…of course, is who did it? Leaving aside the Rove conspiracy theories (does anyone other than Chris (the Weasel) Lehane take that seriously?), the motive is certainly clear. To genuinely smear (I use that phrase to distinguish it from the criticism of Kerry that has been mischaracterized as a smear) George Bush in hopes that they can knock his numbers down.

If they did get it from the DNC, I’d like to be shocked, but after everything that happened throughout the nineties, it’s no longer possible to be. But in just what kind of moral and intellectual swamp does such a creature reside who would do such a thing? Clearly, now as in the Clinton years, political victory trumps truth and honor.

The other question, of course, is why were they so dumb to think that they’d get away with what looks to be, in retrospect, an obvious forgery, for a large number of reasons? Sure, they could expect dumbbell Dan to eagerly run with it unexamined, but did they really think that no one else would notice? It is worth asking, though, if absent the blogger analysis, the other nets would have questioned it, or if they would have just echoed CBS.

Of course, if one wants to get into weird conspiracy theories, there are other people besides Karl Rove who would like to see Kerry’s campaign destroyed if it can be done without their fingerprints on it. Their legal residence is Chappaqua, New York.

[Update at 1:20 PM EDT]

Gerard Vanderleun has further thoughts.