REPUBLICANS TALK STRATEGY – AT 9:04 A.M. ET:  Karl Rove, who assumes Hillary will be the Dem nominee in 2016, gives the party some advice on how to handle her.  Mitt Romney chimes in.  I'd love for readers to write us and tell us what you think of their strategy.  From Fox:   

Former Bush administration adviser Karl Rove on Sunday cautioned Republicans against a 2016 presidential election strategy that focuses too much on the political history of potential Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

Rove told “Fox News Sunday” he was uncertain whether revisiting Clinton and husband Bill Clinton’s years in the White House would help Republicans win the presidency.

“It may,” said Rove, now a “Fox News” contributor. “But the trouble for Republicans is it’s easier to say what you’re against than what you are for.”

Republicans have tried to knock down a Clinton candidacy essentially since she resigned from her post in February 2013 as secretary of state.

And the campaign appears to have increased in recent weeks with the publication of historical, academic documents portraying her as “ruthless” and Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul questioning whether former President Clinton should be allowed to return to the White House, considering his behavior with intern Monica Lewinsky.

Also on Sunday, 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney warned against attacking the Clinton political legacy.

"I don't think Bill Clinton is as relevant as Hillary Clinton," he told NBC's "Meet the Press."

This is not the first time Republicans have been targeted for criticizing something or somebody instead of proposing their own ideas, most recently with ObamaCare.

“It’s more important to say what you're for,” Rove continued. “Anyone taking on Hillary Clinton -- Democrat or Republican -- had better focus on what they're for to contrast implicitly against Hillary.”

Still, he argued that Clinton’s roughly four-year tenure as secretary of state is relevant and fair game, particularly her role in the fatal 2012 terror attacks on a U.S. outpost in Benghazi, Libya.

“There are lots of unanswered questions, and they will continue to be an issue,” Rove said. “Families [of the victims] want answers. The questions won’t go away until the questions are answered.”

COMMENT:  We've argued here many times that Republicans must have a positive message, focusing on what they would actually do once in office.  Remember – the Clintons are vicious and terminally dishonest.  They will do anything to win if Hillary runs.  Lying is their way of life.  But enough American voters are vulnerable, and enough are receiving federal checks, to make the difference in an election.  If Hillary runs, she's the instant favorite.  The press will put its finger on the scale.  Our side has to have a brilliant strategy and a great candidate.

February 17, 2014