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Election versus a sitting VP during a time of “peace and prosperity”.

I credit Bush's slim victory in 2000 [a few hundred votes in Gov. Jeb Bush's FL and Gore couldn't win in his home state] to the legacy of impeached Bill "I didn't have sex with that woman" Clinton. Despite the fact that Gore won the popular vote, the electoral votes decided the issue. Rove and Bush were very fortunate. And so were we.

Reelection in the midst of an increasingly unpopular war

Rove almost blew the 2004 election against the most liberal senator from the most liberal state in the nation. Kerry made it a contest despite the fact that he called his fellow Vietnam veterans murderers, criminals, etc; had a phony war record; consulted with the NV and Viet Cong in Paris while still a reserve officer: participated in a group that advocated the assassination of US officials, i.e., the Vietnam Veterans Against the War; tossed away his medals; had a non-existent record of legislative achievements as a senator; lacked any charisma; and had a disagreeable wife just to mention a few of his negatives.

I credit the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth for the defeat of Kerry. Rove was afraid to go after Kerry's anti-war activities because he felt intimidated by Kerry's phony war record being matched against Bush's service in the air national guard. The SBVFT froze the Kerry campaign like a deer in the headlights for over three weeks.

Rove's strategy has been to co-opt the Dem issues like health care and education, which is why we have an $8 trillion unfunded expansion of the entitlement programs, the biggest since Medicare and the no child left behind program that doubled federal expenditures on education. The Reps received no credit for these programs and the Dems want to expand them.

Rove is a political handler who lacks principles and convictions. He is similar to a Dick Morris or James Carville who are more interested in winning in the short term than building a party based on a strong foundation of values and principles. We lost control of Congress in 2006 as a result. The GOP brand has suffered grievous harm. It would be unthinkable that the Dems would be considered by the public to be the party best able to handle the economy. That is changing now, but Bush's big spending ways changed the GOP's image.

Rove supported amnesty when the majority of Reps were against it. Bush signed McCain-Feingold when he could have vetoed it. Rove is a legend in his own mind and we should stop listening to him when it comes to the future of the GOP.

Here is what he said in November 15, 2008 article in Newsweek: Republicans must regain ground among critical voting groups. Voters ages 18–29 voted Democratic by a 2-to-1 margin. A market-oriented "green" agenda that's true to our principles would help win them back. Hispanics dropped from 44 percent Republican in 2004 to 31 percent in 2008. The GOP won't be a majority party if it cedes the young or Hispanics to Democrats. Republicans must find a way to support secure borders, a guest-worker program and comprehensive immigration reform that strengthens citizenship, grows our economy and keeps America a welcoming nation. An anti-Hispanic attitude is suicidal. As the party of Lincoln, Republicans have a moral obligation to make our case to Hispanics, blacks and Asian-Americans who share our values. Whether we see gains in 2010 depends on it.

Playing identity politics is a loser for the GOP.