Controversial former Bush advisor speaks at University of the Cumberlands Tuesday

The man, known as "The Architect" of President George W. Bush’s 2000 and 2004 campaigns, talked about "Leadership in Today’s Economy," during a speech to a nearly packed house in the O. Wayne Rollins Center at the University of the Cumberlands Tuesday evening.

At the start of his speech, Karl Rove answered one question for the audience before they had a chance to ask.

"The answer is yes. Bill O’Reilly is just the same off camera as he is on camera," Rove said to a round of laughter and applause. "I knew you wanted to ask it."

Rove was the keynote speaker for the 21st Century Leadership Program.

He served as Senior Advisor to President Bush from 2000-2007, and Deputy Chief of Staff from 2004-2007, and is currently a Fox News contributor.

He encouraged the audience look at the current downward economy as a chance for opportunity.

"This is a moment where we not only seize the opportunities that present themselves in the years ahead, but it is also important that we remind ourselves as a country and as a society why we have become the nation that we have," Rove told the crowd.

He noted that today’s economic views are deeply covered by conventional wisdom and that often the economy isn’t as good or bad as we think it is.

He pointed the decade of the 1990s, and its technological innovations.

"We had Internet companies springing up all over the country, particularly in California," Rove said. "They didn’t need to show a profit. They just needed to show growth.

"The profits would come later, but unfortunately they didn’t come soon enough because we had that tech bubble burst. What was beneath the surface wasn’t really as good as it appeared."

He added that the converse is also true.

Much was made about the economy in 2008, and how it was so poor from 2001-2008.

"The size of the American economy between 2001-2008 grew $9.7 trillion a year in economic activity to $14.2 trillion in size by 2008. Our economy had grown 50 percent in eight years," Rove said.

Rove noted that today we live in a challenging environment that on the surface looks pretty vague with early signs of recovery, but a persistently high unemployment for some time to come and sluggish growth.

"We have concerns about an uncertain regulatory environment in Washington, and we are worried about hostility towards the traditional energy sources for America," he said.

"Finally, we have a new found concern about what this new fangled healthcare bill is going to do to our country. A lot of people are in economic despair. They are worried about the future and rightly so.

Rove told the crowd that they need to remember the responsibility of leadership in difficult times.

"Now is the time for prudent optimism. Now is the time for sensible expansion," he said. "When everybody is frozen, smart business leaders figure out a way to take the opportunity, take the prudent step forward, and do something that will pay off later.

"Eventually, our economy is going to recover not because of government. Not because of what they do in Washington. It is going to recover because of the inherent strength of American workers, and farmers and ranchers and business leaders that is what this country is about."

Tuesday’s speech was the fifth in a series of programs sponsored by the University of the Cumberlands and Forcht Group of Kentucky Center for Excellence in Leadership.

"Almost five and one-half years ago, I mentioned to Terry and Marion Forcht our desire to develop programs to promote values, such as patriotism, honesty, good citizenship, courage and work ethic," said University of the Cumberlands President Dr. James Taylor.

"The Forchts’ were willing to provide the resources necessary to begin this Center of Excellence and Leadership. Tonight is the fifth in a series, which hosts internationally known speakers recognized for their character and leadership."

The goal of the Forcht Group of Kentucky Center for Excellence in Leadership is to promote the University’s mission of leadership, service and growth.

During Tuesday’s program, six individuals were honored with leadership awards that were presented by Rove and Taylor, including: Ward Correll, Dale Henry, Jesse Correll, J. Charles Smiddy, Elmer Whitaker, and Jon Westbrook.

"It is obvious that each one has set goals for a higher, nobler calling in life, and they have taken active steps to pursue those high goals," Taylor noted.

The Knoxville Pipes and Drums lead the processional.