Rove's luck has struck again, with Justice William Rehnquist's death giving the Sunday shows something to talk about besides What Went Wrong in New Orleans.
What's bad about it is that Rove, as I have said many times before, doesn't know that he's luckier than he will ever be good, and it appears that he's doing another "Rove-a-Dope" -- that is, just waiting until a controversy punches itself out -- when it's easier and simpler to kill it with cold hard facts.
Rove has failed to trumpet accomplishments and achievements of Bush's economy and foreign policy and let lies, misconceptions and half-truths about Bush, Cheney, Cabinet figures, court nominees, and others go unanswered for at least a day several times in the past five years. But this slow response to criticism (much of it valid, most of it not) to the reaction of the Federal Government to Katrina has not only damaged the reputation of this President, but the reputation of the United States throughout the world.
I am not worried about the investigation into the Plame kerfuffle; I would be surprised if Rove was found guilty of doing anything besides trying to make sure the truth was told about Joe Wilson. I also believe that there is nothing Rove does that other consultants couldn't do just as well or better -- after all, look at Bush's approval numbers. That's not a "genius" at work.
Who's side are you on ?
I agree with you about the WH's poor public relations/communications team. That's been the one truly weak link in this administration literally since GWB was inaugurated January 20, 2000. However, not knowing how the PR team is set up in the WH, I don't know who to point a finger at. Rove is the President's top political advisor. There is a separate communications director. Currently that's Dan Bartlett.