Ann Coulter puts the blame on Rove for this (in today's column, 11/4/04).
I would tend to agree with both Styne and Coulter on this - it should have been a Republican landslide - it was close not because of Rove's "genius" but in spite of his miscalculations.
In 2000 Gore was sunk by guns and the NRA - in 2004 Kerry was sunk by gay activism/abortion and the conservative Christians.
The Left STILL does not get it, as they continue to lose large sections of the country to those "knuckle-dragging" Christians and/or gun owners.
I believe it was the lies of 500 Bush-hating books, the Saudis in the White House, the Big Oil written energy plan, and Hefty Lefty's Farenheit 9/11 propaganda.