To the left of me, "cut and run", to the right, "sticks-in-the-mud"

As you're all well aware, Rove has unveiled his dumbing down of November cliché.  You've all heard the analysis and speculation (classic Rove..., turning a weakness into a strength..., will it or won't it stick to the Democrats...).  You've also heard any number of nuanced Democratic responses.  But it's asinine on its face.  People who are persuaded by "cut and run" aren't interested in nuance.  They need the comfort of a cliché, and Rove and his minions provide them with one.  There's no need to explain it, no need to justify it, no need to prove, just put it out there and repeat, repeat, repeat through to November.

So I say we fight a cliché with a cliché.  Bush and his GOP controlled congress are "sticks-in-the-mud".  Get excited about it.  Put your own spin on it:

Stick-in-the-mud Commander-in-Chief.
Worse than a do nothing congress, the GOP is a stick-in-the-mud congress.
Republican's have the leadership quality of a stick-in-the-mud.

Attach it to your logical, rational opinion piece.

Ahem!

The long and short of is this.  If you want to get the better of Rove, if you want to neutralize him and go on the offensive, each and every one of us has to march.  Because Rove's power is not his tactical genius.  His power is in his ability to get his soldiers to march to the beat of his single drum.

Stick-in-the-mud
Sticks-in-the-mud