Turd Blossum Out

I have a great amount of respect for a lot of people that are on the opposition even the dreaded Yankees. You have to respect someone that is good at their craft, even if they are your opponent. Derek Jeter, Magic Johnson, and Mariano Riviera are good examples from sports. I do have a lot of respect for some Republicans who's views are the complete opposite of mine. John McCain, Ronald Reagan, Colon Powell, and even a Karl Rove predecessor Lee Atwater. However, Karl Rove is the exception. No grudging respect for this cretin.

Most Republicans hailed Rove (Turd Blossom as Bush frequently refers to him) for getting Bush re-elected. Note: you can't hail him for getting him elected in 2000 because he actually lost, but that's another post. Rove's post 9/11 strategy of scaring people into voting for Bush worked for 2004.

I actually think his reelection strategy was similar to the OJ defense. OJ's lawyers effectively convinced the jury that there was SOOOO much evidence, it couldn't possibly be true. Rove's strategy seemed to be similar. It was to convince 300 mil Americans that there was sooo much evidence of incompetence, it couldn't possibly be true.

So why can't I respect someone that is so good that he can get a complete incompetent reelected? Let's start with Valerie Plame. While this case alone doesn't prove anything, it is very indicative of the way Rove operated.

Plame's husband highlighted incorrect statements by GWB on WMD in Iraq. As part of the White House scorched earth policy of silencing critics, he outed Wilson’s wife as a CIA agent. Never mind she was a covert agent working on Iran’s nuclear program. It was more important to silence a critic. This process has been repeated in the removal of the DA’s that didn’t support Bush’s agenda.

Eventually if you silence dissent and opposition you get things like the Iraq war. Where a bunch of like minded Neocons plotted and executed a failed policy. Even the highly respected Colon Powell was left out in the lurch.

When Bush won his second term, everyone assumed that with a Republican President, Congress, Senate and Supreme Court that Bush’s agenda would sail through. However, when you stifle dissent and fail your reluctant allies leave you when you at your weakest. With Bush’s approval ratings suffering, Bush’s tenuous allies deserted him. No Social Security reform, no Immigration reform.

Ultimately the failures compounded into the Dems sweeping the Senate and Congress in 2006. While Bush and Rove thought they were building a Republican majority for a generation, it turned out to be yet another failure on their part.

While maybe I am giving too much credit/blame for the administration’s failures to Rove, the man who often was referred to as Bush’s brain, he was clearly the chief political architect and strategies.

Now Turd Blossom is resigning and it remains to be seen how effective his boss will be without him.