He’s not technically “against her,” but in rattling off her dirty laundry instead of giving the standard “we need to unite” post-election pep talk, he’s notably out of step with most of the rest of the righty punditocracy today. It’s too bad, although after last night’s infamous appearance on Hannity, he’s sure to be a RINO scapegoat in November if she loses no matter what he says or does now. Better to have him up there on the ledge where he can be pushed than to have him climb down, no? Castle, who’s refused to endorse her thus far, also really needs to put his hard feelings aside and do the right thing here. Even with today’s fundraising bonanza, the only shot she has at the seat is more money, money, money, but his donors are wavering and may walk away in loyalty if he holds a grudge. Must be tough for Castle to hear repeatedly that he’s a cancer on the GOP whose victory would set back the conservative cause even more than a Democratic win and then, in a moment’s notice, be told that the GOP’s survival in Delaware depends on his endorsement. But politics is a tough business. Patterico managed to put his hard feelings aside to back her. How about it, Mike?

One fun possibility to mull over here: A commenter e-mailed this morning wondering whether Rove might be deliberately antagonizing tea partiers to keep them angry and motivated and donating to O’Donnell. I don’t buy it, but Rove’s just Machiavellian enough that I can’t bring myself to discount it entirely either. If the only shot at this seat now is to generate massive Republican turnout, and if a surefire way to generate that turnout is to give them an establishment boogeyman to “send a message” to, then why wouldn’t Rove be that boogeyman? Him and Rush, playing good cop/bad cop! A bit too clever by half, right? Ah well.