Plame, By Any Other Name: Does Rove's current position pass the smell test?

Wash. Post ^ | Monday, July 11, 2005; 1:21 PM | Dan Froooooomkin

[rface]

There is no longer any question that top presidential adviser Karl Rove is a key player in the Valerie Plame case.

[ snip ]

But let's look at what we can conclude from all this:

· The latest news reports indicate that Rove is the source who Cooper was trying to protect until last week -- and that Rove tipped Cooper about Plame three days before Robert Novak published his now-famous column exposing Plame's identity.

[ snip ]

· Rove and his lawyer's denials that he was involved in telling reporters about Plame now appear to be at best based on Clintonian hairsplitting about whether he literally used her name and identified her as covert or he simply described her as the CIA-employed wife of Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, the administration critic that White House was eager to discredit at the time.

· President Bush and press secretary Scott McClellan's denials that Rove was involved in the Plame matter now appear to be at best based on the position that their responses to broad questions about Rove and Plame were met with narrowly constructed responses specifically about whether Rove leaked "classified information." Or is it possible Rove lied to them?

[ snip ]

If Karl Rove, Bush's top political strategist, longtime friend and deputy chief of staff is actually indicted by Fitzgerald -- which now appears to be a possibility -- it would be an enormous blow to Bush's second term. Until Fitzgerald wraps up his highly secretive investigation, however, that's all just speculation.

So let's ask ourselves some more practical questions instead:

· Does Rove's current position pass the smell test?

[MamaLucci]

Has Karl Rove routinely hidden behind confidentiality to spread damaging information about the White House's enemies?

That's rich, coming from the WaPo, that all but ignored the Clinton's use of the FBI and IRS to exact revenge on their enemies.............not to mention using thugs like Pelicano to threaten women, and kill their cats......

[Texas Songwriter]

I agree with you. The special prosecutor has essentially known the people involved and their statements. I believe Mr.Wilson is having an obstruction of grand jury and perjury case being builty around him, and he is in a lot of trouble. We should know in the not-too-distant future.

[daybreakcoming]

If you saw Scotty McClellan at the PC - he was absolutely attacked by a couple reporters as viciously as I have ever seen. Is Scott is a better man than you or I to have remained behind the podium? I don't see how there is enough money in the world to take what he does but perhaps he is thinking of the book he will write when it is all said and done.

[daybreakcoming]

Maybe you missed the part where McClellan stated they had been asked by the Prosecutor not to make any statements from that podium concerning the case.
That said, I don't see how McClellan refrained from throwing the podium at a couple of the msm today.

[Reactionary]

"Read the briefing. It's damning for what he doesn't say in Rove's defense. That's troubling, no?"

It isn't "troubling" at all. It's the only intelligent thing to do. When idiot liberals are in a lather, the last thing anyone needs to do is to give credence to their stupidities by dignifying it with an answer.

The briefing was perfect. The spewing lunatics got absolutely nothing out of it.

[Reactionary]

"No. But it sure can gum up the works, and slow things down. And we are running out of time - we don't need to be in the position of having the clock run out on us on some petty BS like this."

If it isn't this, it will be something else. It's simply what they do.

After all, this isn't the first resignation they've demanded. They've gone after Delay, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Ridge. They've gone after everyone. And they've made an issue of everything. And guess what? None of it has worked.

This latest frothing lather is merely one of many. If it wasn't Rove, it would be someone else.

[Chuck54]

I see you are still here. I apologize for trolling you.