Bait and switch

Karl Rove made some comments to a group of New York Republicans on Wednesday basically contrasting the philosophical precepts of liberals and conservatives. The remark that has Rove in "trouble" was reported in NewsMax as follows:

"Liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers." Conservatives, he said, "saw the savagery of 9/11 and the attacks and prepared for war."

This had Democrats - including Senators Clinton and Schumer - throwing a tantrum; asking for an apology and/or resignation from Rove. While I felt the Democrats reaction was a bit whiney, I was scratching my head over why the heck Rove made the comments.

There is no spontaneity to Karl Rove. Everything he does is part of some grand design, so he does not slip up by using ad hoc rhetoric. But I was miffed with his comments because I felt that Democrats were finally feeling some heat over Durbin’s comments on the Senate floor. So why the heck would Rove want to give the Democrats any dirt to sling back at us?

Putting aside the fact that Rove’s comments were 100% accurate, I now suspect his remarks are part of a broader strategy. There is an endless catalog of Democrats publicly disparaging our efforts in the war on terror and the troops. But Republicans have so far been kept from beating Democrats to a political pulp with their own words because they have successfully buffered themselves with the “how dare you question my patriotism?” defense.

But instead of employing this reliable – though passive – defense in confronting Rove's claim, the Democrats got a little too cocky, stepped up to the proverbial rhetorical dais, and challenged the veracity of Rove’s charges. They have effectively solicited a debate on this issue, and opened themselves to the litany of evidence against them. A complete review of every treacherous comment made by the left since 9/11 is now fair game.

Karl Rove: Genius.