It's "Talking Points," Not "Research Points"

Lefty #1, Joshua Micah Marshall of Talking Points Memo:

When was the last time Karl Rove appeared at a public event and when was the last time he spoke to a reporter?

Lefty #2, the LATimes:

Rove also maintains contacts at leading news organizations and often provides background guidance to top reporters and editors, as he did for Cooper. These contacts are part of Rove's less-discussed role of crafting Bush's image, enforcing the strict Bush code of discipline and jumping hard on perceived opponents of the president.

"If you are at a senior level in Washington these days, you inevitably must deal with the media," said Terry Holt, a former spokesman for the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign, speaking of Rove. "He has good relationships [with reporters], and he's good at it. He has great credibility with the people that he deals with."

Marshall is supposed to be leading the Left response to issues of the day. In such a role, you'd think he'd take time to do a little research into his subject. But why let facts get in the way of rhetoric?