All Intensive Purposes

Karl Rove apparently has been telling Republican Senators that they have to choose between upholding the Constitution and the GOP's electoral prospects this fall:

The White House has been twisting arms to ensure that no Republican member votes against President Bush in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation of the administration's unauthorized wiretapping.

Congressional sources said Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove has threatened to blacklist any Republican who votes against the president. The sources said the blacklist would mean a halt in any White House political or financial support of senators running for re-election in November.

"It's hardball all the way," a senior GOP congressional aide said.

The sources said the administration has been alarmed over the damage that could result from the Senate hearings, which began on Monday, Feb. 6. They said the defection of even a handful of Republican committee members could result in a determination that the president violated the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Such a determination could lead to impeachment proceedings.

Insight magazine, via TAPPED. I really have a hard time seeing the current crowd launching impeachment proceedings, even if they have the cojones to stand up to Rove on this one. The article continues:

Over the last few weeks, Mr. Rove has been calling in virtually every Republican on the Senate committee as well as the leadership in Congress. The sources said Mr. Rove's message has been that a vote against Mr. Bush would destroy GOP prospects in congressional elections.

"He's [Rove] lining them up one by one," another congressional source said.

Mr. Rove is leading the White House campaign to help the GOP in November’s congressional elections. The sources said the White House has offered to help loyalists with money and free publicity, such as appearances and photo-ops with the president.
Those deemed disloyal to Mr. Rove would appear on his blacklist. The sources said dozens of GOP members in the House and Senate are on that list.

It's not clear to me that appearances and photo-ops with the president will necessarily help candidates all that much this year. You would think that a lot of Republicans will be trying to create some distance between themselves and an unpopular, lame-duck president. Even with 55 Senate seats, would Rove cut off his nose to spite his face? (Actually, to keep the ears and eyes in line.) And I've got to think more of them are thinking like Chuck Hagel than are willing to say so out loud:

Some have raised doubts about Mr. Rove's strategy of painting the Democrats, who have opposed unwarranted surveillance, as being dismissive of the threat posed by al Qaeda terrorists.

"Well, I didn't like what Mr. Rove said, because it frames terrorism and the issue of terrorism and everything that goes with it, whether it's the renewal of the Patriot Act or the NSA wiretapping, in a political context," said Sen. Chuck Hagel, Nebraska Republican.

And then there are those like Hagel who aren't up for re-election this year. And he's not on the Judiciary Committee. Here are the Republicans who are, with the year in which they next face re-election:

Specter (PA) - 2010
Hatch (UT) - 2006
Grassley (IA) - 2010
Kyl (AZ) - 2006
DeWine (OH) - 2006
Sessions (AL) - 2008
Graham (SC) - 2008
Cornyn (TX) - 2008
Brownback (KS) - 2010
Coburn (OK) - 2010

Brownback apparently will be retiring, and I've heard the same about Specter, who was touch and go to run last year. It looks like Rove might have the most leverage over Senators Kyl and DeWine this year, in terms of threatening their own re-election rather than appealing to their desire to maintain Republican control over Congress. Which surely isn't nothing. Time to find out what the oath of office really meant for these folks.