Looks like Karl Rove has a firm grasp of the obvious (shown here as “Boy Genius”):

“The profile of corruption in the exit polls was bigger than I’d expected,” Rove tells TIME. “Abramoff, lobbying, Foley and Haggard [the disgraced evangelical leader] added to the general distaste that people have for all things Washington, and it just reached critical mass.”

Or… maybe not (shown here as “Turdblossom”):

“Iraq mattered,” Rove says. “But it was more frustration than it was an explicit call for withdrawal. If this was a get-out-now call for withdrawal, then Lamont would not have been beaten by Lieberman. Iraq does play a role, but not the critical, central role.”

And always… deny, deny, deny!

“My job is not to be a prognosticator,” he said…

Which begs a very obvious question, Mr Rove. But why don’t you put some spin on this anyway while you try to work out exactly what it is that you are supposed to be doing?

“I see this as much more of a transient, passing thing,” he said. “The Republican Party remains at its core a small-government, low-tax, limit-spending, traditional-values, strong-defense party…”

Um. Okay. Can you give me something a little more based in the reality the rest of us have to live in please, Mr. Rove?

Rove is an enthusiastic historian, but even he has trouble coming up with a parallel for this wild week. “We may look back and see this as a unique expression,” he said. Republicans can only hope.

Not to worry, Mr. Rove. There are plenty of more enthusiastic historians than yourself who can find all manner of parallels… not only for this past week, but for the entirety of this administration. Thank you for your time… and for finally giving yourself a long overdue irrelevance.

Posted by: Monolycus | Nov 12 2006 7:33 utc | 3