National Review Online's Jim Geraghty and Nick Confessore of the leftwing American Prospect are in rare bipartisan agreement: Karl Rove's strategies could have the Democrats feeling increasingly boxed in. Confessore writes:

It's a good strategy: Hit the Democrats at their weak points and force them into a defensive crouch. Split them over controversial issues like abortion and gay marriage. Get them to defend the most unpopular incarnations of their interest groups. And so forth. Rove's strategy isn't designed to pass legislation that a majority of the country wants and is in the national interest. It's designed to destroy the competition, plain and simple.

If the Democrats play defense — if they try to split the difference, if they are reactive, if they simply try to slow or modify whatever George W. Bush proposes — they'll lose politically and, later, electorally, in 2006. So where's the counterattack? Forming a communications shop in the Senate minority leader's office is peanuts.

Ignore Confessore's comment that the Bush agenda isn't "legislation that a majority of the country wants and is in the national interest." The more significant point is that the Democrats have two bad options here: Try to go on the offensive on these issues, and convince Americans that they like taxes, lawyers, gay marriage and abortion; or duck a fight on these issues and infurate and discourage their base voters.

I'm sure DNC Chairman Howard Dean will put together a winning strategy.