There is an old joke that campaign veterans toss around war rooms, bars and BS sessions. We say there are people who have worked in campaigns who say that they have lost some - and we call those folks operatives, managers, strategists, consultants; and then there are people who work in campaigns and say that they have never lost, and we call them liars.

The joke reflects an obsession with winning as the real benchmark of success in politics. By that measure, Karl Rove's career has to be deemed a success. He built the Republican party of Texas into one of the most powerful state parties in America.