Karl Rove, receiving an award from the Conservative party of New York, surveyed the differences between conservatives and liberals

National Review, July 18, 2005

Karl Rove, receiving an award from the Conservative party of New York, surveyed the differences between conservatives and liberals. The "most important," he said, concerns "national security. Conservatives saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers." Democrats boiled up like a pot.

Senate minority leader Harry Reid accused the White House of politicizing 9/11, and demanded that Rove apologize or resign. The White House reacted with bland puzzlement. Rove, they said, was talking about MoveOn.org, which greeted 9/11 with a call for "moderation and restraint"; why were Democrats taking offense? Well, Rove had been a bit more sly than that. In his speech, he listed "MoveOn.org, Michael Moore, and Howard Dean" as ditzy liberals. Dr. Dean is, of course, chairman of the DNC. But that pushes the question back a step: If the Democrats are so hot for the War on Terror, why would they make a ditzy liberal head of their party? Your move, Senator Reid.