlisting political appointees at every level in his bid to establish Republican dominance of the U.S. electoral system, The Post reported.

Rove, who is resigning from the White House at the end of the month, ordered appointees to carefully stage official federal announcements and high-visibility trips to ensure maximum promotion of the Republican agenda, The Post said.

"He didn't do these things half-baked. It was total commitment," said Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, R-Va.

Rove's efforts have touched off new investigations into whether the White House improperly politicized federal workers or misused government assets to win elections, the newspaper reported.