Another TPM Reader ads his two-cents ...

The parallel between the White House's attack on Clarke and the defense of Rove is spot on, but I think most people misunderestimate the effectiveness of this strategy.

By being scattershot and offensive, they accomplish three things:

1) they shift the focus off their own misdeeds

2) they create a level of confusing noise that makes the passive public stop trying to understand

3) they knock the subjects of the attacks off message

Let's not forget that Clarke did not win.

Yep.

Late Update: Another reader responds thus: "That is exactly why all the defense on this issue should not focus on defending each specific issue, but rather on continuing to repeat what happened. The administration put the nation’s security in jeopardy for purely partisan means, they revealed the identity of CIA covert agent and put at risk hundreds of people and years of work and they continue to lie about it. Repeat that everytime one of these people try to come up with an excuse. Don’t focus on rebutting the outrageous charges, that’s what they want us to do. Be on the offensive, it’s worked for them for years."