"Spotlight on Rove grows more harsh over CIA leak"

[Bluebear]

WASHINGTON — President Bush's aides threw up a wall yesterday when questioned about revelations that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove had discussed CIA official Valerie Plame with a reporter despite past White House assertions that he was not involved in her unmasking.

Engulfed by questions at two combative briefings, White House press secretary Scott McClellan cited the continuing criminal investigation over the leak to say that he would not discuss conversations Rove had had with a reporter about Plame before her name was published, or say whether Bush's pledge to fire anyone involved in leaking classified information still stands.

"No one wants to get to the bottom of it more than the president of the United States," McClellan said. :rofl: "And I think the way to be most helpful is to not get into commenting on it while it is an ongoing investigation."

Democrats, emboldened by having the White House on the defensive, began a campaign to pressure Rove to give up his security clearances, answer questions before Congress and even resign.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002374617_leak12.html

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. I'd be willing to bet

that there are at least a couple of reporters in the WH Press Corp who can't stand Rove's guts.

It's so much fun to watch Rove's karma coming back to bite him.

[KharmaTrain]

2. Popcorn Anyone???

Welcome to playing the game the wingnuts have enjoy for a long time. The open-ended game of conjecture and insinuation...rumors and spin that is turning this Rove fiasco into a far bigger story than even I had anticipated.

The guy holding the cards here is Pat Fitzgerald. We still don't know why he needed testimony from Miller and Cooper or their notes. We have no idea what Novakula said or about Rove's apperances. IMHO that's what's driving the White House nuts right now...they don't know if they should batten down the hatches for a perjury charge against Rove or some other embarassment. We shall learn soon.

I've been impressed with Fitzgerald's secrecy. There aren't leaks of testimony coming out (ala Ken Starr...remember hearing those almost daily???) which makes Snotty Scotty's insipid remarks yesterday even more balsy.

You don't know, I don't know, Rove doesn't know, Novakula doesn't know...and the suspense builds. I kinda like watching this story twist and spin for a few more days...see if the spin spins around on itself.

:popcorn:

[H2O Man]

6. What we do know

is that Cooper and Miller had to have been known to be in possession of information that Fitzgerald could not get from any other source ... which means that they could not simply have been in a position to confirm what Novak may have known, or support each other's information. Cooper's information, in my opinion, is devastating to the White House. And, as the media made clear in their chat with Scott McClellan, it is obvious that the president has the ability to address this independent of the grand jury.

More, we should recognize that the House of Representatives needs to get pressured to consider hearings. And we should be doing our part in the area of public education: a LTTE campaign, calling tv and radio shows, etc.

[KharmaTrain]

7. Great Points...Let's Not Get Too Far Ahead

I always enjoy your posts and thoughts on this topic.

Again, we're not privvy to what Fitzgerald is really up to here. Larry O'Donnell and John Dean have pointed out that while the initial focus of this inquiry was the outting of Plame, this case, on the surface, is appearing to turn into a perjury/conspiracy case. In essence, the cover-up is the target now...and I couldn't be happier.

Ya know, my reaction about this latest revelation is "so what". I know it verfies beyond doubt Rove's involvement and forces this regime to eat tons of crow, but the damage now is all spin...I don't think we'll see Karl "frog-walked" any time soon. I hope I'm wrong.

Definitely, the time is coming to call for some kind of action, either through Congress or independently to shine lights on the many on-going scandals of this regime.

What's stopping Congresspeople or other Democrats from holding their own hearings...ala what happened in the DSM case...and keep hammering???? I have long advocated using civil suits as a means to force some light and truth on what goes on here...compelling regime members to testify under oath and to get them on record about their actions over the past 5 years.

Cheers...

[Media_Lies_Daily]

11. The trick in this situation is getting enough GOP Congresspeople to...

...join the Democrats in pursuing this matter, as well as others. Without a majority in either House of Congress, any hearings the Democrats would pursue on their own would lack teeth to make anything happen.

[H2O Man]

12. Absolutely!

And one thing that we may not fully appreciate is how many enemies the neocon group in the administration have made among the moderate republicans. They are a vicious group, and there are numerous republicans who will turn on them once they are convinced it's safe to do so.

[KharmaTrain]

15. Shine 'Em Some Light...Let's See What Happens

By staying silent and not creating a platform to bring the moderates GOOPies over, they have little cover...and that's what we're seeing now. Look at how little support Walter Jones (I may have the name wrong...the Freedom Fries dude) whose crossed over about the war and should be a valuable ally in forming this safe haven. It's not happening.

Yes, without a majority, there's not "congressional power"...but there are other avenues that can start the long work that will be required to dig into this regimes many abuses and crimes. The Repugnicans set up a Klayman who used discovery and civil suits to compell many key Clinton officials. While his attempts were to dig slime and embarass Clinton, Democrats can use this same concept in starting to dig at the truths and generate the demand for bigger and more meaningful hearings.

How long do we wait? We can't let the Repugnicans do our work for us, since if they do, it'll be too late. The Conyers hearings was a great first step. Sure, it didn't do anything to change the dynamic...yet, but it sure showed many of us there's a way we can speak out and be heard.

In our war, the media is the battlefield and the message.

[mopaul]

3. i too enjoy a good greek tragedy

i love watching the mighty fall. got my whistle wet with nixon's fall, and been craving it ever since.

[Mandate My Ass]

14. Hubris was always the fatal flaw in the greed tragedies

that brought the (anti)hero down hard. I've been having the same thoughts myself the past few days.

Bring it on.

[B Calm]

4. Have fun behind bars Karl.. too bad you can't take your boy friend

with you.. Gannon

[Ganja Ninja]

8. Karl will make new friends soon.

:rofl:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

5. Throw...

Another "Master of His Own Destiny" on the fire.

[Swamp Rat]

9. Rove is going DOWN!

:woohoo:

[mopaul]

10. never kick a man UNLESS he's down, my mom always said...n/t

[H2O Man]

13. Wouldn't it be fun ....

... to be able to watch him squirm on the stand tomorrow, when Fitzgerald begins questioning him on some of the apparent errors in his previous testimony?