Gabriel Sherman has an interesting article about what went on behind the scenes last night when Karl Rove had a hissy fit over Fox News calling Ohio and the presidency for Barack Obama. It not only reveals how Fox adjudicated a dispute between a partisan operative and what appeared to be a legitimate news operation but also just how much partisan operating Karl Rove did during what was supposed to be neutral election coverage - and despite the fact that he is usually presented with the bland description of "political contributor" or "political analyst."

Sherman writes: 

According to a Fox insider, Rove had been in contact with the Romney people all night. After the Ohio call, Rove — whose super-PAC had spent as much as $300 million on the election, to little avail — took their complaints public, conducting an on-air primer on Ohio's electoral math in disputing the call.

The episode "speaks for itself. It was live television," said a Fox News spokesperson. "Karl was in touch with the Romney people after he and Joe Trippi became concerned the call might be premature," said a Rove spokesperson. "It was then he found the Ohio Secretary of State website had roughly 7 percent more of the vote in and the two candidates separated first by 1,995 votes and then by 911."

Sherman also noted that although their decision desk stood its ground, "It was the network divided against itself, and Fox News' top producers held a meeting to adjudicate."

It's simply astounding that a political analyst would question the call of the decision desk the way Rove did. But it's even more astounding that Fox would jump to accommodate it.