There have been other cases where Rove distracts the media by orchastrating personal attacks

This is textbook Roveist manipulation. Here's how it goes:

1. Get confronted with legitmate scandal against one of your own.

2. Latch onto unrelated trivial event pertaining to a visible opponent, no matter how old, and unleash the massive Fox/Limbaugh/O'Reilly Axis to field outragiously overstated personal attacks by an endless parade of ultra-scripted and disciplined surrogates.

3. Fuel attacks endlessly until "legit" media picks them up and gives them another 2 weeks of "legs" and/or until a better target comes along.

RESULT: News cycle shifts to Republican target. Legitimate scandal against their guy is forgotten.

Gee, is this rocket-science?