Newsweek has announced that occasional essays by Karl Rove will be offered as a balance to the left-leaning articles produced in its pages by DailyKos founder Markos Moulitsas.

Two days after Newsweek said that lefty blogger and Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas would write occasional pieces on the '08 campaign, the magazine has announced the right wing of its "balancing" act: Karl Rove.

President Bush's former deputy chief of staff will deliver several columns through inauguration day '09 for the magazine, which is owned by the Washington Post Co.

The Trail, the Post's campaign diary, writes that the move is not likely to prove popular among liberals who believe the mainstream media have been too soft on the Bush administration.

"We want to give readers a feel for what it's like to be on the inside," said Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham. "Our readers are sophisticated enough to know that what they get from Karl has to be judged in the context of who Karl is... Readers will have to decide if he's simply an apologist."

Ho hum. We're not all that impressed with Rove or Kos. And we're certainly not interested in what Michelle Malkin has to say about anything. Why USA Today included her thoughts is way beyond us.

What we do find interesting is some of the comments concerning this story. Here is a sampling from the USA Today site:

sim wrote: 

"We want to give readers a feel for what it's like to be on the inside." Given Rove's presidential nickname (turdblossom) I'm not convinced many of us want to have a feel for those insides. Rove doens't need another forum--he's done enough as it is. Now he should go away, or let the Heritage Foundation pay his salary to work his satanic agenda. I won't be buying Newsweek if ANY portion of the sale goes to Rove. IDEA: Newsweek should instead hire a disease to offer balance to the health section.

Karl Rove equated to a disease. How interesting.

JesusWasPacifist wrote:

"Our readers are sophisticated enough to know that what they get from Karl has to be judged in the context of who Karl is... Readers will have to decide if he's simply an apologist."

--No, He's a rat jumping a sinking ship that is threatening to sink the US.

A diseased rat perhaps?