TRENDING: Rove: Palin lacks 'gravitas'

"(CNN) – If Sarah Palin is looking for a top political strategist to help navigate the waters of her political future, Karl Rove may not be the guy.

The former top Bush aide says the former Alaska governor has not proven to have the “gravitas” to sit in the Oval Office – and, says Rove, her upcoming reality television show is only going to make things worse.

“With all due candor, appearing on your own reality show on the Discovery Channel, I am not certain how that fits in the American calculus of 'that helps me see you in the Oval Office,’” Rove told London’s The Daily Telegraph in an interview published Wednesday night.

The senior GOP strategist, who, like Palin, is a contributor to Fox News, added that one of Palin’s comments in the preview of her new show is particularly harmful to future political ambitions.

“I would rather be doing this than in some stuffy old political office!" Palin is seen proclaiming in between scenes of kayaking and dog-sled excursions.

“There are high standards that the American people have for it [the presidency] and they require a certain level of gravitas," said Rove, "and they want to look at the candidate and say 'that candidate is doing things that gives me confidence that they are up to the most demanding job in the world.’”

The comments amount to a rare ding of Palin from Rove, who has usually praised the Alaska governor’s political talents in the past when asked about her role in the Republican Party going forward. Appearing on CBS’s Face the Nation last Sunday, Rove called the former Alaska governor “formidable,” though he dodged direct questions on her qualifications to be president.

But Rove himself has walked a treacherous tightrope when it comes to his relationship with Palin and other upstart Republicans with little political experience. It was just earlier this month when he found himself the object of Tea Party rage after declaring the movement “not sophisticated.”

And he also took heat from none other than Palin when he questioned surprise GOP Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell’s chances of winning in Delaware.

“Bless his heart,” Palin said of Rove. “We love our friends, they're in the machine, the expert politicos. But my message to those who say that the GOP nominee is not electable, or that they're not even going to try, well I say, 'buck up!'"

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/28/rove-palin-lacks-gravitas/#more-131391