John Nichols (The Nation): Rove Defense Team

[Jack Rabbit]

From The Nation
Dated Friday July 15

Rove Defense Team
By John Nichols

It appears that no one in Washington has bothered to ask why it is that the Republican National Committee is leading the defense of Karl Rove. But it's a good question.

If Rove is really the president's deputy chief of staff in charge of policy, as opposed to a political hack operating within the White House and using taxpayer money to do the work of the Republican Party, wouldn't it make sense that his defenders would be current and retired policy specialists? And since the controversy in which he is embroiled has something to do with national security, wouldn't it be at least a little more assuring if a former Secretary of Defense, National Security Adviser or chief of the Central Intelligence Agency were to speak up on his behalf?

But, no, as the controversy about his leaking of classified information heats up, Rove is being defended, for the most part, by RNC chair Ken Mehlman, a political operative who has never been seriously involved in policy matters – let alone national security issues.

Mehlman is a second-string hack, a veteran of the losing presidential campaigns of George Bush I in 1992 and Mr. Elizabeth Dole in 1996.

Read more.

The GOP talking points are either easily refuted or red herrings. Wilson's trip to Niger in February 2002 was properly authorized; people CIA chose him to go after the agency was tasked by someone in Mr. Cheney's office to look into a memorandum of agreement between the governments of Niger and Iraq for the former to sell yellowcake to the latter; the document, as reported by even Robert Novak in the piece that started the criminal investigation, was a forgery. Mr. Cheney did not directly request Ambassador Wilson to go to Niger, and Ambassador Wilson, contrary to the current set of GOP talking points, has never made any such claim. The CIA sent Wilson, not Valerie Plame on her own account in some elaborate conspiracy to embarrass the administration over a year later. What part Ms. Plame made in choosing Wilson is entirely irrelevant.

What we have here is a smear campaign against the Wilsons. We've seen this from this administration before in their attempts to discredit critics of Mr. Bush's ill-advised misadventure into Iraq. we saw it from the administration of elder Bush; just ask Anita Hill. One might begin to wonder if this sort of thing is a Bush family value.

Whatever fancy title they choose to give him, Karl Rove is nothing but a glorified political hatchet man. It is fitting that other hatchet men come to his defense and defend him with a battery of lie, half truths and red herrings.

Having failed to discredit Wilson two years ago, they are back at it again as concern grows that Rove will face criminal charges. Repeating that Wilson is a liar over and over and spelling it in all capital letters will not make him one. And he is not one.

[Goldeneye]

1. Did you notice this?

Mehlman is a second-string hack, a veteran of the losing presidential campaigns of George Bush I in 1992 and Mr. Elizabeth Dole in 1996.

[napi21]

2. The one question asked here does intrigue me.

If Rove is so innocent, WHY HASN'T SOMEONE FROM THE CIA COME TO HIS DEFENSE?

In fact, NO high level member of the admin has done so!

[Zensea]

3. Because the CIA is who is trying to bring him down

You think they are happy about one of their agents being outed?

[napi21]

5. Of course not! That's not what I meant.

IF a person inside an administration is being accused of something that is FALSE, and the Department really believed the accusations were FALSE, someone would speak out, I would think. Of course, I didn't see anyone running to Tenet's defense either!

Oh, I think the reason they aren't saying anything iIS because they're pi**ed! I gotta tell ya, if I were Rove, or anyone involved in this outing, I'd rather have Fitz against me than the CIA!

[Demeter]

10. Hope the CIA is Going to Rat On ALL of BushCo

Let the CIA take out Dubya AND his dad. That will show where the balance of power should be--in the hands of real public servants, instead of fascists.

[Jack Rabbit]

4. Interesting

I suppose their reply would be that they will not to comment on an ongoing criminal investigation. As long as there were no solid facts in public, they could say what they were saying for two years; now, that has little credibility.

The fact that Bush gives a weak defense of Rove has me believing he will be gone soon. A few days ago, I said he'll be gone in about a week, but it looks like it will be a little longer now. This smear campaign has to be given a chance to fail.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

6. Heard on NPR this AM that Mehlman

is one of Rove's protege's

[Jack Rabbit]

7. No surprise

One would think that Rove himself could have orchestrated this smear campaign. They all channel Lee Atwater.

[skip fox]

8. Whoever it was, there WAS a coordination of sources and confirmations!

Rove and at least one other official will be indicted.

Now we know Rove is both a main source (for Cooper) and a confirming source for another (Novak, from whom he got Plame's name). With 6 initial sources and at least 3 confirming sources (both as reported), someone would have to coordinate the operation, assuring the initial callers that no two called the same source, that no one was overly eager, but would "drop it in," and a number of other officials would be ready and willing to confirm.


Therefore at least 2 people(Rove and Novak's initial source, perhaps Scooter Libby if today's reports pan out) served as main sources. (The fact that one source released Cooper from his agreement of confidentiality but one source did not release Miller also suggests at least 2 sources.) Rove would have to coordinate! To establish guidelines like: No source should call another's contact, Pitch the information off hand, not as the main subject, Make the contact think the source is trying to do him or her a favor ("Don't go too far out on this Wilson thing, I don't want you burnt."), etc. AND Rove would have had to field a group of officials to support the sources stories.

I say Rove coordinated because it is obvious he did so since anyone in the administration in possession of the Plame-Wilson-CIA link would have gone straight to the world master of deceitful politics, and now we know Rove was at least one of the leakers.

So, we could have at least 2 indictments for Rove (exposing and conspiring to expose) and (perhaps) 1 or more indictments for others (Novak and/or Miller's source). Not to mention exposure of those who condoned and confirmed the exposure.

I think the great thing we have going for us on this case is Patrick Fitzgerald. By all accounts a fine prosecutor.


Wow.

[Demeter]

9. Well, That's Good.

The more they get involved, the more GOP based terroristws and traitors get stuck to this tar baby, the better it will be for the US. Time to clean House, Senate, and the Big WH!