Just what is it thatAdam Nagourney is trying to tell us here?

Nagourney observed that [RNC Chair Ken] Mehlman’s usual “bouncy confidence” was missing when they discussed the fall elections. But Mehlman tells Nagourney: “I’m not flipping out.”

Nagourney relates: “His White House colleagues and friends poke fun at his obsession with order and measurement, at his daily spreadsheet of to-do lists.” He quotes Karl Rove on Mehlman: “He’s anal-retentive, man!”