The American Spectator

Today, conservatives across the country owe a debt of gratitude to Karl Rove. Rove is either ridiculously clumsy in his political maneuvering, or truly Machiavellian in his scheme to see conservatives rise again. He either honestly intends to deprive conservatives of the myriad of victories which can only be achieved by returning to our principles and messaging them effectively, or he hatched his little scheme to invigorate conservatives by getting them to rally against his ineptly named PAC, the Conservative Victory Project.

Rove has managed to pull off something that has eluded conservatives ever since November. He has been able to unite a diverse group of battered, bruised, depressed, and demoralized conservative constituencies. They have galvanized into a united fighting force ready to oppose the moderate madmen who for so long have worked to undermine the principles that swept Ronald Reagan into office in back-to-back landslides. Rove has reinvigorated the conservative movement after a difficult electoral cycle.

One can only surmise the intent of Rove. He’s a crafty character, and he’s never been described as “stupid,” or “bumbling.” Yet that’s how the announcement of his new PAC appeared. And intentionally or not, it has indeed galvanized a wide cadre of conservatives against Rove’s newly announced effort to further soften the Republican party with squishy centrists who are adept at nothing but growing fat on the government teat. Is this all some terrible mistake? Or could it be that Rove is actually as smart as he seems to think?

Sensing the desperation and depression of national conservatives, perhaps he hatched this scheme with the intent to motivate us. After a long career of deceit and deception with the acquisition of power as his primary goal, maybe he intended his new PAC to rouse slumbering conservatives to action. Maybe Karl Rove has had a genuine ideological conversion and realized that he had to sacrifice himself and his own reputation in order to save the conservative movement.

Is it possible that Karl Rove intended the formation and announcement of the Conservative Victory Fund PAC to be the wakeup call whereby the rest of us would rally together to defeat the unprincipled moderates who have brought so many electoral defeats to conservatives over the years? Perhaps this is the culmination, and even the crescendo of a long career of deceit and deception. Maybe Rove decided he was willing to make the final sacrifice of his own reputation in order to reunite the conservative wing of the party in opposition to his evil plan.

Then again, maybe not.

Either way, the effect has been the same. Contrary to reports of a war in the Republican party, the vast majority of Republicans who have spoken publicly on the matter are now completely united in their opposition to Karl Rove. They are invigorated by the idea of a fight against the moderate machine that Rove represents. This is a very good thing.

So whatever his intent, I say to Karl Rove, thank you. Thank you very much.