In an article full of smears by Karl Rove, this one stands out for its egregiousness:
[Barack Obama] won’t break with trial lawyers, even when they demand the ability to sue telecom companies that make it possible for intelligence agencies to intercept communications between terrorists abroad.
It’s classic Rove. Those commonly referred to as “trial lawyers” aren’t pushing to hold telecom companies responsible for breaking the law – civil libertarians are. But technically, any lawyer who goes to trial is a trial lawyer – even though the term generally refers to personal injury attorneys when used in a political context. So, by definition, anyone seeking to hold the telecom industry responsible for breaking the law – because no law enforcement agency is pursuing the matter – must be a trial lawyer.
Yet Mr. Rove manages to insinuate, in a manner difficult to entangle, that the only reason Democrats are opposing telecom immunity is that their supporters – the “trial lawyers” are just after more ridiculous verdicts. At the same time, Mr. Roveis sowing discord among two important groups that make up the Democratic coalition if Mr. Obama tries to make the distinction between what the telecom companies want and what the civil libertarians want. It’s win-win for Mr. Rove.