Rehabilitating Rove

The most unfortunate awards season of the year is heating up in Washington, when the most powerful pencilnecks of every political stripe gather to backslap and drink more spritzers than mommy would ever let them have at home. The performance of Karl Rove at the Radio and Television Correspondents' dinner last night has garnered the usual weirdly fawning coverage, as though political figures are supposed to get brownie points for being good sports. We find it more fascinating, actually, that the dark prince has the confidence to mug so badly like this -- it doesn't suggest humility or a good nature to us as much as one raging ego. (And David Gregory: We like you better cranky.)