Has Alabama "Luv Guv" Robert Bentley lost his political marbles over Karl Rove's reported plans to groom him as a candidate for vice president in 2016?

Karl Rove

When "Luv Guv" Robert Bentley reached a plea agreement on criminal charges in April 2017, he essentially signed a contract with the state of Alabama that, among other things, held he would not "seek or serve in any public office." The agreement was reached under the auspices of a court -- signed by Bentley, his attorney (William Athanas), and two members of the attorney general's office. To top it off, Bentley waived his right to appeal any provision of the contract and acknowledged that he was signing it knowingly and voluntarily, with assistance of counsel.

Most rational people, it seems, would realize that such a signed document was binding and rock steady. So, why is Bentley apparently planning a 2020 run for the U.S. Senate -- which certainly seems to qualify as "any public office," the kind Bentley agreed not to seek? (The plea agreement is embedded at the end of this post.)

Is Bentley irrational, a man whose clouded "Christian thinking" has left him unable to determine right from wrong? Has Bentley convinced himself that he is among God's "chosen ones" -- the elect -- so he doesn't have to worry about accountability? Has Bentley's ability to grope former political aide Rebekah Caldwell Mason in delicate places convinced him he has super powers?

We don't have definitive answers to those questions at the moment. But we have discovered an element to the Bentley quagmire hat might be illuminating.

In April 2016 -- one year before Bentley's resignation as governor -- we reported that GOP guru Karl Rove had been grooming Bentley as a possible candidate for vice president. Based on a report from D.C. investigative journalist Wayne Madsen, Rove was desperate to keep Donald Trump from the White House and thought Bentley might be part of a team that could make that happen. With his kindly "Dr. Welby" demeanor, Bentley might have been seen as the anti-Trump -- a white version of Ben Carson, M.D., who was making political inroads at the time.

Never mind that Carson performed brain surgery, and Bentley was mostly a Dr. Pimple Popper. In Rove's quirky mind, the white coat and "M.D." after the name probably were seen as magical. This is from our 2016 report:

Republican political guru Karl Rove was promoting Alabama Governor Robert Bentley as a possible vice-presidential candidate in 2016, but those plans imploded from recent revelations about Bentley's extramarital affair with a former senior adviser, according to a new report from a Washington, D.C.-based investigative journalist.

Wayne Madsen reports today that Rove's reputation as a strategic wunderkind took a huge hit with the stillborn presidential campaign of Jeb Bush. Now. Bentley's sex scandal involving Rebekah Caldwell Mason has raised even more questions about Rove's judgment.

The Bentley revelations are part of an article titled "Rove backing Cruz and Hillary at same time." Sources tell Madsen that Rove is desperate to keep Donald Trump from getting the GOP nomination--or from becoming president.

With that in mind, Rove is backing Ted Cruz in an effort to generate a brokered convention and cost Trump the nomination. If that doesn't work, Rove reportedly is planning to offer advice to the Clinton campaign to help overcome Trump in the general election.

The Clinton people had to be thrilled to know Karl Rove was willing to give them advice. ("Hey, Karl, we'll get back to you on that, OK.") And given that Trump, with just a little help from Vladimir Putin, bested both Cruz and Hillary Clinton . . . well, maybe Rove isn't such a guru after all. Shouldn't a GOP brainiac have seen the "Putin Putsch" coming?

Robert Bentley and Rebekah Mason

Rebekah Mason -- now known in Alabama as "Home Wrecky Becky," having cost Bentley his marriage of 50 years -- was front and center in the plan to spiff up the good doctor for the national stage. Writes Madsen:

The value of Rove's political acumen has plummeted in GOP circles since the collapse of the Jeb Bush campaign. Another political decision by Rove is also subject to ridicule. In the lead up to Alabama Republican Governor Robert Bentley's successful re-election campaign in 2014, Rove and his acolytes, who view Alabama as a personal political fiefdom, convinced Bentley that he would be a highly-sought-after vice presidential running mate in 2016.

To prepare for a spot on the national ticket, Bentley's chief adviser, and, as it turned out his reputed mistress, Rebekah Mason, a married mother of three, began acting as Bentley's fashion adviser. Among other makeovers, Mason advised Bentley, a former dermatologist, to ditch his trademark khaki trousers for Brooks Brothers suits.

Rove's plans for Bentley now lie in ruins as Bentley faces impeachment over his alleged affair with Mason. A leaked conversation in which the evangelical Bentley refers to Mason's breasts and buttocks has all but ended the governor's statewide political career, let alone any hope for national office.

Has Bentley, in the upside-down world of Trump's creation, convinced himself that he still has political appeal? Has Rove -- having gotten George W. Bush "selected" president twice, despite a DUI arrest and reports of high-level drug use -- decided Bentley can be rehabilitated? If Trump is indicted or impeached, might Bentley finally get to serve as the "anti-Trump," salving the wounds of the GOP base?

As Madsen sees it, Bentley might not be the only one in need of rehabilitation:

Rove earned the nickname "Turd Blossom" from George W. Bush for Rove's supposed knack for finding success in political adversity. However, Rove has recently become more "turd" than "blossom" in Republican circles.

The same might be said of "Luv Guv" Bentley.