Today’s reading assignments

The pseudonymous Doctor Zero, who posts at Hot Air, is, in my opinion, one of the very best political essayists writing at the present time. In this piece, he gets to the very heart of what’s wrong, not only with the Obama administration, but with the whole concept of the growth – the metastasis - of government. It is a bracing and inspirational bit of writing (and an excellent tonic for the spiritually enervating, albeit witty, prose of Hot Air’s resident Hamlet, Allah Pundit). Go read it now (you’ll be glad you did).

Also, don’t miss this article – “The Architect Has No Clothes” - on Karl Rove by C. Edmund Wright at American Thinker. A sample:

Truth be told, Rove's biggest architectural accomplishment is the Obama administration. By doing his part as senior advisor to the president to define conservatism down, he sullied the reputation and disoriented the understanding of what it means to be conservative to millions of half-informed voters nationwide.

How did this manifest?

It has had a disastrous effect on the outcome of elections across the country since 2006. Frankly, a case can be made that only the Democrats' Wellstone Memorial in 2002 and an awful Kerry-Edwards campaign in 2004 allowed the perception that the Bush White House had an effective political wing. I submit that they never did. With Bush leaving office at around 26% approval, no one debates that now. This was Rove's wing.

Remember the definition of an “expert”: some bastard from out-of-town carrying a briefcase.

Long-time readers of Tim Blair’s blog will recollect the running gag between Wronwright, Richard McEnroe, myself and others that was based on our membership in Karl’s fictional cabal of secret operatives. I hereby submit my resignation, and hand in my decoder ring, false beard, fountain-pen switchblade and, er, the extra set of keys that I had made for the Tardis down at Home Depot (I know, Wronwright, I know; but what would have happened if we had ever lost the original set?)

Finally, George Will puts government hubris in a fascinating historical context.