Scott's Random Thought for the Day (What word goes before -gate on this one, anyway?)



The whole Valarie Plame/Karl Rove affair has brought up some really amusing rationalizing from Republicans trying to defend what were almost certainly illegal acts from people who work in the White House. For example:

- Karl Rove was a whistle blower. This is apparently based on the idea that Joe Wilson’s wife suggesting him for the investigation into Niger was somehow an unconscionable act of nepotism. Why do the Republicans claim to be pro-marriage, but then act as if a husband and wife play to each other’s strength it's an abuse of power? Valerie Wilson worked on weapons proliferation; Joe Wilson was a former ambassador to the region. Isn’t this exactly the combination of talents you’d want to throw at this kind of investigation?

- Karl Rove didn’t leak Valarie Plame/Wilson’s identity; He actually got it from a journalist. This is a based on what Rove allegedly told the special prosecutor. Of course, we know that Rove and the White House have been lying to the American public for two years about Rove being involved in the leak at all and that at least two journalists got the information from him, so I’m not sure why White House apologists expect us to start believing anything Rove says on the subject now. But let’s say that it’s completely true. Let’s say Rove, innocent as a babe in arms, was just walking down the street when Journalism Man jumped out of an alley, yelled “Joe Wilson was recommended to the Niger investigation by his wife, an undercover operative at the CIA!”, then pulled a grappling gun from his belt and disappeared into the night sky. Didn’t anybody at the White House find this disturbing? If journalists start showing up with classified information, don’t people at the White House start asking questions about where it came from? The White House’s position on all this has been that they knew nothing about the leak and it wasn’t a big deal, which shouldn’t be true if Rove learned this information from someone who shouldn’t have had access to this information in the first place. I’m sure that behind the scenes the real source for the leak has been an open secret for some time, but for us on the outside this whole situation is fairly shocking.

The other X factor in this whole scandal.is Judith Miller. Leaving aside the silliness of her (and the New York Times) stand that protecting sources is an inalienable right even in a case that doesn’t involve a whistleblower, it’s very interesting that apparently Rove gave Matthew Cooper of Time permission to reveal his name to the grand jury, but Rove didn’t do the same for Miller -- maybe. There are three possibilities.

- Miller and the Times are standing on principle, even though Rove gave her permission.

- Rove decided to hang Miller out to dry. (It’s hard to imagine any motive for this.)

- Miller was leaked the classified information by someone other than two sources Cooper named.

Only that last one makes sense. This is probably going to get a lot more interesting before it’s finished.

Posted: Sun - July 31, 2005 at      

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