"LOL!!! He always starts out everything with a Hillary story or joke as well. As soon as he gave us the background and said the vetting had been going on for a year and he was very happy, I knew we were okay. Then when he talked about Coulter and Michael Reagan, I saw the face of Karl Rove and couldn't quit chuckling!"
Hmmm....was Rove there when Jim gave you these strong words? Alas, that makes me a bit nervous.
I think all conservatives at FR would say that we love and trust Inhoffe and Coburn, and by extension you....and we love and admire GWB, but don't believe him to be deeply and passionately conservative. As for Rove, well, you gotta admire the guy outright. And you gotta be glad when he's on YOUR side and when he is hosing liberals. But sometimes he hoses conservatives as well and that hurts. I don't think anyone mistakes Rove for a deeply principled conservative...we recognize him for what he is, a tactical genius who is with us often - but not always. Rove really believes in keeping majorities with the people he supports. He has a way of uncovering those majorities that is uncanny. But he is not really one to look for to LEAD on conservative issues where we are not yet in the majority. That takes a Churchill or Reagan or Thatcher type and I don't see anyone in the pipeline who has that type of courage and moral clarity (that is unless Coburn wants to make a jump to national...).
The face of Karl Rove came to my mind the way Sen Inhofe was chuckling and enjoying every minute of it as he described Judge Robert. He described how focused the WH had been from day one on who they were going to nominate and how much research had been put into everything. The last year, in particular, they were vetting people.
It was his chuckle and twinkle in his eye that reminded me of Rove.