Swing State Analysis,

Courtesy of Karl Rove

To his everlasting credit, the editor of Time Magazine famously rebuffed feelers from former Bush henchman Karl Rove (a.k.a. "Bush's Brain") when he left the White House in disgrace and was looking to begin a new career in "journalism." The sly fox, shown here with his signature sly grin, already had a gig lined up at Fox News, a right-wing propaganda outlet that plays a news organization on TV. And he was set to supply the far-right Wall Street Journal editorial page with periodic analyses. But he apparently wanted a more respectable mainstream credential as well, perhaps to prop up the fees he could command on the lecture circuit.

Not to worry, Time's archrival Newsweek soon took him up on the offer, which has occasionally led to some mighty awkward moments, like when he's opining on the news even as inquiries continue to swirl over his possibly illegal activities while in office. But Newsweek doesn't seem to find it uncomfortable, a sure sign that it continues to sink ever lower on the gravitas scale (hilariously, its editor recently publicly whined about how so many people seem to find it a less-serious magazine these days than The Economist. He seemed to be about the only one surprised by that).

Anyway, this week Rove supplies some of his patented state-by-state analysis of the swing states in the presidential election. Does it qualify as real journalism, or merely a subtle attempt to do what he's always done--help the Republican party win--only from a different venue? We report, you decide. But shame on you, Newsweek, for giving this weasle a platform.