White House Iraq Group Established for Crisis-Driven Institutional Coordination

Chief of Staff Andrew Card forms White House Iraq Group (WHIG), chaired by Karl Rove, to coordinate systematic messaging strategy for Iraq War. Group includes key Powell Memo-aligned figures including communications strategists Karen Hughes, Mary Matalin, and policy coordination through Condoleezza Rice and Scooter Libby. WHIG represents first large-scale implementation of Powell Memo crisis-exploitation template for rapid institutional capture acceleration, strategically crafting a public relations narrative to build support for the Iraq invasion by leveraging post-9/11 security fears.