Hillary And Karl, Sitting In A Tree - T-R-I-A-N-G-U-L-A-T-I-N-G

The Washington Posts Peter Baker reports that the 2008 campaign emulating Karl Rove's strategy is - Hillary Clinton's campaign.

As he packs his desk just 15 steps from the Oval Office, Karl Rove says he will not join any 2008 presidential campaign. That's just as well because none of the Republican candidates presumably could afford the association even if they wanted his strategic smarts. Besides, none of them is running the campaign quite the way he would. The candidate who seems to be adopting his style and methods the most so far? Hillary Rodham Clinton.

At least that's what Nicolle Wallace thinks. The former Bush White House communications director, who worked closely with Rove, said that Clinton "has almost operationalized the whole idea of turning your weakness into strength, message discipline that is almost pathological -- she does not get off message for any reason -- and never skipping an opportunity to exploit her opponent's weaknesses."

Clinton's campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, seems to agree with that assessment, having effectively vowed to run her operation much as Rove did his two successful national campaigns. "She expresses admiration for the way George W. Bush's campaign team controlled its message, and, given her druthers, would run this race no differently," Michelle Cottle writes this month in New York magazine. " 'We are a very disciplined group, and I am very proud of it,' she says with a defiant edge."

Well, far be it from me to give the Clinton campaign advice, but they might want to ixnay the Karl OvRe, if you know what I mean. Let's face it, saying your emulating Karl Rove's strategy in the Democratic primary is like saying you're getting parenting tips from Brittney and K-Fed. It's a bad idea, it seems amateurish and off-message. In short, it's something that Rove would never do.