Republicans and journalists have said many times that Karl Rove was a genius planner of GOP campaigns. His M.O. of personal attacks was taught to him my his mentor, Lee Atwater, the originator of the Willie Horton T.V. attack add; when Atwater passed away, Rove took up the torch of the politics of personal destruction.
However, the last two elections have not been kind to Rove. During the 2006 Congressional elections, he maintained up to election eve that the Republicans would keep control of the Senate and House. Rove, however, was wrong and the Democrats won both chambers of the Congress. His personal attacks strategy was again on display for Senator McCain's campaign for President, but the voting public sent him (and his tactics) down to defeat again.
Mr. Rove's tactics represent a Republican party that still can not articulate what it stands for. It points out a lack of character when the party who has been in power for 8 years can't talk about their record or successes and most resort to lying about and distorting their opponents' positions.
