Karl Rove as Machiavelli in the view from the Village Voice

village voice > news > Inauguration 2005 by Rick Perlstein :
"Forcing a guy who knows he's dirty but knows his bosses are dirtier to sweat out a congressional hearing is a perfect way to test his loyalty. It's also a great way to test Congress's mettle—to probe just how atrophied the opposition party's willingness to oppose has become. What's more, once you've got them through the ordeal, you've stockpiled one more scapegoat to toss into the fire in case Congress ever gets hot on the trail of the higher-ups who issued the orders. And it establishes a record for a future defense: Once Congress has confirmed a Gonzales or a Chertoff, how can it then turn around and call the things done by a Gonzales or a Chertoff unlawful?"

One doesn't like to say that maybe the other side has a point, but there is much to ponder here. Karl is smart, tough and bold. Whether he is all those things in sufficient measure to have engineered the sequence of events described by Rick Perlstein is something you will have to decide for yourself.