One man used political slogans, the other used the actual figures from the bill. In my mind, Karl Rove wins the debate on ObamaCare over David Plouffe on substance, although Plouffe stays cooler in the exchange. Plouffe’s stalwarts will obviously reach the opposite conclusion, but what’s most interesting about this exchange is that Plouffe never rebuts the charges of double counting or the sleaziness of leaving out the planned “doc fix.” Either Plouffe’s implicitly admitting to it, or he’s out of his league when it comes to arguing on the accounting.

“We will see if they pass this bill,” Karl Rove, who was “the Architect” behind George W. Bush’s two successful Presidential elections, said. “I hope they don’t. I pray they don’t. It will be an economic disaster for the country if they do.” Rove said that the health care bill used “Bernie Madoff-style accounting” and was an “gigantic disaster.”

“Karl and the Republicans would be familiar with that,” Plouffe retorted. “Under their leadership, they took us from big budget surpluses… to a $1.3 trillion deficit,” he said.

Rove hit back: “Look, you have run up more deficit, before this bill, in the first 20 months and 11 days of your term in office then was done in the entire Bush years!”

“Don’t be lecturing us about what you’re doing with the profligate spending that started last year with the failed stimulus bill,” Rove said, “and continued with your budget increases.”

“You will bankrupt the country, if this bill passes!” Rove insisted.

Plouffe responded with another jab: “Karl and the Republicans have zero credibility – about as much credibility as the country of Greece does to talk about fiscal responsibility.”

Rove, brandishing a white board with health care cost figures, interrupted: “For God’s sake, will you stop throwing around epithets and deal with the facts for once, David!”