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Rove Exposed - Bush Impeachment

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23:24 / 11.07.05

In case people haven't been following this story, the short version is that in 2003 someone leaked the name of an undercover CIA agent (Valerie Plame) to the press, seemingly in retaliation for her husband's (Joseph Wilson's) trip to Nigeria to investigate the President's claim that Iraq was trying to buy uranium there, whereafter Wilson stated that Bush was exaggerating so that we could go to war.

It quickly gets weird... the leak originally appeared in a column by Robert Novak. TIME reporter Matt Cooper later wrote about it on TIME.com, and NY Times reporter Judith Miller investigated the story but never wrote it. Oddly, nothing happened to Novak but Cooper & Miller were subpoenaed by a grand jury recently and pressured to release their sources. Miller was found in contempt and sent to jail. Cooper stalled & then said his source had given him the go-ahead to release his identity.

The Leak: Karl Rove.

When Plame's identity was first leaked, Bush made a big deal of condemning the leak and stating that it was a grave offense and he really didn't think it was anyone in his administration but if it was they would be fired. Now, of course, he's being conspicuously silent on the issue.

I would love to believe that THIS, FINALLY will be the first domino to bringing down a staggeringly corrupt White House, but I think you and I are both expecting this to just die, like everything else has. In fact, Rove's practically coming right out and saying "it was me" indicates that he knows he's untouchable. Is anyone out there less cynical and perhaps more hopeful that this could get the ball rolling?

00:00 / 12.07.05

well, here's the problem: even if Rove is cuffed and frog-marched out of the White House and straight to Leavenworth, how exactly does that translate into impeachment for Bush? Unless Rove testifies that somebody ordered him to leak Plame's identity—and so far there's been no suggestion that anybody did—then Rove will take this bullet himself.

Not that I'd be sorry to see him go, mind; but Team Bush is so well entrenched that I doubt even the loss of Rove will make much of a difference.

02:39 / 12.07.05

He will not fall on his sword...I mean he didn't actually say the woman's name...he didn't do anything wrong.

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

05:52 / 12.07.05

This White House does not ever admit defeat, and I can't see them doing it this time either. This is the first administration since Nixon that has NOT been under some kind of investigation or has had indictments of people who work in the White House.

The reason for this is simple: The entire government is controlled by a single party, and they will nto attack each other.

That being said, Rove's lawyer is saying that Rove didn't say Plame's NAME, just gave away her role and her husband's name. I would hate to go in to court with that as my defense.

11:22 / 12.07.05

While I agree with Jack Fear that there is little evidence to link this with Bush it is certainly cause to write strongly worded letters to your congress person, regardless of their political affiliation. Possibly also worth writing to the editor of your local paper asking if they plan to cover these allegations and if not why not.

13:25 / 12.07.05

>> That being said, Rove's lawyer is saying that Rove didn't say Plame's NAME, just gave away her role and her husband's name. I would hate to go in to court with that as my defense.

It is amazing how Rove's one statement on the subject holds tightly to this notion -- 'I just named her in general but heck, I didn't say her name, how can anyone be upset with me for that?' I said "so-and-so's wife" - and he did say the name of her husband, right? That's as good as saying her name.

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

18:12 / 12.07.05

This is a decent article on what is probably going on inside the Republican Party over this

Bush was asked directly today if he would be following through on his promise to fire anyone involved in the leak during a photo op and ignored the question, which is pretty much what the Bush people do with questions they don't want to answer.

What has been surprising me over this is the fact that the White House press corps, which has been cowed into submission by the Bush people are actually attacking on this story. Is this a case of the Press finally doing their job, or is it just a feeding frenzy that will go away once Tom Cruise or Lindsey Lohan does something stupid?

18:50 / 12.07.05

who knows -- I think it's a case of the press having finally had enough of the bullshit and seeing a real opportunity that they feel they have a strong case on (i.e. not the Dan Rather memo).

Look at this, Finder said with glee:

actual transcript of White House press conference:

-----

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/
article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000977098

Q: Scott, this is ridiculous. The notion that you're going to stand before us, after having commented with that level of detail, and tell people watching this that somehow you've decided not to talk. You've got a public record out there. Do you stand by your remarks from that podium or not?

MCCLELLAN: I'm well aware, like you, of what was previously said. And I will be glad to talk about it at the appropriate time. The appropriate time is when the investigation...

Q: (inaudible) when it's appropriate and when it's inappropriate?

MCCLELLAN: If you'll let me finish.

Q: No, you're not finishing. You're not saying anything. You stood at that podium and said that Karl Rove was not involved. And now we find out that he spoke about Joseph Wilson's wife. So don't you owe the American public a fuller explanation. Was he involved or was he not? Because contrary to what you told the American people, he did indeed talk about his wife, didn't he?

MCCLELLAN: There will be a time to talk about this, but now is not the time to talk about it.

Q: Do you think people will accept that, what you're saying today?

MCCLELLAN: Again, I've responded to the question.

QUESTION: You're in a bad spot here, Scott...

--------

Q: When did they ask you to stop commenting on it, Scott? Can you pin down a date?

MCCLELLAN: Back in that time period.

Q: Well, then the president commented on it nine months later. So was he not following the White House plan?

oooooh:

Q: Does the president continue to have confidence in Mr. Rove?

MCCLELLAN: Again, these are all questions coming up in the context of an ongoing criminal investigation. And you've heard my response on this.

Q: So you're not going to respond as to whether or not the president has confidence in his deputy chief of staff?

---------------------------------------------

20:14 / 12.07.05

And again - this is the time to tell your elected representative exactly what you think about unelected advisors compromising US security.

22:30 / 12.07.05

I loved that press conference. Heard it on NPR today.

What has been surprising me over this is the fact that the White House press corps, which has been cowed into submission by the Bush people are actually attacking on this story. Is this a case of the Press finally doing their job, or is it just a feeding frenzy that will go away once Tom Cruise or Lindsey Lohan does something stupid?

My impression is that this is simple self-interest, finally working in the public's favor - reporters have been provoked to defend their profession. I think the White House has finally crossed the line with journalists, letting them be thrown in jail to better serve their own crooked agenda. No reporter wants the whole tradition of anonymous sources to be destroyed, and they're just firing back, defensively, at the Bush Admin for turning them into patsies.

I don't think this story alone could be a reason for an impeachment, but I think it could be a stepping stone to exposing WH corruption. Bear in mind this is not a name-leak unconnected to anything in particular. It's linked right back to Bush lying about prewar intelligence and exaggerating facts to justify invading Iraq...

08:21 / 13.07.05

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't Rove actually only stand to benefit from Journalists protecting their sources - it is only the journalist who has broken ranks and sold-out his sources that presents him with a problem and other journalists with some sort of paper trail to follow...

20:22 / 13.07.05

Cany anyone explain why Novak is not being hounded for this? I mean, he is a Republican stooge as everyone knows. He's not close to being a 'journalist'; he's a columnist. I haven't heard any explanation for what's going on with him, the focus has been so exclusively on TIME and the Times in the US reportage on this. Anybody have any good sources on what's going on there?

m

20:51 / 13.07.05

As far as I know, the assumption amongst the media is that Novak flipped on his source immediately. If that's so, why subpoena journalists that never even printed articles about the Plame affair? The grand jury has been very quiet about exactly what it is that they're investigating, and the subpoenas only make the investigation that much more mysterious.

01:25 / 14.07.05

There's no evidence (and never will be) to tie this back to Bush so he's safe. If Reagan can forget and Clinton can feign ignorance then Bush can claim he never knew a thing.

It doesn't look like there's any evidence to prove that Rove knowingly outed a covert operative so there'll be no criminal charges. I'm quite sure he knew what he was doing but there's simply no proof. Yet. I think the Democrats are doing the right thing by first demanding that his clearance be revoked. Clearly, Rove can't handle the responsibility of having access to top secret information. Hopefully, the media will keep up the pressure and he'll "resign" but I'm not getting my hopes up.

01:26 / 14.07.05

I forgot to mention that Novak should be publicly humiliated. He's a fucking rat.

09:08 / 14.07.05

Has anyone got a Link to the text of the Rove/Novak email?

I haven't read it, but from what I've read about it, the email allegedly shows that Rove provided information that facilitated the revealing the Identity of a former CIA agent. Is this the case? If so, it could wertainly seem that Rove has compromised the CIA and, by extention, the security of the US.

As an aside, I don't think it is just up to the Democrats to put pressure on Rove to resign - I think this is a task that falls largely to the Republicans whose party would be tainted by Rove remained in his post uneffected...

But, yes - I still don't see why Novak seems willing to both compromise the identity of an ex-CIA agent and then go on to set the dangerous precident on revealing his sources. Unless, of course, the court was threatening to throw the book at him alone for the arguably treasonous act of compromising national security unless he turned State's evidence and liberally grassed up his source...

But yes, a dangerous precident...

21:01 / 14.07.05

Cany anyone explain why Novak is not being hounded for this?

Wanna hear a fascinating story? It's the story of how the Bushes met Rove. (Heard it on NPR yesterday.)

In the 1970's, George HW Bush was Chairman of the RNC. He was put in charge of investigating a young man who was running for the Chair position of the Republican College Organization - the young man being Karl Rove. Rove had been elected but the election was contested & he was accused of dirty tricks & espionage. Bush cleared him but was so impressed he immediately hired him as a RNC aide.

Flash fwd to 1992, Rove is working on GHW Bush's reelection campaign. There's a meeting of a few top aides wherein the Texas campaign leader is reprimanded, and this reprimand is leaked to the press, and Rove is fired for being the leak. Who did he leak to?

You guessed it - Robert Novak.

22:39 / 14.07.05

Can you provide me with a link to that story?

23:53 / 14.07.05

Talk of the Nation

It's audio - not long.

07:42 / 18.07.05

It's looking increasingly bleak for Rove, with the revelation of a second journalist claiming Rove was his source to discovering Ms Palme's identity.

Rove's position must now be untenable, but does anyone think he will actually resign? Could he not conceivably continue to work for the president in his current role for the rest of G W. Bush's term while the wheels of justice grind to slowly to catch him?
I'll admit, I am having a hard time seeing Bush dismiss such a loyal crony since it appears such loyalty is the only commodity that realy means anything to this president.

16:00 / 18.07.05

Indeed, it seems Bush is feeling the pressure. He released a statement (finally!) that if anyone in his admin has "committed a crime" in relation to the leak they will be fired. Of course, do notice the careful language. It's not just a leak that will cause a firing... it will have to be a criminal conviction.

17:00 / 18.07.05

Elegant wording. And if Rove is formally charged, he can drag it out and, if he loyally keeps his mouth shut, Bush won't have to fire him. As Presidents do on their last day in office, Bush will probably pardon Rove for all crimes he may have committed up to that point, and the trial, if any, will be over. It's the well-connected sleazebags' equivalent of making the Honours List.

20:14 / 18.07.05

Bush has slightly backed off his sweeping statement that anyone convicted of criminal wrongdoing will be fired. He said something like "Well, we should just wait and see..." and then uttered this bit of prime Bushisms:

>> "I want to know all the facts," President Bush said. "The best place for the facts to be done is by somebody who is spending time investigating it."

09:50 / 19.07.05

It is a notable climb-down for the Bush administration.

There is blood in the water now, all that remains to be seen is if the press in the United States is going to pursue their quarry to the death or if they are going to again show themselves as sad toothless beasts, forever breaking off the pursuit of their quarry.

Now is the time for the press and the country (citizens and senators alike) to keep up the pressure - keep asking the questions keep closing off the ambiguities, until it becomes plain that Rove's continued presence is actively harming the administrations ability to function and claim the agenda day by day.

16:11 / 19.07.05

Why doesn't Rove resign? Wouldn't he want to help Bush out here and save a little face? His best days are behind him now anyway.

17:08 / 19.07.05

from MoveOn.org:

Quote from 2003 White House Press Briefing:

Reporter: Wilson now believes that the person who did this was Karl Rove...

McClellan: I haven't heard that. That's just totally ridiculous.

12:46 / 21.07.05

I've heard some Republicans are arguing 'the woman wasn't involved in any active covert work, it didn't put her life in danger nor the US in danger, stop whining you liberal Bush-hating idiots'...

but NOW, CNN has an article that states...

>> Ex-officers: CIA leak may have harmed U.S.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005; Posted: 8:03 p.m. EDT (00:03 GMT)

The former officers made their views known in a three-page statement to congressional leaders.

They said the Republican National Committee has circulated suggestions for officials to deal with the Plame case by focusing on the idea that Plame was not working undercover and legally merited no protection.

Thousands of U.S. intelligence officers work at desks in the Washington area every day whose identities are shielded, as Plame's was when her identity was leaked by Bush administration officials, the 11 former officers said.

The former officers' statement comes amid revelations that top presidential aide Karl Rove was involved in leaking Plame's identity to columnist Robert Novak and Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper.

Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis Libby, also was a source for Cooper on the Plame story.

The Plame leaks followed public criticism of President Bush's White House by Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson.

Wilson, a former ambassador and career diplomat, suggested administration officials had manipulated intelligence to justify going to war in Iraq.

A criminal investigation into the leaks is under way.

"Intelligence officers should not be used as political footballs," the 11 said. "In the case of Valerie Plame, she still works for the CIA and is not in a position to publicly defend her reputation and honor."
----------------------------------------------------

18:59 / 21.07.05

This week's TIME magazine has a couple of good articles on this topic. The first is just a basic overview of the story, with much of which I was already familiar, but a nice little handy concise report. Then they had Matthew Cooper write up a report on his experience with the grand jury thus far - pretty interesting. One notable detail, for example, being that it seemed Rove had perhaps told the grand jury that Cooper had called him up regarding welfare reform but switched topics, which according to Cooper was untrue. But more intriguing an idea the TIME articles both indicate - that Fitzgerald's independent investigation appears to be digging deeper than just this Plame name leak.

Keith, like a scientist

12:43 / 27.07.05

16:58 / 27.07.05

>> Bush then says, "Hey Turd Blossom! Get in here."

The term is said to be one of several nicknames Bush uses for Rove, one of his closest allies and who is widely credited for Bush's election in 2000 and re-election in 2004. The mainstream U.S. media have rarely mentioned the nickname, but it has gained traction in the international press and on the Internet.

Wait a minute, Bush ACTUALLY calls Rove this IN REAL LIFE?? I thought it was just a joke by Garry Trudeau. But the CNN article above implies that it is a real, if formerly little-known, fact.

Keith, like a scientist

17:07 / 27.07.05

yeah, seems like it's actually a real nickname.

17:59 / 27.07.05

Wonder what he calls Condi...

18:48 / 27.07.05

The Washington Post has a new article today on how it seems that the Plame leak may not be the only (and perhaps not the primary?) focus of Fitzgerald's investigation.

[S]pecial prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has asked not only about how CIA operative Valerie Plame's name was leaked but also how the administration went about shifting responsibility from the White House to the CIA for having included 16 words in the 2003 State of the Union address about Iraqi efforts to acquire uranium from Africa, an assertion that was later disputed.

I know I'm a hopeless optimist, but I have to confess I'm crossing my fingers that Fitz is going to blow the roof off the whole WMD Big Lie.

If you can't access the article, sign in with -
id - registermeister@gmail.com
pw - nooope

01:40 / 28.07.05

The Bush administration is clearly trying to weather this storm and it's looking like they might succeed.

19:12 / 04.08.05

so what happens now? We just wait to hear the results of the investigation? It seems like the press barely mentions this story anymore.

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