Posted on 07/14/2005 8:50:13 AM PDT by phoenix_004
WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans are nervously watching the fight over Karl Rove's involvement in a news leak that exposed a CIA officer's identity, fearing that President Bush's chief political adviser is creating a credibility problem at the White House. While the president passed up another chance Wednesday to directly voice confidence in his deputy chief of staff, his political team engineered a series of testimonials from members of Congress who praised Rove and condemned Democratic critics. And Bush's press secretary, Scott McClellan, told reporters the president has confidence in his longtime confidant.
"The extreme left is once again attempting to define the modern Democratic Party by rabid partisan attacks, character assassination and endless negativity," said Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y., chairman of the GOP congressional campaign committee. The Republican National Committee, virtually a political arm of the White House, urged GOP lawmakers to go public.
Still, several top GOP officials - including some White House advisers - said the fight was becoming a distraction to Bush's agenda. The GOP officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of Bush's friendship with Rove, said the president may face a credibility problem because his spokesman said in September that anybody involved in the leak would be fired.
These Republicans, all admirers of Rove, said they were surprised and disappointed when Bush stopped short of publicly backing his longtime aide.
Their concerns were reflected in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll that showed a plurality of voters rate Bush negatively on "being honest and straightforward" for the first time in his presidency. The focus on Rove comes as Bush publicly wrestles with a Supreme Court vacancy and growing voter unease with his policies on Iraq and Social Security.
A survey of Republicans outside Washington revealed similar concerns, though few officials were willing to go on record.
"I think he should resign," said Jim Holt, a GOP state senator from Arkansas who is running for lieutenant governor. He joked, "I hope Karl Rove doesn't come gunning for me."
Meanwhile, Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, called on Bush Thurday to fire Rove, saying that the president's confidant had engaged in an "abuse of power."
In an interview broadcast on NBC's "Today" show, Wilson decried what he called a White House "stonewall" in the wake of the Rove revelations.
Bush said Wednesday that he would not discuss the matter further until a criminal investigation is finished.
"This is a serious investigation," the president told reporters after a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, where Rove sat just behind him. "And it is very important for people not to prejudge the investigation based on media reports."
Bush has passed up several opportunities to voice support for Rove, though the political operative's allies were told the vote of confidence was to come Wednesday. In a silent show of support, Bush chatted amiably with Rove as the pair walked to Marine One for the president's trip to Wisconsin on Thursday.
A federal grand jury heard more testimony Wednesday in its probe into whether anyone in the administration illegally leaked the name of CIA officer Valerie Plame in July 2003. Her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, a critic of the administration's rationale for invading Iraq, has said the leak was an attempt to discredit him.
Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper, who wrote an article that identified Plame, appeared before the grand jury for 2 1/2 hours.
Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, said in a statement, "Cooper's truthful testimony today will not call into question the accuracy or completeness of anything Rove has previously said to the prosecutor or the grand jury. If the prosecutor seeks additional information from Rove in light of Cooper's testimony, Rove will promptly supply it.
Each political side intensified its attempts to discredit the other on Wednesday, producing a flurry of press releases and news conferences.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and three other Senate Democratic leaders - Charles Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan - sent a letter to Andrew Card, the White House chief of staff, asking him to release results of an initial internal investigation into the leak.
MoveOn.org, a liberal advocacy group, announced its members would stage a protest in front of the White House on Thursday to demand Rove's firing.
A survey of more than a dozen Republicans who live outside Washington found most siding with the White House. "It's a tempest in a teapot," said Denzil Garrison, former state GOP leader in Oklahoma.
Holt, the lieutenant governor candidate in Arkansas, said he was assigned to the National Security Agency while serving in the Army from 1989 to 1996. "If I were an operative, I sure wouldn't want anybody to reveal my identity," he said.
The White House previously has said Rove was not involved in the leak. But an internal Time magazine e-mail disclosed over the weekend suggested Rove mentioned to Time reporter Cooper that Wilson's wife was a CIA agent.
Typical RAT propaganda from AP.
what a bunch of namby pambys in suits..
....the rats remind me of the Keystone Cops....
First of all, true Republicans don't get nervous and quiver and panic and cry Mommy- that's a Democrat characteristic.
Another example of the media bias.
No, that's too mild.
Another example of their complete abandonment of any integrity and journalistic principles ( what an oxymoron.)
David Gregory yesterday on MSNBC.com
Root of Rove Controversy is the War in Iraq.
"President Bush said Wednesday that he will reserve judgment on Karl Rove’s possible involvement in the leaking of a CIA agent's identity until the special prosecutor’s criminal investigation into the matter is complete."
"This is a serious investigation," Bush said at the end of a meeting with his Cabinet, with Rove, his deputy chief of staff, sitting just behind him.
"I will be more than happy to comment on this matter once this investigation is completed,” Bush said.
How do we know he lied? What worries me is that Rove may have leaked the name not knowing she was undercover. He may have just heard she worked for the CIA, and told the reporters that for their background. I'd rather believe that than that he abused his security clearance. And before you guys jump on "undercover", the CIA issued a "crime report" stating her to be an undercover operative, working for "Brewster & Jennings", a dummy corp, and that is how we got us a special prosecutor..
I don't think Rove lied to the feds at all. I think someone else did. My point is that lying to the feds is an easier charge to prove than disclosure of a covert agent. I also personally think that any indictments are going to be a surprise. Rove is not the target. Someone else is.
Interesting take--time will tell..
LOL Republicans aren't nervous. They've bothered to learn the facts and know that there is no 'there' there.
two words
Sandy Berger
Who's nervous? Yer dreamin'...what you think is nervousness is our side trying to hide our giggles waiting for the blade to come down on liberal necks.
Read today's Ann coulter. Anncoulter.com, or it's here in two places.
How do we know what Rove talked to any reporters other than Matt Cooper? Wouldn't they all be coming out of the woodwork now to say he leaked to them too? And how do we know what he really said to Cooper? All we know is what was in Cooper's email, which was conveniently leaked to Time magazine's biggest rival, and which only repeats his hasty recollection of what Rove hastily said. And we also know that Cooper called Rove, and called him on a pretext, as he was on his way out the door for vacation, and they supposedly talked about Joe Wilson at the very end of a two-minute conversation. I'm not convinced that any of it is true; more likely is that Cooper wrote the email and mde up the Rove comments to cover his ass before filing his fantasyland story about the supposed orchestrated White Hosue smear campaign against Joe Wilson. Who do you trust more, Karl Rove or Mandy Grunwald's husband?
BTW, I think it's pretty obvious that Novak's source was George Tenet. He had to have been pretty pissed when Joe Wilson's op-ed appeared and Wilson went on all the talk shows saying he was sent to Niger by the CIA. I think he never authorized Wilson's trip, he tried to bury his "report" because he knew it was bullshit, and when Wilson statted blabbing he had to do something. And guess what? He was fired! Does anyone else remember being puzzled at the timing of his resignation and the lack of plausible explanations? It's plausible that the President found out he told Novak about Plame and sacked him on the spot.
It's just as obvious that Judith Miller's source was Plame herself. She would never go to jail to protect Karl Rove, but she would sure go to jail to protect someone who had been feeding her classified information on WMD intelligence for years.
You are quite correct, my FRiend. If the 'Crats were to be in any way successful in this matter it would be the beginning -- not the end -- of a new angle of attack on our president during a time of war.
I am also concerned that the 'Crats' larger objective is to fester yet another crack among Republicans in the Senate on the eve of USSC nominations.
Maybe 3-card Monty is another good analogy. While everyone is watching the Rove misdirection, the White House is lining up the promised conservative judge nomination for the SCOTUS.
When is someone on the R side going to bring up Leaky Leahy's security breaches that DID end in loss of life for US intelligence personnel?
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