Karl Rove, Traitor?

This is almost too good to be true:
From Arianna Huffington’s blog (from kottke)

From Editor & Publisher (from Fark.com)

Essentially, the claims being made are that Karl Rove is the one who leaked the name of the CIA operative to the press. This has surfaced due to the ruling about confidential sources.

I’ll be updating with other links as this story develops. Part of me is wary to believe such a thing, although I would like to think Rove is perfectly capable of such an act, why would he?

Talking Points has a measured post about the story. With the Downing Street Memo and the gurglings in D.C., the summer is getting a lot hotter for President Bush.

I’ll definitely be watching the Sunday morning grandpa shows.

Is this going to be another loss for American media to bloggers? I sure hope that this story doesn’t die like so many during the course of the current administration.

Scary thought: what if Bush is impeached and Cheney becomes the President?

Scary thought II: What if it’s true about the lies?

Links:
Newsweek/MSNBC
ABC News with prosector demanding Times Reporters Testimony

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  • Wendy

    Why would he? Because he’s a total dick, drunk on power.

    Darth Cheney as President. *shudder*

  • http://spikenheimer.livejournal.com spike

    maybe cheney is leaking the info about it being rove who leaked the CIA op so that he can get into the big chair in the round office

  • http://mihow.com mihow

    Why would he? To undermine and screw with a Bush critic?

    After September 11th, Americans became critical of whether or not we were and are being protected by the government we put into power. Here, we have a woman who is doing her job to protect the American people. Even if someone should leak her name to the media, it never ceases to amaze me that our media personalities grab onto it like it’s a prize. After bitch-slapping whoever is responsible for leaking the information, I do hope that we spend some time (again) evaluating our ever so power-hungry, fame-hungry media personalities as well. Why would anyone proudly divulge this information when clearly it can only do us harm? Is nothing sacred?

    I hope all those who took part in possibly endangering the lives of the American people by leaking the names of people put into place in order to protect us are held accountable to the utmost degree. And I hope the dignified turn their cheeks on the media outlets who have made it entirely about themselves and the boost of their career. Perhaps the media should be screened as one might a government employee? It’s too bad there is no drug test for morality.

    I’m ranting again. Forgive.

  • http://natparks.blogspot.com// Nat

    It is naive to think that, if Rove is the culprit in this leak, the administration has not already started to deflect the attention to other matters. In fact, wasn’t Rove recently in front of the cameras blaming liberals for their lack of concern for our country’s safety after the September 11th attacks?

    I would love for this administration to be turned upside down by this revelation, but I believe, at best, Bush would become a lame duck for the remaining years of his presidency. Rove would be sacrificed in the media while Bush and Cheney circle the wagons and blame the same media for further “liberal bias.”

    As progressives, our focus should be on appointees to the Supreme Court. Believe me, this is what conservatives have been waiting for a long time. Judicial nominees as a battleground, not Iraq or terrorism, held larger sway in the recent election.

  • http://www.canyonjam.net erat

    Folks definitely need to be careful with this one. Rove has an alleged history of feeding things to the press in an effort to dilute volatile situations and distract us away from stuff that he doesn’t want us to know. Things like this are guaranteed to get a strong reaction from the left. Rove seems to be too careful to be guilty of loose lips. Everything that guy does has a diversionary stink to it.

    I’m with Nat: focus on judicial nominees. Also, now is the perfect time to slip by an itty-bitty unofficial declaration of war against Iran. If there was ever a good time for a big, stinky, Wag-the-Dog-esque political diversion, it’s now. All Rove needs to do is give Democrats permission to instigate and promote this diversion and all kinds of guano can hit the fan under the radar.

    Besides, we all know Rove will never do time for this if it is true. This thing smacks of maximum attention-suckage and minimum impact on anything of real substance. The current administration seems to be corrupt from top to bottom. Folks like Rove don’t do time.

    (Yeah, I’m reading American Tabloid. What of it?)

  • http://www.gusgreeper.com Corinna

    honestly, i feel for you guys. Canada’s biggest problem is worrying about what America is doing and what America is going to do next and that is scary enough thank you.

  • Tif

    Kinda makes Clinton sticking a cigar in his intern’s hoo-haw pretty boring.

  • 72feetabovesealevel

    I miss the days of peace, prosperity and presidents sticking cigars in their interns hoo-haws.

  • http://www.digitalcatharsis.com the mighty jimbo

    during the clinton administration, if this kinda stuff was going on there would have been a congressional investigator so far up his ass he would need a mining helmet.

  • http://www.canyonjam.net erat

    I read somewhere that the Democrats on the hill would have a hard time utilizing an independent council to investigate Rove because they did everything they could to poo poo Ken Starr-esque investigations when Clinton was being checked out.

    Just one more example of brilliance from our elected “representatives.” Dems have their “independent council’s suck” thing to bite them in the ass if this Rove things hits the fan. They own that one, and I’m sure they’re going to regret it. Soon, with the Supreme Court openings, I’m sure we’ll see Republicans kill judicial nominee filibusters, something that’s sure to come back in a few years to bite THEM in the ass.

    The fun never ends.

  • Nobody

    Mickey Kaus parses O’Donnell’s statements, notes the Newsweek coverage, and concludes this is probably going nowhere:

    http://slate.com/id/2121630/

    If you read further you’ll see his analysis of why overturning Roe v. Wade would be good for the Democratic party, and probably wouldn’t end up outlawing abortion.

    He’s probably right on both counts.

  • rebecca

    Regarding Roe v. Wade, Benjamin Wittes proposed the legislative path more eloquently in the Jan/Feb Atlantic Monthly (Letting Go of Roe.) It is an interesting strategy but falls short in terms of doing the right thing. What happens to the women in red states? Should liberals give up on gay rights? What about civil rights should we have let the South keep their segregation to cool the conservative base?

  • http://utenzi.blogspot.com/ Dave

    Mihow seems to have the right of it. I do admit to being surprised that Rove might be behind this. Not that I don’t think he would do it, I just think he’s more cautious. When 60 Minutes did a piece on this way back I remember it being pretty obvious that it was a partisan retribution for the husband’s actions. Typical for this administration—to be all red/white/blue on the outside and selfish and parochial on the inside.

  • http://mihow.com mihow

    The thing I can’t understand is why aren’t they coming forward with their source(s)? Is their source that high up and therefore unbelievably juicy? Are they trying to remain “honorable?” Did Valerie leak it herself? Have they been threatened?

    Why was it OK for them to have leaked it in the first place, but not divulge who handed it down to them? And how come Novak is being all secretive about testifying?

    Lastly, what in the fuck is going on?

  • Daman

    It’s actually quite simple:

    The reporters are all OT-VII scientologists and, they got their info from Xenu during their last audit.

  • Nobody

    They aren’t divulging their sources because they told those sources they would keep their names secret. If they tell the names, they 1) will break a promise 2) won’t be able to work effectively any more and 3) will make it a lot harder for their colleagues to work effectively.

    I’m not a big fan of the mainstream press, but I have to say their appreciation of at least this principle is impressive.

  • Mrs. Paul

    Scrolling through comments…..scrolling……
    Clinton…cigar…hoo-haw…STOP! (Sound of head going through windshield) WHere? Where?
    I miss Clinton. Slick Willie’s my hero. The mighty jimbo is right. They totally Pee-Wee Hermaned Billy.

  • http://mihow.com mihow

    Nobody, don’t you find it amusing that they’re quiet about their sources yet they blew their load immediately when it came to a CIA agent? I find that less than admirable. But then again, I hate our freedom.

    Just kidding. Of course.

  • http://mihow.com mihow

    Sorry, I didn’t finish that sentence above.

    when it came to revealing the identity of a CIA agent.

    Now, I will shut up.

  • Nobody

    But Miller and Cooper didn’t — it was Novak who published Plame’s identity.

    (And in his defense, I think he checked with responsible parties at the CIA who told them that while they’d prefer he didn’t publish, doing so wouldn’t endanger anyone. And I expect Miller and Cooper — and the NYT and Time — would have done the same thing.)

  • Nobody

    Hmm. Spoke too soon re: Cooper.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050706/ap_on_re_us/reporters_contempt_35

    With defenders like that, it’s a good thing the First Amendment WASN’T at stake. Geez.

  • http://sdmotors.net lee

    about the scary thought nr 1 .. that, no doubt, is the only thing that is holding W in office .. it is the fundamental fear of having a Dick for a president .. though .. well .. you already kinda do .. and no, i am not an american .. i just like to see one played on tv;)

  • karmachu

    nah. Bush’ll take Cheney down with him (err–Rove’ll take ‘em both). What’s really frightening is the fact that that would make Frist the Kitten Killer ( http://www.troyrecord.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=6576303&BRD=1170&PAG=740&dept_id=226958&rfi=6)
    president…

  • http://www.powerlineblog.com Kevin

    Please take a look at these facts and conclude if Rove and the White House would have any incentive to do any leaking about this issue.

    You can read this with the links at http://www.powerlineblog.com posted at 8pm last night.
    The quality of the reporting on the Valerie Plame/Judith Miller matter has been abysmal.

    [Ed. note: edited because I felt like it. Just post links and make your point.]

    All of this seems so obvious that one can only wonder what standards of evidence, logic and common sense the Boston Globe applies to its columnists.

  • Dez

    I’ll be bitter until Rove, Bush and that horrible horrrible man Bob “he didn’t break his hip, it was trying to escape” Novack are on the same cell block in federal “pound-me-in-the-ass” prison.

    Of course I have many other things to be bitter about including the fix being in for a chick from General Hospital (an ABC soap) to win ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. J. Peterman, you was robbed!

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