Learning to Respect a Super Villain

Karl Rove doesn't care what I think. Karl Rove doesn't care what you think. When I think of him, I imagine him standing in a dark room, lit only by lightning strikes through the window, holding a globe and laughing maniacally.

Needless to say, I think of Karl Rove as evil, personified. I also find it hard to believe, but I find myself respecting him, as well.  He proved that he is the ultimate used car salesman when he pawned George W. Bush off on the United States for two terms. He was then cast off, returning to his Death Star to contemplate his next move.

Now he is back, as the brains behind the Super PAC "American Crossroads."

If you are unaware of "American Crossroads," it can be described fairly easily: It's the fundraising organization that, while unable to be associated with a candidate, can use their donor money to create attack ads against a political party, in this case, the Democratic Party.

If you read me on here, it's not too hard to tell what my political leaning is. I should consider Karl Rove to be on the Mount Rushmore of Evil. I probably do, but at the same time, I have developed a respect for Rove.

Why? He may come off as too smart for his own good, but he also understands politics on a level most of us cannot fathom. He was cast aside by the GOP in 2007 for reasons that largely weren't his doing. He's a political hired gun who has returned to campaign to oust the president and return the Senate to Republican hands.

I took the time to read a profile of Rove today for Time Magazine, and was struck by a couple things. Firstly, he isn't even that big of a fan of Mitt Romney. He has actually gone on Fox News on more than one occasion and been less than courteous in his assessments of the GOP candidate.

Rove, like me, is also not a fan of the Tea Party. The concept of a fractured political party is not something he finds to be a party's best interests. He's not particularly fond of Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, and the like.

Personally, I find the Tea Party to be the lowest end of the bell curve. All noise, no meaning. The Tea Party is a fad, like ankle warmers, New Kids on the Block and Tang.

The biggest thing that Karl Rove and myself have in common is Sarah Palin. Or more importantly, how she played a huge part in ruining John McCain's presidential run in 2008. Palin was not qualified in any way for the job.

Rove believes that Palin, along with McCain's inability to raise as much in funds from donors, were the main causes for McCain's failed presidential run. I'm of the belief that McCain was also felled by his inabilities to connect with people in the same way that Obama could during debates, losing his composure in the final ones.

But then again, to each his own.

I respect that Karl Rove was able to pick himself up, brush himself off, and get back in the game. In 2007, with the Bush presidency failing historically, blame was placed on Rove.

It was Karl Rove's job to take a person who had no business being president outside of his name, and then turn him into a viable presidential candidate, AND THEN get him re-elected.

When George W. Bush crumbled under his own inabilities as president, it was Rove who took the blame.

It's happened to everyone. Everyone strives to be the best at something. Whether it be at work or at home or wherever. Rove was the best at being an evil genius in the political battlefield. Whether you agree with his politics or not, he was good. I'm actually terrified that he will be good again.

And if Romney doesn't get voted in as president, then Rove will go back to public speaking gigs at $40k per appearance. He'll prepare for senate runs in two years. Most likely, he'll be back in four years, ready to knock the Democratic party down to size.

That's his job. He's a hired gun. He doesn't seem invested in Mitt Romney.  Doesn't seem convinced that Romney will be a good president. But he also knows where the money is. So he chases the paper trail. Day in. Day out. Just like the rest of us.

Here is hoping that Rove is wrong, that fund raising won't be the key to the presidency. Here's hoping that Rove will ride off into the sunset, having battled and lost. Will he, though? I'm not sure. I'm not a fan of Karl Rove. But man, I'd much rather have him on my team than the opposition.