It depends on what your definition of "name" is

Reuters:

Rove has carefully chosen his words when questioned about the leak. "I didn't know her name. I didn't leak her name," he told CNN last year when asked if he had had anything to do with it.

Sure sounds to me like someone was trying to mislead the investigation here. Isn't that the definition of obstruction of justice? Read More......

CNN video censored at Guantanamo prison

Gee, guess Bush was right - nothing to hide there. Read More......

Rove makes page 1 of the Wash Post on Monday

From Monday's Washington Post, page 1:

After the investigation into the leak began, Luskin said, Rove signed a waiver in December 2003 or January 2004 authorizing prosecutors to speak to any reporters Rove had previously engaged in discussion, which included Cooper and anyone else.

"His written waiver included the world," Luskin said. "It was intended to be a global waiver. . . . He wants to make sure that the special prosecutor has everyone's evidence. That reflects someone who has nothing to hide."

Really, your client just wanted to help and had nothing to hide? Then why are we finding out about this a year and a half, and a grand jury, later? Rather than sign the waiver, why didn't Rove just admit that he was the guy? I mean, that's downright bizarre - I have nothing to hide, so rather than admit the truth about what I did, I'm going to sign a waiver that permits you to INVESTIGATE in order to attempt to try to find out the truth of what I did. Wow, hell of a hero that Rove is.

And here's my other favorite part of the article:

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove spoke with at least one reporter about Valerie Plame's role at the CIA before she was identified as a covert agent in a newspaper column two years ago, but Rove's lawyer said yesterday that his client did not identify her by name.

Oh, right. So when you said that Wilson's wife was a CIA agent, but you didn't mention her name, you figured that, what, you weren't outing her? Uh huh. Because in America men have, like, 80 wives.

Then there's this:

Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin... said yesterday that Rove did not know Plame's name and was not actively trying to push the information into the public realm.

Instead, Luskin said, Rove discussed the matter -- under the cloak of secrecy -- with Cooper at the tail end of a conversation about a different issue. Cooper had called Rove to discuss other matters on a Friday before deadline, and the topic of Wilson came up briefly. Luskin said Cooper raised the question.

"Rove did not mention her name to Cooper," Luskin said. "This was not an effort to encourage Time to disclose her identity. What he was doing was discouraging Time from perpetuating some statements that had been made publicly and weren't true."

Ah, right. So Rove outed Wilson's wife as a CIA agent to a reporter, without attribution, in order that TIME magazine NOT use the information he was secretly slipping them. Because, as we all know, the best way to get a reporter NOT to use secret information is to ACTUALLY GIVE THE SECRET INFORMATION TO THE REPORTER.

Treason. Read More......

Uh, huh?

From AP:

Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari criticized U.S. and multinational forces for shooting at Iraqi civilians who act suspiciously near patrols or military areas, but a spokesman for the U.S. command blamed the problem on the growing use of suicide car bombs as an insurgent weapon.

"Terrorists, through use of suicide (vehicles), have caused this predicament," said Lt. Col. Steven Boylan. "They have affected the normal level of trust that people have for one another and have made it difficult to distinguish between normal traffic and a grave potential threat."

Uh, what do you mean TERRORISTS have caused this predicament? They've caused you to shoot innocent Iraqi civilians? The terrorists are forcing your hand, is that what you're saying? They're causing you to do things you don't want to do, things you shouldn't do? What exactly is the US military saying here? The devil made me do it? This US military quote sounds downright threatening and condescending to the Iraqi people - more than a bit "too bad"-ish. Guess we've given up on being welcomed with flowers, eh?

Oh, and as an aside, this article points out that 48 people were killed in Iraq in suicide attacks today. Jesus Christ. Read More......

Will the media Ask about Rove at Quantico tomorrow

John makes great points in his post below. We need answers.

The common sense question is why there have been no repercussions in the Bush White House after Karl Rove disclosed a CIA operative in the time of war. Let's see how many times that question is asked this week at the White House press briefings -- starting tomorrow. Because on Monday, George Bush is going to the FBI training facility in Quantico to talk about terrorism:

The address was scheduled before the London bombings, but White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the deadly attacks "give even more significance" to the president's remarks.

Actually, Scott, today's revelations in Newsweek also give more signficance to the remarks. Now, the world knows Karl Rove leaked the identity of an undercover CIA agent while we are at war. And, here's an idea, while Bush is at Quantico, he should ask some of the terror experts how they feel about Rove's action.

Maybe while the press is at the FBI facility, maybe they can find out why someone who leaks classified information is still working at the White House? They should ask how does one get and keep a security clearance under these circumstances?

Bush and his crew constantly remind us we are at war. They have used this issue to their political advantage -- and the media has let them.

No more free ride. No more double super secret background. No more endangering lives for political reasons.

Karl Rove has to pay. Read More......

Open thread

What up? Read More......

It's irrelevant if Karl Rove broke that one particular law

Regardless of whether Rove broke that one law regarding "knowingly" outing undercover CIA operatives, there's a damn good argument to be made that he be investigated for possibly committing treason by intentionally undermining a CIA agent working on WMD counterespionage in the midst of a war hinging on that very issue, WMD. And to make matters worse, he did it for personal/professional gain, not for altruistic "God and country" reasons.

Second issue, why does he still have a security clearance? I've worked with CIA agents in several of my past jobs, and lesson one is that you don't tell anyone they work for CIA. I'd like to know if the Secret Service and/or FBI and/or CIA has investigated whether his clearance needs to be yanked. A related issue, is a covert CIA agent's identity classified information? Once upon a time, even the name of certain top-level security clearances were classified. I wonder if the identity of undercover agents is classified. If it is, then that entails other law-breaking, and again, jeopardizes his clearance. You'd also consider yanking his clearance if there were some executive order, government regulation, etc. against outing CIA agents, whether or not there were a legal penalty involved.

Third issue, did Rove's leak, and the ensuing risk that leak may have posed to CIA assets worldwide, in any way help those who perpetrated the London bombings last week?

Fourth issue, related to the third, has anyone investigated just what damage Rove's leak has caused US national security, what asset it in fact has jeopardized abroad, etc? I would think this would be the first order of business from CIA and FBI. Perhaps someone needs to put an appropriations line item requiring such a study.

Rove himself put all of this at issue when he accused Democrats of undermining our troops and the war on terror just a few weeks ago (in fact, Rove said that Democrats WANTED to get our troops killed). Rove put that issue into play, and the White House, Ken Mehlman and the entire Republican party stood behind him. They want to talk about who is and isn't committing treason, then let's talk about it.

Did Karl Rove commit treason? A nation at war deserves to know. Read More......

Message to Karl Rove

Treason is a crime. Read More......

Iraq's former Interim PM says this is the beginnings of civil war

Last throes, indeed.

“The problem is that the Americans have no vision and no clear policy on how to go about in Iraq,” said Allawi, a long-time ally of Washington.

In an interview with The Sunday Times last week as he visited Amman, the Jordanian capital, he said: “The policy should be of building national unity in Iraq. Without this we will most certainly slip into a civil war. We are practically in stage one of a civil war as we speak.”

Read More......

Possible leads on UK bombings

The latest. Read More......

Brits caving on Iraq

Isn't it convenient that this memo gets leaked today, only 3 days after the terrorists bomb London. I think Blair wanted it leaked to show the population that he has every intention of getting out of Iraq. The terrorists have won. Of course, the irony is that they won a long time ago as far as Iraq is concerned. Read More......

Another t-shirt

Beware when I get bored. Okay, need to write another RADAR article now. Read More......

Open thread

Watching Stephanopoulos right now, and man, are we in trouble with Iraq. Read More......

Now, more than ever

Read More......

Something's not quite right about the Rove story

So, we now know (apparently) that Rove told TIME that Ambassador Wilson's wife was a CIA agent (mind you, Wilson himself alleged this over a year ago and was skewered for suggesting it). Rove's defense, apparently, is that he didn't say what Plame's name was (he simply said "Wilson's wife"), and he didn't "know" that Plame was an undercover agent, he only knew she was CIA. Ok, a few points.

1. Whether he said "Valerie Plame" or "Wilson's wife" is irrelevant. It's the same thing, and if Bush tolerates this "definition of 'is'" garbage from Rove, well, then we really have a story.

2. Bush said he wanted to get to the bottom of this over a year ago. Why then did we have to waste all this money on a special prosecutor and a grand jury if Rove knew from day one that he was the guy who leaked Plame's identity? If Rove was so innocent, why didn't he just come forward immediately and say "yeah, it was me, but I didn't realize she was undercover"? Did he tell the president it was him? And if so, why didn't the president go public and put this investigation to an end? Or did Rove refuse the president's request and NOT come forward a year ago? And if so, what is he still doing working in the white House?

3. Perhaps it's legally relevant if Rove "knew" Plame was undercover or not, but it's not relevant in terms of him keeping his job. Rove intentionally outed a CIA agent working on WMD, it is irrelevant whether he did or didn't know if she was an undercover agent. First off, he knew she wasn't THAT public about her identity or there'd have been no need to "out" here - everyone would have known her already.

Second, the very fact that he appears to be claiming that he did NOT know about her undercover status is reason enough to fire him now. How dare the top political aide to the president out a CIA agent and not even think of checking whether she's undercover? I have worked before with CIA agents at several points in my career. The FIRST thing you learn is NOT to out them, period. If you don't know that they have some public CIA job, like spokesman, then you know from day one that you do NOT tell ANYONE who they are. It is totally unbelievable that Rove didn't know this simple fact about Washington - you don't tell people who is and who isn't CIA. Rove knew that, and he chose to out an agent working on WMD. The man should be fired.

The only remaining issue is to see if Bush starts haggling over the definition of is.

3. Who told Rove that Plame was a CIA agent? She was undercover after all.

4. Who was the SECOND administration source who leaked the info about Plame? Remember, Novak said TWO administration sources confirmed that Plame was CIA. Who was the second one? Read More......

Newsweek Outs Rove -- They've got mail

Every morning for the past week or so, I have been doing a google news with the terms "rove plame." Every day, there are more and more articles linking the two. Today, my search was very satisfying. So, here's something fun to read while having your coffee this fine Sunday morning.

Newsweek's Michael Isikoff reveals that Rove was Matt Cooper's source:

It was 11:07 on a Friday morning, July 11, 2003, and Time magazine correspondent Matt Cooper was tapping out an e-mail to his bureau chief, Michael Duffy. "Subject: Rove/P&C;," (for personal and confidential), Cooper began. "Spoke to Rove on double super secret background for about two mins before he went on vacation..." Cooper proceeded to spell out some guidance on a story that was beginning to roil Washington. He finished, "please don't source this to rove or even WH [White House]" and suggested another reporter check with the CIA.

Double super secret background? Wow.

Anyway, it's clear that Rove was spinning the story not to believe Joseph Wilson. He was playing politics with national security and prepared to undermine Wilson at any cost:

In a brief conversation with Rove, Cooper asked what to make of the flap over Wilson's criticisms. NEWSWEEK obtained a copy of the e-mail that Cooper sent his bureau chief after speaking to Rove. (The e-mail was authenticated by a source intimately familiar with Time's editorial handling of the Wilson story, but who has asked not to be identified because of the magazine's corporate decision not to disclose its contents.) Cooper wrote that Rove offered him a "big warning" not to "get too far out on Wilson." Rove told Cooper that Wilson's trip had not been authorized by "DCIA"—CIA Director George Tenet—or Vice President Dick Cheney. Rather, "it was, KR said, wilson's wife, who apparently works at the agency on wmd [weapons of mass destruction] issues who authorized the trip." Wilson's wife is Plame, then an undercover agent working as an analyst in the CIA's Directorate of Operations counterproliferation division. (Cooper later included the essence of what Rove told him in an online story.) The e-mail characterizing the conversation continues: "not only the genesis of the trip is flawed an[d] suspect but so is the report. he [Rove] implied strongly there's still plenty to implicate iraqi interest in acquiring uranium fro[m] Niger... "

All this happened BEFORE the Novak column. Karl and the White House press people have been parsing words over this scandal since it began. Looks like Karl was right smack in the middle of it all along.

Meanwhile, we still have to see whether or not crimes were committed. Rove doing the perp walk is still a real possibility. Besides that, there should be ramifications for Rove. So, you have your leaker now, George Bush, what are you going to do about it?

And, it would be really, really great if this week, if the White House Press Corps asked some questions about Rove...or maybe they are have kind of double super secret background, too. Read More......

Queen whats-her-name: "will not change our way of life"

Thank goodness that royalty is around to show their usefulness during these challenging times. The queen of England, whatever her name is, is determined to stay the course and not change in light of the recent bombings in London. I suppose this means the same old castle hopping, tax dodging, scandal and displays of self-importance.

Last night the BBC had a report where some earl of something-or-other was also chiming in on the disastor though I could not quite figure out what the guy was doing besides interfering together with camera crews and reporters while working people were actually trying to do real work. All of this is happening at a time when people are begging for news and want results and the royals just can't miss the PR opportunity. The royals have nothing to do with average Brits and should not even try to pretend like they are connected in any way, shape of form. In typical royal fashion, while normal people are using public transport, the royals travel in a way that shows their true solidarity with the people.

The queen flew by helicopter to the hospital from Windsor Castle.

Give it a rest and just go away. Read More......

Another troop withdrawal story

Haven't we been here before? I recall this subject getting hyped around election time and big surprise that it's coming out again now that Bush has sagging numbers. The US is clearly not seriously pursuing a trained Iraqi military or else we would see a lot more progress and the Iraqis can not be too interested in picking up the military burden because they have to know that once the US troops go, there goes the money and world focus.

The latest "leak" is that US and UK troops will cut troop deployments in Iraq by 1/2 by mid-2006. Uh huh, interesting timing of the "leak" that comes days after the London bombings. Read More......