White House: "Ethical Issues? What Ethical Issues?"

In a rare television interview with CNN's "Inside Politics" Monday evening, deputy chief of Staff Karl Rove said "We strongly support Tom DeLay. He's a good man, a close ally of this administration." Rove suggested that DeLay "is going to continue to be a strong and effective majority leader for the Republicans in the House."

Rove blamed all of the ethically-challenged DeLay's problems on "desperate" Democrats, and said that he thinks everything will soon be resolved.

It's hard to read statements like that and not think that Rove might be losing his magic touch. However much I've disagreed with some of Rove's maneuvers in the past, for a long time I couldn't deny that he was behaving as a brilliant political strategist. Over the past couple of months, though, his instincts seem to be failing him.

First there was the Terri Schiavo circus, which clearly didn't end up working in Bush's favor. Now we have the nomination of John Bolton to be UN Ambassador and the nuclear option, as well as the Tom DeLay imbroglio.

Does Rove not understand that these are all serious distractions? That some Democrats would like nothing better than for the GOP to keep Tom DeLay around as long as possible so that they can paint every Republican candidate with his sleaze-covered brush? Or that confirming Bolton won't provide them with endless fodder and Yosemite Sam moments for the next election cycles? Or that allowing Frist & Co. to push forward with the nuclear option will prove nothing but disastrous in the long run for Republicans and for the Senate?

Get with it, Karl. Are these really the things your boss wants as his legacy?