TPM notes legal and ethical conflicts in the latest partisan Bush use of the military:

[A]ctive duty personnel […] may not “Participate in partisan political management, campaigns, or conventions (unless attending a convention as a spectator when not in uniform).”

Now, we don’t know if these military personnel are appearing in uniform or not. And much of this probably turns on what constitutes a ‘political event’. But to my mind, an event organized by a Republican party official at the direction of the White House political office is by definition a political event. That’s just obvious, isn’t it?

Another question. We know how the White House political office knows who’s a Republican County Chairman. How do they know which active duty military officers in a given area want to make speeches supporting the administration current policies in Iraq? Think about that.

You know, it used to be when you thought about a political party that harnessed every action of government for partisan aim, and judged everyone through that lens, you were talking about Communists. I guess Karl Rove decided he admires Karl Marx after all.