While others perfect their own "I'm rubber, you're glue" tactics, I continue to believe Karl Rove is in a league of his own. Today, for example, the former Bush/Cheney aide used his Wall Street Journal column to condemn President Obama for politicizing national security. No, seriously.
Looking back on the 2004 race, Rove said Team Bush offered "simple, positive statements and images" about national security, because he recognized the value of restraint.
[I]n March 2004, the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign released its first ads. One of them, "Tested," began with the announcer saying "the last few years have tested America in many ways. Some challenges we've seen before. And some were like no others." During this last sentence, footage of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon appeared. The ads, including this one, were so inoffensive that FactCheck.org called them "downright bland."
The problem, Rove added, is that Obama and his team don't realize that sometimes, "less is more."
First, this is all a bit rich from the Republican political strategist whose team orchestrated the "Mission Accomplished" fiasco nine years ago this week. As Rachel noted in a segment on Tuesday, "The previous president put on a flight suit, pretended to fly a jet onto the deck of an aircraft carrier that was parked off the coast of San Diego and standing under a banner that read "mission accomplished," he declared that in the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."
Sure, Karl, tell us another one about understanding that sometimes, "less is more."
Second, in the "rubber/glue" category of political figures attacking rivals for things they themselves are guilty of, Rove's level of shamelessness is becoming rather pathological.
Rove won in 2004 by relying on an endless barrage of attack ads, so he's now accusing the president of trying to win by relying on an endless barrage of attack ads. Rove has spent his professional life engaged in political sleaze, so he's accused Obama of adding "arsenic to the nation's political well." Rove ran a White House that embraced a "permanent campaign," so he's accused the Obama team of embracing a "permanent campaign." Rove embraced the politics of fear, so he's accused Obama of embracing the politics of fear. Rove relied on "pre-packaged, organized, controlled, scripted " political events, so he's accused Obama of relying on "pre-packaged, organized, controlled, scripted" political events.
Rove looked at every policy issue "from a political perspective," so he's accused Obama of looking at every policy issue "from a political perspective." Rove snubbed news outlets that he considered partisan, so he's accused Obama of snubbing news outlets that he considered partisan. Rove had a habit of burying bad news by releasing it late on Friday afternoons, so he's accused Obama of burying bad news by releasing it late on Friday afternoons. Rove questioned the motives of those with whom he disagreed, so he's accused Obama of questioning the motives of those with whom he disagrees.
And now Rove, whose team used fear of terrorism as a potent partisan weapon after 9/11, wants Americans to believe Obama is politicizing national security in a way the Bush/Cheney team never did.
I'm curious if Rove actually believes his own attacks, or if he just doesn't care anymore.
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Why can't it be both?
I don't think he's ever cared. Rove has been a pure BS artist from the beginning -- much more dangerous than a simple liar, because when coming up with attacks he doesn't waste effort worrying whether they're attacks true or false, only how well they'll work.
To a certain degree, I think he makes a deliberate effort to accuse Obama of everything Bush was accused of, so he can play the "both sides do it" media to insulate himself and his clients in the future.
Ever since Stephen Colbert introduced the world to Ham Rove I can't envision Karl in any other way. See the uncanny similarity. ;-) Now I can't help giggling ever time I see Karl Rove.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://totallylookslike.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/karl-rove-totally-looks-like-ham-loaf-with-glasses.jpg&imgrefurl=http://totallylookslike.icanhascheezburger.com/2011/10/16/karl-rove-totally-looks-like-ham-loaf-with-glasses/&h=271&w=401&sz=16&tbnid=3ZpD8cO0j07TkM:&tbnh=84&tbnw=124&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dham%2Brove%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=ham+rove&usg=__4EiVHZGXl5Ju7FUmpMzy5-s-B8c=&sa=X&ei=c_2iT-vvLLLUiALIkbCGDQ&ved=0CCQQ9QEwAw
I feel the same way, Maria--Ham Rove is brilliant! Can you imagine how it chaps Rove's ass that some peasant is making fun of his greatness?
"First, this is all a bit rich from the Republican political strategist whose team orchestrated the "Mission Accomplished" fiasco nine years ago this week"
What don't you understand, Rove along with the rest of the GOP ARE psychopaths. They are so hungry for power and to continue dismantling programs for working Americans and the poor in their quest for "MORE" - they are practically frothing at the mouth. Just when you think that the GOP couldn't get any lower, they find another level of low, mean spirited, immorality and the low information people support them anyway.
These people are dangerous because they have no conscious, no heart, and they use the low-information religuluous wing-nuts to push thru an agenda that disenfranchises US all - this is why they must be voted out come November 2012! To FREE US all from their insanity.
There will surely be some form of eternal retribution for such an inherently evil person.
He knows what he is doing he knows he is lying and he is handsomely rewarded.
What is the going rate for selling your conscience? I can not believe all these sociopaths were born that way. I worked in the mental health field for 35+ years and did not meet anywhere near the number of soulless people that I now see on the news in any given week.
All of these sociopaths were probably not born that way. They got that way as College Young Republicans.
nomoremagicalthinking:
They are beyond sociopathic as sociopaths don't understand that they are soulless. Rove and the gang know full well what they are doing and just don't care. They are in the realm of pure evil!
It's not "a bit rich" - it's disgusting, contemptible, reprehensible, morally bankrupt, malodorous, toxic garbage from someone who is a blight on the nation and who deserves, along with his bosses, to be tried and thrown in jail for lying the nation into war.
Rove? Bush's Brain?
Now think about that for a moment. This man was Bush's Brain. Bush, clearly the most.stupid.man ever to hold high office, and Rove was his brain.
Bush is still pretty toxic, even in republican circles. No doubt Rove is trying hard to redeem himself as relevant once more by going after Obama. No matter. He's never going to shake off the Bush's Brain title. Every time he shows his porcine face on TV, he'll be a reminder of how we got into the Bush economic mess we are in today. Every time he is quoted, it will be Bush's man chiming in.
Rove = Bush. Go ahead Romney. Use him as a spokesman. Heavily.
Think about what you said. Bush won. And I still can't believe it.
I'm curious if Rove actually believes his own attacks, or if he just doesn't care anymore.
I strongly urge you to consider the alternative that Karl Rove has never cared! Truth, half-truths, misrepresentations, lies... Does not matter to this disciple of
LuciferLee Atwater.Truth doesn't matter to Rove. The only thing that matters is winning. They are masters of projection because it has worked for them in the past. My only fear is that it will work again.
He is horrifying...as is the entire GOP BUT they have the money to make people believe this. They truly do not CARE about America...they care about winning and implementing their 'new world order'.
"I'm curious if Rove actually believes his own attacks, or if he just doesn't care anymore."
For crying out loud, Steve. You know as well as anybody else he knows exactly what he's doing. Nobody's that clueless, but it takes a special type of individual to be that nauseating unethical, dishonest, and immoral. It's the same type of individual like the former scientists that pretend to have reasons that AGW is not real. Only one word really gets to it: evil.
Dems knowing full well what is coming still aren't going to know what hit them.
Dems better get on top of this transparent and nauseating but virtuoso Goebbels act that just happens to work on the less intellectually capable.
This.
Stop being surprised. The attacks are coming. We know what they will look like. They need to be preempted.
I am no strategist, but we could start with "Rove, there you go again".
A thousand shrinks could not comprehend Karl in a thousand years. So why do you attempt to? I say if it walks like a nut...
I'd say Obama is doing a pretty darn good job if all Rove can come with is the "rubber/glue" attacks.
I'm more amazed every time Rove says something like this. Rove and his cohorts beat Democrats over the head with the 9/11 attacks (which, incidentally, happened on Bush's watch) almost every day for six or seven years. They never missed an opportunity to politicize that event.
Obama should follow their lead. After all, he did what Bush didn't (or wouldn't) do--get Bin Laden. There's nothing wrong with pointing out the truth for political gain.
Every single one of these comments are spot on. What bothers me a lot is MSNBC's desire to always have Republican representation and then just let them talk without confronting them on facts. I get the whole fair and balanced thing, but I, as a viewer, need the facts to counteract the people I talk to who can parrot Fox News.
MSNBC is better than the other channels at calling out Republicans on their stupidity.
That being said, Rachael and Lawrence are probably the best on the program that actually GET Republicans to come on their show. Chris and Ed will never get a sane Republican to come on the show because of their bombast, and Joe Scarborough will coddle any Republican who comes on Morning Joe and is even REMOTELY questioned by Mika...
Karl Rove? Oh, yeah. He used to be a big shot.