Novak Slams Rove

You can't help but notice when a GOP magazine publishes an article called KARL ROVE'S BLUNDER, particularly when the author is a certain Robert D. Novak.

But if you think Novak is going to trash Rove for his role in the PlameGate fiasco, you will be disappointed. Instead, Novak criticizes Rove for authoring Bush's Medicare drug benefit, which Novak calls "a political blunder of far-reaching consequences".

But while the Medicare angle provides the "hook" for the story, the article basically just slams the Rove White House on a whole range of issues:

This is the winter of Republican discontent, even if it is not openly conceded. GOP members of Congress live in terror of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal touching them. Once House Republicans return from their global junkets in about two weeks, they face increasing pressure to elect a new majority leader to replace Tom DeLay. The Bush Social Security reform concept lies strangled in its crib, while his tax reform did not even get that far...

The "no child left behind" education bill was passed in 2001 only after considerable arm-twisting of conservatives, but it has not produced political dividends. The president remains as unpopular as ever inside the education establishment...

Bush is essentially a war president, leading the nation to fight an unpopular war that promises no temporary victories much less a final one, and at best offers the prospect of withdrawal from Iraq with honor. He needs something to energize the nation in his second term, but he has failed to do that with Social Security reform and has not even tried with tax reform. There is no clear sign the president appreciates the size of his problem.

Naughty Karl Rove, letting things slip out of control like that! So what's to be done, Robert?

There is not much at this point that can be done about it, except to try to convince seniors and conservatives that the program is really not that bad.

Hilarious: it's a piece of shit but we are going to shove it down their throats anyway.