PLAMEGATE: Back to
the Basics on Karl Rove
American Progress
Hey, remember when NOBODY but Howard Dean was talking about Plamegate? How powerful was his "16 Questions" speech? "I want to know...."
Over the past few days, the White House and its allies have been desperately trying to spin the real issues surrounding the actions of Karl Rove. To set the story straight, there are five key facts you need to know. Ultimately, Karl Rove has become "an embarrassment" for the White House and should do [Bush] the courtesy of resigning. If he does not, [Bush] needs to uphold his pledge and fire Karl Rove.
FACT #1 -- ROVE AND WHITE HOUSE HAVE REPEATEDLY LIED ABOUT ROVE'S ROLE IN THE LEAK: Asked on 9/29/03 whether he had "any knowledge" of the leak or whether he leaked the name of the CIA agent, Rove answered "no." He later said, "I didn't know her name. I didn't leak her name." Also on 9/29/03, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, after having "spoken to Karl," asserted that "it is a ridiculous suggestion" to say Rove was involved in the leak.
FACT #2 -- [BUSH] SAID HE WOULD FIRE ANYONE INVOLVED: Asked on 6/10/04 whether he stood by his pledge to "fire anyone" involved in the leak case, Bush answered, "yes."
FACT #3 -- ROVE IDENTIFIED PLAME IN POSSIBLE VIOLATION OF LAW: At the very least, we know Rove identified the cover CIA agent Valerie Plame as "Wilson's wife" and that she worked after the "agency on wmd." Section 421 of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act targets anyone who "intentionally discloses any information identifying" a covert agent.
FACT #4 -- OUTING OF PLAME WAS RETRIBUTION AGAINST
CRITIC OF IRAQ INTELLIGENCE: The Washington Post reported on 9/28/03: "[A]
senior administration official said that before Novak's column ran, two top
White House officials called at least six Washington journalists and disclosed
the identity and occupation of
FACT #5 -- WHITE HOUSE SILENT NOW BUT HAS SPOKEN
PREVIOUSLY WHILE THE INVESTIGATION WAS ONGOING: McClellan has said that
while the investigation is ongoing, "the White
House is not going to comment on it." But on 10/1/03, McClellan also said,
"There's an investigation going on" but spoke openly about Rove, saying "it's
simply not true that he was involved in leaking classified
information."
(Source)
Send an email to Bush (cc'd to Rove) and demand that Bush fire Rove. Click here.
And now for the GOOD news!
Americans No Longer Trust BushCapitol Hill Blue
Most Americans no longer trust [the junta puppet]. His personal credibility is eroding at a time when Iraq has become the top public priority and the White House is engulfed in controversy over senior Bush adviser Karl Rove, a poll released on Wednesday says.
The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showed the percentage of Americans who believe Bush is "honest and straightforward" fell to 41 percent from 50 percent in January, while those who say they doubt his veracity climbed to 45 percent from 36 percent.
...The White House this week has been reeling amid controversy over Rove, the top Bush political adviser who was named by a Time magazine reporter as one of the sources who identified CIA agent Valerie Plame to the media in 2003.
(Click here to read the complete article.)
