Karl Rove tries to set the record straight on the stimulus, financial regulation, and the difference between opinion and advice on the Today show this morning. Matt Lauer does a good job in letting Rove speak, respectfully asking the right questions — especially in regard to David Axelrod’s potshot at Rove last week. Rove hits the slider out of the park at about the three-minute mark:

LAUER: How do you respond to that? Do you have credibility on this subject?

ROVE: Well, first of all — look — I’m not giving them advice. I’m commenting on what they’re doing. I’m sure even this White House would say that people have a right to offer an opinion.

Zing!  Rove does well in this appearance, even when (gasp!) offering advice to Republicans on economic policy.  They should refrain from issuing doomsday proclamations and incessant negative criticisms of Obama policy, Rove says, and focus instead on offering alternatives as often and as loudly as possible.  It will have to be loud indeed to get the media to notice; they bought into the Obama spin that Republicans just wanted to sit on their hands and watch the economy fail, despite at least two formal alternatives to Porkulus presented during the debate.

Watch through to the end to get Rove’s analysis of the Daily News article about the hard feelings between Bush and Cheney on Libby.  He thinks it’s “overblown”, which is not to say non-existent.