Rove 101 By Molly Ivins

from my favorite columnist; Molly Ivins -- please read the whole column at the link above -- it's well worth your time (as always with Molly!).

from the September 2005 Issue

The pure joy of the whole Karl Rove/Valerie Plame affair is in watching the massive Republican spin-control machine in operation. Here’s Rove, who has famously gone after his political enemies over the years on behalf of any candidate he has ever been hired to represent, now unleashing his entire spin operation, perfected over five years in the White House, on behalf of . . . himself. It’s just so interesting to watch it work.

The entire Republican Party, under Rove’s whip, finds itself shocked (!) that anyone would suggest Karl Rove (!!) might actually go after an opponent’s wife in order to discredit said opponent. Oh, the horror. And Karl has always been such a sweet boy.

Any political reporter who doesn’t recognize the going-after-the-wife gambit as Rove 101 should be hanged for dereliction of duty.

One time Rove was displeased with the work done by a Republican advanceman. Rove’s response was: “We will f*ck him. Do you hear me? We will f*ck him. We will ruin him. Like no one else has ever f*cked him.” And that was a guy who was on his side.

Next we have that great Rovian tactic, the shotgun of irrelevant charges aimed at everyone else involved except Our Boy.