The American Spectator

If the Democracy Corps polling is to be believed, with the Democrats holding a 9-point advantage in battleground districts, it paints a darkening picture that began with the Gallup Organization’s review of polling data for 2001-2005 revealing pronounced shifts in party identification and independent voters in favor of the Democrats. (I discussed these data on this site back in February.)

THIS BRINGS US BACK to Karl Rove’s visit to Marquette to rally the troops and survey the field of battle in the Great Lakes State. While a case could be made that a trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is a great way to beat the neo-tropical summer heat in Washington, Rove is not the kind of guy to just throw a dart at the map, just aiming for someplace north of the 45th parallel or higher. He is a relentless competitor, ever “On the Offensive,” to use a phrase from Greenberg et al.

I am not sure I would have picked Bart Stupak as a potential prey for a GOP pick-up in Michigan, but I am not as smart as Karl Rove. The Prussian military theorist, Clausewitz, cautioned military leaders to anticipate the independent will of the opposition as part of the inevitable fog and friction of warfare.

Karl Rove looks like he is trying to create a bit of friction for the Michigan Democratic Party way up north.