For Rove the 'rules' are:

Rules for thee, not for me.

And the 'rules' are whatever he makes up. Kind of like Calvinball (if you remember Calvin and Hobbes). No rhyme or reason, just what ever stuff he can make up to try and make other people look bad. Just another example of an alternate reality.

"I learned then that nothing beyond short term politics motivates Rove. Nothing."

Everything else Mr Sullivan and Mr Benen said is perfectly correct. But this conclusion is dead wrong, and diametrically so.
Rove's earlier observation ("deficits don't matter") and his latest maneuvers (deficits are evil, a threat to the economy, and a generational betrayal) are both part of a long-running and long-term reichwing game plan in which high government spending on projects that enrich favored sectors (armaments and privatized military functions, insurance and finance, pharmaceuticals) and specific firms (Halliburton, Goldman) is radically increased, and the resulting fiscal shortfalls are used as an excuse to cut social spending (health, education) -- and with an attendant fringe benefit of lowering pressure (union-breaking, off-shoring employment, and delays on increases in minimum wages) on employers to share the wealth with their workers.
This has been blatantly the Publican plan (supported and furthered by far too many of "our" leaders in both the Congress and the White House) since at least the day of Reagan's budget cuts, as was blatantly admitted by his OMB director, David Stockman.
TurdBlossom's real belief, which is perfectly consistent over any span of time, is, "Republican deficits don't matter; Democrat deficits are evil, a threat to the economy, and a generational betrayal."

They just don't grow evil as pure Rove. He is a one-off compunction free demonic entity. How's destroying the world going for you Karl?

Karl Rove is a douchenozzle.

Karl Rove is a douchenozzle.

And the container that comes with it.

@ smartalek:

Your analysis is fundamentally correct, but please don't slander the good Publicans of the world, who provide a valuable service to the thirsty and overworked.

If you want to drop a syllable from Republican in order to sneer at them (and sneering at them is a worthwhile pastime), try dropping the last syllable, and add a new letter. Replicant describes these festering barstids much better.

Rove doesn't know the meaning of "honest."

They should probably be known as the Rapethepublican Party, and their activities as Rapethepublicagainism.

Sincere apologies, Cap'n Chucky, for the apparent slam at the fine folk of the legal-intoxicant-delivery sector, but IIRC, that definition of "publican" is much more prevalent in the parts of the world that speak the Queen's English, than here among us 'Merkins.
I picked up the habit from a poster at 'kos (sadly, can't remember the name to confer proper credit) who was, I'm sure, implying the meaning which with the Teabaggers and Christianists would be most intimately familiar, and would thus trigger on instantly -- that meaning encountered most frequently in the context of "...and sinners," or "...and harlots," in the good ol' King James Version of the Word of our Lord.
Thus, the term is an evangelical dog-whistle, not unlike what the Rethugs do when they refer to "wonder-working power," or to Roe v Wade as the Dred Scot of our day, except of course in the opposite political/spiritual direction.
Since one of the greatest and most blatant (but least recognizable to the blindered and blinkered conservatroids) of the many betrayals of the American middle class by the Rethugs is the meme that the Rethugs always cut their taxes and LIEberals and Dim-ocrats always raise them (when as we all know, exactly the opposite is true for middle-class Americans), it's especially apt that the reviled publicans of the Bible were, literally, tax-collectors and tax-farmers.

Why don’t you mention that Lincoln Chaffee while a Senator mentioned that the Bush tax cuts were intended to impose on the next administration, the only option is to cut entitlement spending?

Hell will freeze over before anyone finds a Republican who is logically consistent. The mystery is why anyone would think that Karl Rove's opinion is worth publishing, much less listening to.

These people are "bullshitters." Bullshitters do not care about the truth and could care less if they are "caught out" on anything they say. They just make it up as they go along.

Every last Republican is a "bullshitter."

...he accepted certain beliefs as truths. He believed, for example, turning massive surpluses into massive deficits was entirely reasonable. He believed reckless tax cuts for the already rich were an example of responsible governing. He believed expanding the size of government, adding to entitlements, increasing the federal role in education, and putting it all on future generations' tab, was perfectly sensible. He believed fiscal responsibility was a punch-line...

Actually its clearer and clearer that he doesn't and didn't believe a f*cking thing!! He and his partisans have no core beliefs at all. They believe in whatever will give them power: today ABC, tomorrow XYZ.

At least some of them pretend to believe something, but its clear from their actions that whether its the economy, politics or sex they really have no core beliefs at all.

@smartalek:

Sorry to disagree with you, but Rove's real real belief is, "I'll say any damn thing to smear my enemies, even if I accuse them of my own m.o., and trust that the media will not call me on my lies and hypocrisy."

Rove's real real belief is, "I'll ... trust that the media will not call me on my lies and hypocrisy."
---------------------

God only knows how he could have gotten that bizarre idea.

We need to remember that for the last 70 years Republicans have been trying to repeal Social Security and repeal Medicare for the last 40. The Bush deficits were a deliberate attempt to force massive cuts to the SS trust and the big health care programs.

This is why Republicans think Republican deficits are OK -- the GOP uses manufactured foreign threats to drive massive growth in security spending in order to force the inevitable choice between the military and dismantling of social services. Conversely this is why Obama's deficits are bad -- when Obama achieves budget surpluses once again we will still have Social Security and Medicare -- and our troops will come home. At that point the Republican vision of the world (they're all against us) and the economy(God helps those who help themselves) comes apart.

Rove and the rest of the GOP are so blatantly hypocritical they are as good at hiding their intent as they are at governing.

Ever notice that vacant visage of Rove's? It is reminiscent of others' criminal photos - that vacant, remorseless gaze, neither understanding of morality or, for that matter, caring.

Money matters. Money for you and yours. That is power, and nothing else matters.

I wish that anyone who cites last year's and this year's deficits would mention the fact that the 2008 number is artificially low because of Rove's old boss preference for pretending that Iraq and Afghanistan were being paid for out of petty cash.

Not exactly on point but because Lee Atwater reminds me so much of Rove's character.
Lee Atwater:
1. 1981 interview in The Two-Party South on the Southern Strategy: “You start out in 1954 by saying, nigger, and nigger. By 1968 you can’t say nigger—that hurts you and backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states’ rights and all that stuff.”
2. As 1988 campaign manager for Republican nominee George H.W. Bush and in reference to Dukakis, Atwater declared that he would “strip the bark off the little bastard” and “make Willie Horton his running mate.”
3. In a February 1991 (died in March) article for Life Magazine: “My illness helped me to see that what was missing in society is what was missing in me: a little heart, a lot of brotherhood. The ‘80s were about acquiring — acquiring wealth, power, and prestige. I know. I acquired more wealth, power, and prestige than most.”

@filkertom

No need to apologize; yours is an entirely plausible alternative explanation. And even if it weren't, I still wouldn't be grievously injured by someone saying I'm wrong in terms much stronger than yours.

However, I would also suggest that in this case it's entirely possible that we're both right.

And while the fact that our two theories are mutually exclusive might pose an impediment in the real world, this is Karl Rove we're talking about, after all.
With Rove and all his ilk, logical inconsistency is not only no obstacle, it's central to their very existence -- as this thread and so many like it attest.

Didn't read all comments, so someone may have already pointed this out: my understanding is that Obama's deficit figure after taking office looks much bigger because he is showing Irag/War-Afghanistan/War costs on the books, rather than off the books, as Bush did. If this is the case I wish Dem talking heads would bring it up in their rebuttals. Dems are way too passive in letting Repubs control the narrative and apply their pejorative labels. They wrongly assume that voters are too dumb to follow this type of defense. Put out the facts in plain language and give the voter the benefit of deciding for himself. Bill Clinton used to be brilliant at simplifying arcane policy-speak. Other Dems need to follow suit. Howard Dean is pretty good at it, too.

What bos'n said. They changed the way they displayed the budget to include all the off budget crap that all previous administrations hid.

Sorry. The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly - that is what each of us is here for. Help me! Help to find sites on the: Help me to quit smoking. I found only this - tips for quitting smoking. Quit smoking, most medications you are to be used for graduating your smokers on most luckily smoothen chantix anti-smoking handful physical to eat smoking website quickly. It's a hard hospital and i made some of the workers he got about no smoking in his people, quit smoking. Best regards :rolleyes:, Ayame from Zimbabwe.

Amazing! Your article has a lot comments. How did you get so many people to see your blog I'm jealous! I'm still getting to know all about article writing on the internet. I'm going to look around on your website to get a better understanding how to achieve success. Thanks for the help!