Reply #61: It Was Several Things, Ma'am

[The Magistrate]

Most importantly, it was done largely to distort the political life of our own country, with an eye to 'cooking' the '02 and '04 elections, by making it easy to slur any criticism of the regime as un-patriotic. The hope was that a generational re-alignement of our politics could be contrived by this device that would maintain Republican one-party rule for a generation.

It was because of this most important domestic motive that very little real thought was given to what was actually being done, and what its likely difficulties and consequences would be. Most fortunately, in the event, no consideration at all was given to the possibility of failure, and its consequences. the people involved simply took it for granted everything would work out as smoothly as in a Tom Clancy novel or a Die Hard movie.

Success, however, was the key ingredient in the political re-alignement hopes of Rove and his employers. The failure that has clearly resulted instead seems likely to achieve a generational re-alignement, in the opposite direction than the one intended. The Republican party has thrown away one of its chief electoral assets, namely a reputation among the people for greater competence in questions of national security and military affairs than the Democrats posses. It has been one of their major selling points and electoral edges since the days of Reagan, and they will not get it back, probably not ever.