The Incredible Something: Rove on Obama on Clinton

Sometimes irony can be so thick, so concentrated, that it is poisonous.

Such is the case with recent comments by Republican (expletive) Karl Rove, who criticized Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. CNN’s Alexander Mooney reports:

In an interview with CSPAN, the man behind President Bush’s two White House wins cited a recent debate in Philadelphia when Clinton was asked why more of her records as first lady have not yet been made public.

“He missed the opportunity,” Rove explained. “If he had stood there and said, ‘Senator, with all due respect, it is entirely within the power of you and your husband to immediately order the release of those documents. And your failure to do so reveals legitimate questions in the minds of the American people about what you might be hiding and it’s not going to be good for the Democratic party or for you if you allow those questions to persist,’ it would have been a moment, it would have been a big moment.”

This would be amusing save for the fact that this is Karl Rove.

First, Rove is seeking a two-for-one swipe, knocking Hillary Clinton in the same breath as he criticizes Obama for not being hard enough on her. This, I suppose, counts as good politics, but we ought not pretend that—regardless of whether we agree with the criticism—Rove is offering this in any spirit other than the advancement of the GOP.

Especially as this is Karl Rove. The idea that he is any position to criticize anyone regarding the release of historical records is laughable.

Of course, we will get much more of this kind of disingenuous analysis from Rove as he squares off with the Kos himself at Newsweek for the 2008 cycle.

No one loves you like a mother ….

Ye gads, that’s mean. At least, if you don’t get to have a mother. But it really does feel true. I’m thirty-four, and generally have made a wreck of my life, and my mother stands by me like no one else can. My mother is the embodiment of life’s blessings.

And in the beneficence of my mother’s faith, I share at least something in common with Christian supremacist, former POW, and GOP presidential candidate Senator John McCain. At 95, Mrs. McCain appears a dignified presence, as well as a modern woman who is not afraid to show a little knee. And she can still make her son squirm.

CNN.com’s Mark Norman reports for the Political Ticker:

When asked about former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s experience by Hardball host Chris Matthews, Roberta McCain, who’s campaigning in New Hampshire with her son at the age of 95, said “as far as the Salt Lake City thing, he’s a Mormon and the Mormons of Salt Lake City had caused that scandal. And to clean that up, it’s not a subject.”

Romney was selected to head up the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games after a bribery scandal tarnished the Games.

The elder McCain’s remarks left the Senator stumbling. “The views of my mother are not necessarily the views of mine,” he advised.

Mrs. McCain replied, “Well, that’s my view. You asked me.”

Tsk, tsk, Senator. Don’t talk back to your mother. (What? I couldn’t resist.)

After a commercial break, Sen. McCain further tried to distance himself from his mother’s comments.

“Could I just reemphasize one point? I think Mormons are great people. I think it should in no way be a factor in consideration or lack of consideration for Governor Romney,” he said. “I think it should never be a consideration and I know he will be judged on his record. He’s a fine and decent man and a family man.”

Oooh. Ouch.

Strangely, I think this episode does him some good. As liberals question his age and conservative outlook, I think it humanizes the candidate to show him fidget like a young boy still struggling to walk outside his mother’s shadow.