Rove: Joe Klein's 'Man Love' For Obama Makes Chris Matthews' Tingles Pale By Comparison

June 3rd, 2010 1:18 AM

Karl Rove on Wednesday said the "man love" Time's Joe Klein has for Barack Obama makes Chris Matthews' adoration of the President pale by comparison.

As Rove's radio interview with Sean Hannity began, the host told the former White House adviser, "You know, we now have guys like Joe Klein out there blaming George W. Bush for the oil spill."

Rove responded, "Joe Klein used to be a thoughtful person, and now he's just got a reflexive hatred of George Bush, and, and he makes, he makes the man love he has for Barack Obama, it makes Chris Matthews' man love for Obama pale in significance" (audio available here, partial transcript follows, h/t Weasel Zippers):

SEAN HANNITY: First of all, let me ask you this: You know, we now have guys like Joe Klein out there blaming George W. Bush for the oil spill.

KARL ROVE: You know, isn't that sad? Joe Klein used to be a thoughtful person, and now he's just got a reflexive hatred of George Bush, and, and he makes, he makes the man love he has for Barack Obama, it makes Chris Matthews' man love for Obama pale in significance. I mean, it is just sad. It is sad. [...]

ROVE: The unhinged quality of a mind like, like Joe Klein who has to immediately blame anything upon George W. Bush. I mean, this ought not to be about blame. It ought to be about what is the President, what is President Obama supposed to be doing at this point, and is he doing what he ought to be doing. And I admit some of the criticism of him is unfair on this, but a lot of it is fair. And rather than acknowledging that, some people both inside the administration and obviously inside the cadre of people in the media who can find nothing wrong with Barack Obama have got to find a scapegoat someplace, and I guess the president who's treated them with the silence of his, with the respect of his silence is the best person to dump on.

Readers are reminded that Klein said this past weekend, "[The oil spill] is more Bush's second Katrina than Obama's first."