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Paul Begala: I Predict: Bush Will Pardon Rove
Huffington Post ^ | 8/7/2005 | Paul Begala

Posted on 08/07/2005 3:23:32 PM PDT by dila813

Arianna Huffington, Lawrence O’Donnell and others on this post have done a terrific job of staying on top of every new fact in the Plame-CIA leak case. I, however, want to go beyond the facts and engage in a little conjecture: George W. Bush will pardon Karl Rove.

I know I’m getting WAY ahead of the facts, but this thing has the smell of a serious legal problem for the Bush Administration. From the outside, Mr. Fitzgerald does not look like a prosecutor who sees wrongdoing but believes it falls short of criminal conduct, like, say, Joe DiGenova did when he investigated allegations that the Bush 41 Administration rummagedBill Clinton’s passport file.

The Bush team excels at political strategy. They pride themselves on seeing three moves ahead on the chess board. So let us look a few moves ahead as well:

Mr. Fitzgerald indicts Mr. Rove. Maybe for violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, maybe the Espionage Act (which outlaws mishandling classified information). Perhaps the charge is a criminal cover-up – obstruction of justice, perjury, conspiracy or lying to a federal investigator.

What does the President do? What does he say?

As a former White House speechwriter, I’ve taken the liberty of drafting the speech for Mr. Bush:

My fellow Americans. We meet once again in dark and dangerous times. I remember well the terrible tragedy of September the 11th, 2001. Today, we have the terrorists on the run, and yet they attack our soldiers nearly every day inIraq. They bomb tourists in Egypt, kill innocents in London and Madrid and Indonesia and Kenya. This truly is a global struggle against violent extremism.

This is not a conventional war, and it will not be fought nor won by conventional means. At the heart of our success will be tactics and techniques that I am not free to divulge to you -- strategies and secrets you will never know. At a time like this, in a post-September the 11th, 2001 world, preserving, protecting and defending our national security secrets is literally a matter of life and death.

That is why I was so angry when the name of one of our CIA agents was revealed two years ago. I vowed then to cooperate in every way to bring the wrongdoers to justice, and I have done so. But what started as an investigation into national security has gone off track. Those who seek to undermine me politically are now pursuing a course that will harm America’s security and could invite another September the 11th, 2001.

Let me put this as plainly as I can: the charges against Karl Rove are false. He is an innocent man. He was a strong and steady presence at my side on September the 11th, 2001. And he has a right to defend himself, his good name, his lifetime of service to our country and his wonderful family. The charges that have been filed against him are the result of a secretive grand jury proceeding in which Karl has not been shown the evidence against him, has not been able to confront his accusers, has not even had a lawyer present when he was questioned -- a right every murderer in every police station has.

But now that the secret grand jury proceedings are over, more than anything else, Karl wants to stand up in the cold, clear light of day and defend his good name.

But here’s the problem. If Karl were to explain how and why he is innocent; if he were to offer his strong and compelling defense in public, it would reveal even more of our nation’s secrets. The terrorists have CNN, you know, and Karl’s trial would give them a daily tutorial in just how we fight the war on terror. They would learn lessons from the trial that might allow them to attack us here at home, just as they did on September the 11th, 2001.

I cannot allow this to happen. I cannot jeopardize the lives of our fighting men and women -- no matter how much I love Karl and no matter how badly he wants to clear his name. I have not forgotten the lessons of September the 11th, 2001. And I will not allow anything to happen that makes another September the 11th, 2001 possible. And so, in an act of selfless patriotism, Karl has agreed not to offer any public defense. He has agreed to keep secret all the evidence that clears him. And he has agreed -- at my insistence -- to accept a full, free and absolute pardon.

Although innocent, Karl will pay dearly. Those who oppose our efforts to combat terrorism will vilify him. I would remind them that in front of the stands a statue of Nathan Hale. A noose around his neck, Hale stands defiant, about to be executed by the British for keeping secrets that led to America’s independence. Nathan Hale said he regretted that he had but one life to give to his country. Karl himself has told me he regrets he has but one reputation, but he is willing to sacrifice it for his country, especially if it helps to prevent another September the 11th, 2001.

Karl’s selfless act will end the matter immediately and allow us all to get back to the life and death struggle against those who hate us for our freedoms, and who attacked us on September the 11th, 2001.

God bless you all, and may God bless the United States of America.


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: begala; bush; cialeak; dummies; plame; rove
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To: Darksheare

lol!


81 posted on 08/08/2005 1:15:49 PM PDT by nicmarlo
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To: Darksheare

I suppose the FBI files were before Starr........so that "little" uncooperativeness doesn't count, either, right, darks?


82 posted on 08/08/2005 1:16:44 PM PDT by nicmarlo
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To: MurryMom
hey MurryMom...you WON'T ever answer me!!!

Aren't you glad that W was re-elected?

Aren't you glad KERRY lost?

no?

ohhh yeah tahts right!!!

you are THE WEAKEST TROLL I HAVE EVER SEEN ON FR!!

Goodbye!!!


83 posted on 08/08/2005 1:18:19 PM PDT by MikefromOhio (When Judge Roberts is confirmed, FR will be EXTREMELY funny that day...Get your PROZAC here!!!)
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To: nicmarlo

Not to the Murrymom!
Reality has no hold on her.


84 posted on 08/08/2005 1:18:46 PM PDT by Darksheare ("Just because I have a paper heart, doesn't mean tearing it is okay." -The man with the candy face)
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To: Darksheare; nicmarlo
And she didn't inhale either..

yeah but did she wash her dress?!?
85 posted on 08/08/2005 1:18:55 PM PDT by MikefromOhio (When Judge Roberts is confirmed, FR will be EXTREMELY funny that day...Get your PROZAC here!!!)
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To: MurryMom
Put down the Crackpipe and move away from the keyboard. The clinton regime used every trick under the book including the famous phrase "To the best of my knowledge..." to knowing lie to the Grand Jury. They used the entire DOJ to cover-up their crimes. Your rewriting history is stunning!!

Pray for W and Our Troops

86 posted on 08/08/2005 1:19:31 PM PDT by bray (Pray for the Freedom of the Iraqis from Islam)
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To: MikeinIraq; nicmarlo

Murrymom likes that secondhand vicarious living.


87 posted on 08/08/2005 1:20:16 PM PDT by Darksheare ("Just because I have a paper heart, doesn't mean tearing it is okay." -The man with the candy face)
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To: dila813
Disinformation totally....this tells me the whole Plame Leak is falling apart for the rats...LOL

It's a must to discredit Rove...otherwise, he'll help the next Republican win the Presidency AGAIN!!!

88 posted on 08/08/2005 1:21:18 PM PDT by shield (The Greatest Scientific Discoveries of the Century Reveal God!!!! by Dr. H. Ross, Astrophysicist)
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To: Darksheare

LOL

apparently


89 posted on 08/08/2005 1:21:40 PM PDT by MikefromOhio (When Judge Roberts is confirmed, FR will be EXTREMELY funny that day...Get your PROZAC here!!!)
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To: MikeinIraq

For her, the Clintons were the best thing going.
She could live out her fantasies without fear of actual rejection.
A pic taped to a pillow and she was happy..
So the whole Perjury/Impeachment/Disbarred thing totally destroyed her world.
She felt she needed to take vengeance.


So she graced us with her presence.


90 posted on 08/08/2005 1:23:52 PM PDT by Darksheare ("Just because I have a paper heart, doesn't mean tearing it is okay." -The man with the candy face)
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To: MurryMom
"The Clintonites cooperated fully with Starr's investigation even though no Starr never had any evidence of any crime whatsoever."

Historical revisionism is bad form, even for you liberals.

http://members.tripod.com/~GOPcapitalist/clintonpage.html#criminals

Kenn Starr's grand jury invesitagation resulted in:


91 posted on 08/08/2005 1:24:01 PM PDT by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
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To: Darksheare
Reality has no hold on her.

That's and understatement!

92 posted on 08/08/2005 1:24:57 PM PDT by nicmarlo
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To: nicmarlo

I know.
She rejects reality, and substitutes her own.


93 posted on 08/08/2005 1:25:23 PM PDT by Darksheare ("Just because I have a paper heart, doesn't mean tearing it is okay." -The man with the candy face)
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To: Southack; Darksheare

lol! great post!


94 posted on 08/08/2005 1:25:46 PM PDT by nicmarlo
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To: Darksheare

well, southack just substituted the REAL DEAL!!!


95 posted on 08/08/2005 1:26:21 PM PDT by nicmarlo
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To: antaresequity
Rove farted in the oval office again?...

No. In front of Nancy Pelosi.

He didn't know it was her turn.

96 posted on 08/08/2005 1:26:27 PM PDT by N. Theknow (If Social Security is so good - why aren't members of Congress in it?)
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To: nicmarlo; Southack

Saw that!
Thanks Southack for smacking the troll!


97 posted on 08/08/2005 1:26:28 PM PDT by Darksheare ("Just because I have a paper heart, doesn't mean tearing it is okay." -The man with the candy face)
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To: Darksheare

thanks for the ping......I needed a chuckle this afternoon...see you later, darks


98 posted on 08/08/2005 1:28:26 PM PDT by nicmarlo
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To: nicmarlo

Welcome!


99 posted on 08/08/2005 1:29:14 PM PDT by Darksheare ("Just because I have a paper heart, doesn't mean tearing it is okay." -The man with the candy face)
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To: Darksheare
Murrymom doesn't know the meaning of 'is'.

No, I understand that "is" means "present tense".

Only in the Republicans' attempt at revising history did the word "is" have any other meaning. If the Republicans had their way anybody disagreeing with them could be convicted of perjury and other crimes. Please remember that Kenneth Starr never indicted Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, or any other member of the Clinton administration for perjury or any other crime.

Reason: lack of evidence to support the Republicans' scurrilous false allegations.

100 posted on 08/08/2005 1:32:03 PM PDT by MurryMom
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