From this week's Newsweek (you know, where the boys are), an interesting story of the Bush administration courting the press. Well, not any press: conservative bloggers, who have apparently proven their worth over the past few years. How do you know when you've made it? When you reel in the big fish - not only RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman as promised, but a super-special surprise visit from Karl Rove, sending hearts aflutter:

"Karl Rove is in the house!!!" wrote Matt Margolis, who was live-blogging the event for his site, Blogs for Bush.

There's no question that this is a significant acknowledgment of the power of the blog medium, but it's interesting to see the Bush administration (a) courting any press and (b) reaching out to this new media constituency. (And flattery will get you everywhere: "Rove told the group that he regularly reads their blogs and spent more than a half hour answering questions" (I am guessing that Rove does not regularly read Fishbowl).

It was, as usual, a canny political move; even as he "implored the group to keep the substance of his remarks off the record" bloggers were snapping photos and diligently liveblogging, ensuring coverage for a carefully-orchestrated press event while getting the bloggers on side.

Worth reading in conjunction with the Jan. 20th piece in the National Journal by Daniel Glover on the legitimacy of blogs, which I will link to as soon as I find it. Update: Found it.

Politics: No Longer Lying Low, 'Rove Is in the House!'[Newsweek]
BELTWAY BLOGROLL: The Rise Of Blogs[National Journal]

(image via I Love Karl Rove)