To me this guy embodies what's been wrong with this country for the past eight years. And it continues to be wrong because Rove, like Bush, Cheney and the rest of them, walked away with smirks on their faces. They knew they were untouchable, beyond the law, beyond morality itself. But then wait. There was Nancy on Rachel's show actually talking about holding these people to account. Dare we hope that justice will finally be served?

are just part of his larger strategy of attacking others where he and his associates are weakest. He also pioneered the attack-them-where-they-are-strongest approach. Obvious examples of the latter include attacking Kerry on his war record and Palin attacking Obama for not being well known (despite 100s of interviews, two books, and two years in the public eye).

One of the distinguishing characteristics of a major-league feckin' A-hole was a pathological inability to recognize that they were, in fact, an A-hole. Even when their own behavior was expressly pointed out to them.

You could wave this post under Rove's nose, have him sit down and read it, and he wouldn't grasp your point. He sees absolutely nothing wrong w/ his behavior. Why? Because he's a major-league feckin' A-hole.

That's my working hypothesis, anyway.

on the power of language.

My favorite line from Rove is this:

Continually characterizing those who disagree with you in a fundamentally dishonest way can be the sign of a person who lacks confidence in the merits of his ideas.

To re-word it (as Elephantman tried yesterday, with no success): "When you continually characterize those who disagree with you as fundamentally dishonest (that is, Republicans), you've demonstrated some mighty chutzpah that strengthens the the confidence in the merits of your ideas. Who do you think you are?!"

Ah, Rove. To bastardize Lloyd Bentsen, "I knew strawman and, believe me, you're strawman!"

I thought the same thing about John McCain - "Country First." Was he implying that Obama and his supporters were not putting the priorities the country first?

With all your direct quotations and primary source evidence. We all know reality has a well-known liberal bias.

I laughed out loud when I read what Rove perhpas believed was a righteous rhetorical flourish: "Which Republican ran against [Obama] on fear, conflict and discord?"

Hmmm, let's see. Between Mike Huckabee's poisonous back-woods bigotry, Sarah Palin's race riots, Mitt Romney's nightmare capitalist class warfare and John McCain's warmongering, I would say ALL OF THEM.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of a major-league feckin' A-hole was a pathological inability to recognize that they were, in fact, an A-hole. Even when their own behavior was expressly pointed out to them.

That's what I think. I believe the majority view is that people like Rove are completely self-possessed and fully conscious about their lies and deceit because they're some sort of Machievellian, master propgandists.

I think that gives them too much credit and isn't true. Pathological liars convince themselves that they are telling the truth. It's obviously only speculation, but I think Rove really does perceive of himself the way most journalists perceive him: as some sort of older, now-wise statesman who -- sure -- engaged in some political "hardball" all in good fun but was and is nonetheless a substantive, engaging thinker who "enriched" rather than "cheapened" the "dialogue of our age."

There may be some level on which there resides the realization of what he really is, but I don't think he wakes up in the morning thinking: "One of the things I do best is projecting and lying and deceiving and I'm aware I'm doing that and want to do it." Even the most wretched criminals typically delude themselves into believing that they're doing something noble, or at least justifiable -- often by hiding from themselves what they're really doing.

Ooh! OOH OOH! I know this one! Was it McCain? I seem to remember many instances of the McCain campaign running explicitly on fear, conflict and discord, so STFU Rove. I won't even bother to cite examples cause everyone should be able to think of some.

-- like both Bush and Cheney-- and it's not hard to ascribe to worst motivations to these sick people

GlennGreenwald

bamage

One of the distinguishing characteristics of a major-league feckin' A-hole was a pathological inability to recognize that they were, in fact, an A-hole. Even when their own behavior was expressly pointed out to them.

That's what I think. I believe the majority view is that people like Rove are completely self-possessed and fully conscious about their lies and deceit because they're some sort of Machievellian, master propgandists.

I don't know. I can easily picture him giggling to himself knowing how many left bloggers will get their panties in a bunch as it were over him being such an ass. Bush, yes, completely unaware. Rove, its possible he's aware and thinks it funny.

Eventually, I met with Rove. I arrived at his office a few minutes early, just in time to witness the Rove Treatment, which, like LBJ’s famous browbeating style, is becoming legend but is seldom reported. Rove’s assistant, Susan Ralston, said he’d be just a minute. She’s very nice, witty and polite. Over her shoulder was a small back room where a few young men were toiling away. I squeezed into a chair near the open door to Rove’s modest chamber, my back against his doorframe.

Inside, Rove was talking to an aide about some political stratagem in some state that had gone awry and a political operative who had displeased him. I paid it no mind and reviewed a jotted list of questions I hoped to ask. But after a moment, it was like ignoring a tornado flinging parked cars. "We will fuck him. Do you hear me? We will fuck him. We will ruin him. Like no one has ever fucked him!" As a reporter, you get around—curse words, anger, passionate intensity are not notable events—but the ferocity, the bellicosity, the violent imputations were, well, shocking. This went on without a break for a minute or two. Then the aide slipped out looking a bit ashen, and Rove, his face ruddy from the exertions of the past few moments, looked at me and smiled a gentle, Clarence-the-Angel smile. "Come on in." And I did. And we had the most amiable chat for a half hour.

Nice guy, huh?