Karl Rove 'Delusional'

Karl Rove is leaving the Bush Administration delusional, deceptive, fanatical, according to an assessment of the interview of Bush's Brain by the Wall Street Journal's Paul Gigot by Arianna Huffington. None should be surprised.

The delusions are front and center. Gigot describes Rove as "relaxed" and "cheerful." So with Iraq an unmitigated disaster, Afghanistan slipping further into chaos (largely because of Iraq), Bush's popularity at an all-time low, his signature efforts on Social Security and immigration dead, and his dreams of a permanent GOP majority crumbling around him, Rove is relaxed and cheerful? The 2006 thumping must have left him positively giddy.

Rove also shows that he is not among the reality-based when he predicts that by Bush wielding his veto pen in the upcoming budget fight, the GOP will restore its reputation on spending restraint. Spending restraint? After six and a half years of watching a GOP-controlled Congress bloat the budget by 50 percent, and the promotion of a war that will eventually cost over a trillion dollars? What kind of pills is Bush's Brain popping? Or, after successfully selling the American people a double dose of Bush, does Rove believe he can sell them anything?

Rove's delusional thinking clearly extends to the times he looks in the mirror. In discussing the 2006 election, Rove tells Gigot that his biggest tactical mistake was not working soon enough to replace Republicans tainted by scandal. Uh, you mean scandal-tainted like yourself, Karl? Or have you forgotten all that stuff about leaking the name of an undercover CIA agent or your boss reneging on his promise to fire the leaker (unless of course that leaker turned out to be his right hand man)? And since "not working soon enough to replace Republicans tainted by scandal" was such a big mistake in '06, wouldn't it stand to reason that showing Alberto Gonzales the door now would be a good idea if the GOP wants to avoid another thumping in '08?