Misguided Cheers for Rove's Departure

There was an interesting vignette at a staff meeting of the Seattle Times which resulted in a mild admonishment from the editor. The editor himself describes it like this:

NEW YORK No matter what you think of Karl Rove -- or anyone else in politics -- please keep it to yourself, or at least falrly quiet. That was the message in a note sent to staffers at the Seattle Times by Executive Editor Dave Boardman after what he called "an awkward moment at yesterday's news meeting."

What happened? According to Boardman in the latest email installment of what he calls "Dave's Raves" it was this: "When word came in of Karl Rove's resignation, several people in the meeting started cheering. That sort of expression is simply not appropriate for a newsroom....As we head into a major political year, now's a good time to remember: Please keep your personal politics to yourself."

The incident was described in a blog by chief political reporter David Postman. He comments: "I wasn't there, but I've talked to several people who were. It was only a couple of people who cheered and they, thankfully, are not among the people who get a say in news play. But obviously news staff shouldn't be cheering or jeering the day's news, particularly as Boardman points out, 'when we have an outside guest in the room.'

My question is why would anyone in the media cheer or jeer the departure of a White House aide? The reason is pretty simple. There's a mythology that has grown up in the minds of liberals concerning Rove and his role in our government. Liberals have grown to believe that Rove is not just a long-time friend and political advisor to the president, but is actually some sort of evil puppetmaster who with a flick of the wrist controls every move the president makes. Rove's departure signals the end of the Bush presidency to these misguided folks because they seriously believe the president is unable to remember to breath without Rove. It's nonsense, of course, but it's become an article of faith in the liberal religion.

Rove himself was interviewed by Rush Limbaugh yesterday and was asked about how he reacts to the constant criticism from the media. His answer was pretty balanced:

RUSH: ... You've been the brunt of all kinds of assaults and attacks, personally and otherwise, along with the president. How do you guys deal with it?

KARL ROVE: Rush, you ignore it. I mean, if you have to wake up in the morning to be validated by the editorial page of the New York Times, you got a pretty sorry existence. So the best thing you could do is just ignore it, plow on, stay focused. The president is very good about saying, "Look, we came here for a reason. We have an obligation on the country," and press on by it. I'll be hyperventilating about the latest attack on him by somebody, and he'll say, "Don't worry. History will get it right and we'll both be dead." So it's a good, healthy attitude about how to take it.

So, let the Seattle Times folks cheer. They're delusional if they think President Bush will wander aimlessly around the White House talking to the portraits without Rove's constant guidance, and they'll find that out soon enough.

UPDATE: In another story, Joe Scarborough describes his first night at MSNBC when the staff there booed the president's State of the Union speech.

UPDATE 2: Editor David Boardman has expanded his remarks to the staff in another memo which includes this memorable line:

I ask you all to leave your personal politics at the front door for one simple reason: A good newsroom is a sacred and magical place in which we can and should test every assumption, challenge each other's thinking, ask the fundamental questions those in power hope we will overlook.

The newsroom is "sacred and magical"? Where do they work, Hogwarts?