Practically every day for the last seven years, Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard, has been the most shameless, unapologetic White
August 14, 2007

Practically every day for the last seven years, Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard, has been the most shameless, unapologetic White House sycophant in DC. In most instances, it seemed as Barnes couldn’t speak while Karl Rove was drinking water.

And while many of us have already had our fill of Rove retrospectives, you haven’t really read a Rove hagiography until you’ve read Barnes’ hagiography.

Rove is the greatest political mind of his generation and probably of any generation. He not only is a breathtakingly smart strategist but also a clever tactician. He knows history, understands the moods of the public, and is a visionary on matters of public policy. But he is not a magician.

I particularly enjoyed the reference to “any generation.” In other words, Barnes believes Rove may very well be the greatest political mind who has ever lived. (Jonathan Chait added, “Actually, I’m surprised Barnes’ qualified that statement with ‘political.’”)

For that matter, the “not a magician” line is, oddly enough, meant to be even more flattering. As Barnes sees it, Rove is a political demigod, but unfortunately some people failed to constantly listen to his genius, to their own detriment. Damn skeptics; didn’t they see the light shining around Rove’s head?

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