The Press Gangbang the Press Secretary

[DudeAsInCool]

Here is Frank Rich's OpEd "Follow the Uranium" which summarizes what the Rove deal is really about:

http://nytimes.com/2005/07/17/opinion/17rich.html?8hpib

The Bush administration lied about 911. They did everything in their power to dismiss and harass their critics. And now its coming back to haunt them...one by one...

[DudeAsInCool]

The Washington Post gives its perspective:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...1601364_pf.html

[DudeAsInCool]

What is his problem? Two years, and he can't call Rove in and find out what the hell is going on? I mean, why is it so difficult to find out the facts? It costs thousands, millions of dollars, two years, it tied up how many lawyers? All he's got to do is call him in.

MR. McCLELLAN: You just heard from the President. He said he doesn't know all the facts. I don't know all the facts.

Q Why?

MR. McCLELLAN: We want to know what the facts are. Because --

Q Why doesn't he ask him?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'll tell you why, because there's an investigation that is continuing at this point, and the appropriate people to handle these issues are the ones who are overseeing that investigation. There is a special prosecutor that has been appointed. And it's important that we let all the facts come out. And then at that point, we'll be glad to talk about it, but we shouldn't be getting into --

Q You talked about it to reporters.

MR. McCLELLAN: We shouldn't be getting into prejudging...

[slum_goddess]

YAY HELEN THOMAS!

All he's got to do is call him in.

that's IF he doesn't already know.

[slum_goddess]

yay, i love it: the day the press corps stopped pretending to respect the president :)

You know it's bad when the press laughs openly at your spin. He is still the president and stuff, you know. From today's presser:

Q Mr. President, you said you don't want to talk about an ongoing investigation, so I'd like to ask you, regardless of whether a crime was committed, do you still intend to fire anyone found to be involved in the CIA leak case? And are you displeased that Karl Rove told a reporter that Ambassador Joe Wilson's wife worked for the Agency on WMD issues?

PRESIDENT BUSH: We have a serious ongoing investigation here.

(Laughter.)

Next week they'll bring spitballs.' here's the link to the vid, wonkette says: 'laughter starts at minute 10:00 in the video. It's pretty, uhm, brazen'

[DudeAsInCool]

Poor George looked like he needed a drink after those snickers

[DudeAsInCool]

This Blogger took a deep look at the Rove scenario and the legalities. A festive discussion followed:

http://fray.slate.msn.com/?id=3936&m=15129656&

[DudeAsInCool]

Christopher Hitchens provides a counterpoint on the Rove situation:

http://www.slate.com/id/2122963/

[DudeAsInCool]

More trouble for Rove - how many discusssions did he have with Stephen Hadley, who was then deputy national security adviser (and is now national security adviser) in regards to Wilson and his wife?

http://www.slate.com/id/2122976/

[DudeAsInCool]

THE NATION

Top Aides Reportedly Set Sights on Wilson

Rove and Cheney chief of staff were intent on discrediting CIA agent's husband, prosecutors have been told.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/po...litics-national

[DudeAsInCool]

washingtonpost.com

Plame's Identity Marked As Secret

Memo Central to Probe Of Leak Was Written By State Dept. Analyst

A classified State Department memorandum central to a federal leak investigation contained information about CIA officer Valerie Plame in a paragraph marked "(S)" for secret, a clear indication that any Bush administration official who read it should have been aware the information was classified, according to current and former government officials.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...2002517_pf.html

[DudeAsInCool]

New Developments on Rove & Libby

http://nytimes.com/2005/07/22/politics/22patriot.html

[slum_goddess]

did anyone read that? we--amerikans--are all fucked (more)

[DudeAsInCool]

did anyone read that? we--amerikans--are all fucked (more)

On the contrary, I think Rove and Libby are fucked

[slum_goddess]

apart from them :)

[DudeAsInCool]

apart from them :)

Im hoping this thing mushrooms. If they look like they lied about the war and the agent, then the pressure should escalate to Bush, Rummie, etc. - people are not happy with this war

[DudeAsInCool]

Rove, Libby Accounts on Plame Differ With Reporters' (Update2)

July 22 (Bloomberg) -- Two top White House aides have given accounts to a special prosecutor about how reporters first told them the identity of a CIA agent that are at odds with what the reporters have said, according to people familiar with the case.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=100...04Lx_8&refer=us

[DudeAsInCool]

More fun at the White House today:

Helen: Q Why does Karl Rove still have security clearance and access to classified documents when he has been revealed as a leaker of a secret agent, according to Time magazine's correspondent?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, there is an investigation that continues, and I think the President has made it clear that we're not going to prejudge the outcome of that investigation.

Helen: Q You already have the truth.

MR. McCLELLAN: We're not going to prejudge the outcome of that investigation through --

Helen: Q Does he have access to security documents?

MR. McCLELLAN: -- through media reports. And these questions came up over the last week --

Helen: Q Did he leak the name of a CIA agent?

MR. McCLELLAN: As I was trying to tell you, these questions have been answered.

Helen: Q No, they haven't.

Q Let me ask --

****

MR. McCLELLAN: Go ahead, David.

Q And they most certainly haven't. I think Helen is right, and the people watching us know that. And related to that, there are now --

MR. McCLELLAN: Let me correct the record. We've said for quite some time that this was an ongoing investigation, and that we weren't going to comment on it, so let me just correct the record.

Q If you want to make the record clear, then you also did make comments when a criminal investigation was underway, you saw fit to provide Karl Rove with a blanket statement of absolution. And that turned out to be no longer accurate --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, and there were preferences expressed by those overseeing the investigation that we refrain from commenting on it while they're continuing to look at -- investigate it.

Q White House officials have been very clear through their attorneys or through other leaks to make it known that it was essentially journalists who educated them about who Valerie Plame was, what she did, and her role in sending her husband to Niger. It has now come to light that in fact White House officials were aware, or at least had access to a State Department memo that the President's own Secretary of State at the time had with him when he was traveling on Air Force One to Africa, which indicated both who she was, what she did, and her role in the Niger trip. So did the White House, in fact, know about her through this memo, or not?

MR. McCLELLAN: I thank you for wanting to proceed ahead with the investigation from this room, but I think that the appropriate place for that to happen is through those who are overseeing the investigation. The President directed us to cooperate fully, and that's exactly what we have been doing and continue to do.

Q But you don't deny that attorneys for Rove and others in the White House are speaking about these matters, creating a lot of these questions, right, that you say you can't speak to?

MR. McCLELLAN: As I said, we're not getting into talking about an ongoing investigation. That's what the President indicated, as well.

Q Can I ask you something on a different topic?

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/20...20050721-3.html

[slum_goddess]

If they look like they lied about the war and the agent, then the pressure should escalate to Bush, Rummie, etc. - people are not happy with this war

/IF/ they looked like they lied? you and i and nearly everyone here knows they lied but the problem is convincing the masses to stay on-topic, very hard to do especially w/these dipshits running things. (hard to do as in 'look over there!')

i wish all the whitehouse press were like Helen Thomas.

[DudeAsInCool]

/IF/ they looked like they lied? you and i and nearly everyone here knows they lied but the problem is convincing the masses to stay on-topic, very hard to do especially w/these dipshits running things. (hard to do as in 'look over there!')

i wish all the whitehouse press were like Helen Thomas.

She has more balls than any of the other reporters

***

Yep, my post was badly worded. If Rove and Libby get indicted, then the heat will be n the rest of the administration... and its about fucking time!

[slum_goddess]

y'know, i'm totally w/you. having said that, i was offline for six or seven weeks in late sept to okt 01 and once i began reading news again, the hypocracies and scandals were already piling up and being noted. as we all know, over time there were many more, all compounded on to the original (and to my mind, the most outrageous--the two fucked elections) but they've all been left in the dust so at this point, i'm very cynical about whether this fucked admin will ever be punished or ever leave.

[DudeAsInCool]

all compounded on to the original (and to my mind, the most outrageous--the two fucked elections)

And Mr. Non-Partisan Roberts, the Supreme Court Nominee, volunteered behind the scenes in Florida... I wonder if anyone will bring that up? It's expected that each side would use all the legal muster they could to win - but, and its a very big but, he volunteered secretly...

[DudeAsInCool]

Apparently a big movie star is involved in the Rove scandal:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...DASMUSSENBR.DTL

[DudeAsInCool]

What did the President know and when did he know it?

http://nytimes.com/2005/07/24/politics/24b...artner=homepage

[Kooperman]

What did the President know....?

Not much, as William Faulkner might have said...

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a...o/faux_faulkner