It seems Karl Rove might be tripped up by classic gangster hubris.
I mean, everybody knows that when a hit is called for, you imply it to some lesser guys, like Tom "Bucks Up" Delay, or Bill "Cat Killer" Frist, who handled that "thing down south" so well. They, in turn, despatch John "Faceless Staffer" Doe, who actually gives the lowdown to Bob "Soulless Shill" Novak.
And if Bob "Soulless Shill" Novak recognizes that this is, indeed, a big hit, he might want confirmation, but the meeting is always for something else, like how the cannolli quality at Little Pete's is going downhill, and thus Karl "Turdblossom" Rove isn't anywhere near where the bullets start to fly.
That's how it's done.
Whenever a Godfather goes down, it's always that moment when he can't resist the pull of the old days, when it was his hand who tucked the misleading press release into the media packet, when it was his voice on the phone whispering sweet lies into receptive ears. Running an Evil Empire from a posh office, surrounded by unquestioning minions...it just isn't the same. That pull of the street comes calling, from back when a man did his own dirty work.
Back when it was personal.
It seems Karl Rove really wanted to do this one himself. And like any gangster caught red handed, the usual screens go up, about how it was just business, and competitors are behind this, and he's really not that important, just a humble snake oil salesman.
It's so...American.