Ezra Klein: RoveRoveRoveRoveRoveRoveRoveRove

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July 18, 2005

RoveRoveRoveRoveRoveRoveRoveRove

President Bush, accelerating his search for a new Supreme Court justice, appears to have narrowed his list of candidates to no more than a few finalists and could announce his decision in the next few days, Republican strategists informed about White House plans said yesterday.

Advisers to Bush had anticipated an announcement closer to the end of the month, but the White House signaled allies over the weekend to be prepared for a nomination this week, according to the strategists, who asked not to be named because the process remains officially confidential.

How odd. I wonder why he decided to move it up so much?

Snark aside, that the Rove mess has thrown the White House off schedule with the Supreme Court is about as good as it gets. The less they dictate the news cycle, the less they decide the timing, and the less they can do things according to plan, the better off Democrats are in the upcoming battle. The smart thing now would be to cut Rove loose, stop the bleeding, and reassert control over the Court fight. That Bush is instead trying to speed up the nomination to force Rove out of the news cycle is a very good thing.

July 18, 2005 | Permalink

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The speedup MAY take Gonzales out of the pack, though. Since Gonzales delayed for 11 hours after receiving notice from the Justice Dept before informing the WH staff to not destroy papers, emails, notes, etc. pertaining to the Plame leak, Gonzales may figure in a potential conspiracy charge if that is one of the directions Fitzgerld is moving.

It just would not DO, for Bush to nominate Gonzales for SCOTUS and have him indicted, or named as an unindicted co-conspirator, in the Plame matter before he was confirmed.

Posted by: JimPortlandOR | Jul 18, 2005 1:55:52 PM

Yeah, no one really bit on speeding up Saddam's charges. It never really supplanted Rove at the top of the news. Try and try again...

Posted by: Mr Furious | Jul 18, 2005 2:44:00 PM

I suspect what moved the time table up was simply Rehnquist's decision not to retire.

The strategery would be different with one nominee versus two.

For instance, if Bush had two now he gives one to his bud, the AG, and one to the conservatives.

Posted by: Don | Jul 18, 2005 3:27:08 PM

Does it matter that Rove did nothing wrong? I guess this proves it is all about getting Bush. I guess the left has reason to hate Rove too.

Rove did NOT get the info via his security clearence, a reporter informed him.

Rove did not initiate any conversation about the subject, which refutes that he set out to 'get' Joe Wilson.

Rove never said her name. He didn't know her name.

Rove emailed a national security official bout the conversation he had with Cooper the same day, to make sure he said nothing wrong.

She was not covert at the time. She was an overt CIA employee who drove to and from the CIA Building in Langley, VA everyday. Her former supervisor, a 24 year CIA veteren(20 of those years covert), said she is currently an overt agent of the CIA and was in the Summer of 2003.

She was and is a bureaucrat.

Her friends and family knew she was in the CIA, Joe Wilson's friends and family knew she was in the CIA.

Her W-2 form says CIA on it.

Her parking permit for work probably says CIA on it!

Posted by: Captain Toke | Jul 18, 2005 7:33:19 PM

Let's go over this screed point by point:

Rove did NOT get the info via his security clearence, a reporter informed him.

Oh? Who? And why does this alleged reporter have access to info that the deputy chief of staff doesn't?

Rove did not initiate any conversation about the subject, which refutes that he set out to 'get' Joe Wilson.

Whether he initiated a conversation is not the issue; it's what he said in the conversation. (Too much?)

Rove never said her name. He didn't know her name.

Didn't know it? Doubtful. But he didn't have to say her name, he just had to provide identifying info to break the law, such as "Wilson's wife, who works for the agency in WMD." Gee, who could he have meant?

Rove emailed a national security official bout the conversation he had with Cooper the same day, to make sure he said nothing wrong.

Really? What did he say in the email..."I've given identifying information about an undercover CIA agent to a member of the press, thereby violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, hope that's OK"?

She was not covert at the time.

Hello, she was an UNOFFICIAL undercover agent. You don't get a diplomatic passport with that, and the CIA will not admit your true status for any reason.

She was and is a bureaucrat.

Oh, really, now you're just grasping.

Her friends and family knew she was in the CIA, Joe Wilson's friends and family knew she was in the CIA.
Her W-2 form says CIA on it.Her parking permit for work probably says CIA on it!

What part of secret undercover do you not understand?

Captain, is there anything they could do that would cross the line of acceptable behavior to you?

Posted by: Norah | Jul 19, 2005 1:38:37 AM

------"Oh? Who? And why does this alleged reporter have access to info that the deputy chief of staff doesn't?"

Robert Novak. Because a whole lot of reporters in DC knew.

------"Whether he initiated a conversation is not the issue; it's what he said in the conversation. (Too much?)"

Saying too much like 'I heard that too'?

-----"Didn't know it? Doubtful. But he didn't have to say her name, he just had to provide identifying info to break the law, such as "Wilson's wife, who works for the agency in WMD." Gee, who could he have meant?"

"Really? What did he say in the email..."I've given identifying information about an undercover CIA agent to a member of the press, thereby violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, hope that's OK"?"

Norah, how do YOU know whether he knew her name or not? The reason he said anything to Cooper was to stear him away from a story where Joe Wilson is the source. Joe Wilson said he was on assignment for the vice-president's office. NOT TRUE! That was 1 lie, Rove knew that was a lie so he let Cooper know.

By the way, Norah, that is what he said in the e-mail.

-----"Her friends and family knew she was in the CIA, Joe Wilson's friends and family knew she was in the CIA.
Her W-2 form says CIA on it.Her parking permit for work probably says CIA on it!

What part of secret undercover do you not understand?"

Norah, are you that stupid? If you are a covert agent, or 'undercover', even your family can't know what you are doing. She told Joe Wilson she was a CIA agent on their third date!

Why don't you read the law Norah, Rove did nothing wrong.

------"Captain, is there anything they could do that would cross the line of acceptable behavior to you?"

Having an affair with an intern and making yourself vulnerable to blackmail.

Selling access to the white house to the Communist Chinese.

Patrick Leahy releasing classified documents for purely political gain, for which he had to resign an intelligence commitee post.

Sandy Berger stuffing documents down his pants at the national archives, destroying some, so the 9/11 commission would not know how little the Clinton Administration's did to prevent 9/11 and how little they did to protect this country.

The reason this story has no legs is cuzlook at the alternative. The Democrats and national security? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahhah.....hahahahaha....oh mercy!

That is like a member of NAMBLA accusing someone of child molestation.

Posted by: Captain Toke | Jul 19, 2005 10:51:29 AM

Is that *REALLY* you, Norahhhhh.....?

Posted by: Robert Zimmerman | Jul 19, 2005 11:50:12 AM

Captain, is there anything they could do that would cross the line of acceptable behavior to you?

-sigh-

I guess I have my answer. Do you guys like being stormtroopers?

Rove said something he had no business saying TO A REPORTER of all people. He knew it too, because he told Cooper he "said too much". He didn't have to give her name to blow her cover. He gave identifying information. Note the difference. And Captain, merely being employed by the CIA does not automatically mean one is a deep cover secret agent.

The WH has been denying Rove was involved from the get-go. Now, we know that wasn't true. So why did Rove save Cooper from making a faux pas...but not the President? Really, do you even believe you are an American? Really?

Ezra, like the blog. Sorry the trolls followed you from Pandagon, where they aren't allowed anymore.

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