Take that, Joe Biden. And Rahm Emanuel. And you too, New York Times Magazine interviewer. In a recent chat, a testy Karl Rove says the VP-elect "has an odd combination of longevity and long-windedness that passes for wisdom in Washington." Asked if he engages in negative politics, the former Bush adviser says "No"—but insists Thomas Jefferson did by hiring "a notorious slanderer" to badmouth John Adams.
Rove also calls Rahm Emanuel a "head-in-your-face, scream-and-shout, send-them-a-dead-fish partisan," and denies having been booed off stage recently. "I’ve been booed on stages," he says. He saves his last barb for interviewer Deborah Solomon. "You're the one who hurt my feelings," he tells her. "I’ve got it on tape. I’m going to transcribe this and send it to you." (More Karl Rove stories.)