Helping Old Friends

Sen. Collins' old friend Karl Rove is benefiting from the junior senator's lack of urgency when it comes to the campaign finance-related DISCLOSE Act:

A new political operation conceived by Republican operatives Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie formed a spinoff group last month that--thanks in part to its ability to promise donors anonymity--has brought in more money in its first month than the parent organization has raised since it started in March.

The new group, called American Crossroads GPS, has been telling donors their contributions would be used to dig up dirt on Congressional Democrats' "expense account abuses" and to frame the BP oil spill as "Obama's Katrina."

The GPS group pulled in $5.1 million in June, its first month in operation.

Mission accomplished?