Rove speaks, can't help but spin; what exactly is a "pre 9-11 world"??

By Lee Russ

Friday, January 20, 2006 at 05:50 PM

So Karl "am I indicted yet" Rove spoke to members of the Republican National Committee today, and continued to be Karl Rove.  Just to keep the universe from rupturing, Ken Mehlman also continued to be Ken Mehlman, but lets make this Rove's day.

Two things he said really struck me as the epitome of what's wrong with Rove specifically, and the current crop of Republicans generally:

"Republicans have a post-9/11 view of the world. And Democrats have a pre-9/11 view of the world."

"We need to learn from our successes, and from the failures of others."

On the first statement, what exactly do you suppose a "pre 9-11" view would be?  One in which there are three branches of government, checking and balancing each other?  How about one in which the constitution isn't just a "damn piece of paper" as Bush is reported to have called it?  Or, even better, one in which we didn't have to listen to every bellicose, 24-hour-a-day Republican spinning top lash out at American weaklings, traitor, enemy sympathizers, and America-haters?

Maybe its a view which shows an America capable of providing for its citizens at the lower levels of wealth, and understanding that a modern nation can't function without tax revenue.

I have a feeling that the pre-9-11 view was a lot better, a lot more realistic, and a lot more effective than what Mr. Rove thinks a post-9-11 view is.

On the second statement......geez, do I really have to discuss that?  "our successes...and...the failures of others."  No wonder they call Rove Bush's brain, they misthink alike.  Bush can't think of a damn thing he's done wrong--no easy trick surrounded by wars, debts, bodies, corruption and scandal--and Rove can't even contemplate learning from "our failures."

Probably has something to do with the old theatrical theory that if you ever once let the audience break the dramatic illusion, you've lost them forever.

Is there anything uglier than an actor who doesn't realize that the dramatic illusion has been completely shattered, who goes on emoting and elocuting, and executing grand gestures to an audience that is looking, ever more anxiously, at their watches to see how much longer before this bad play draws the curtain down?