Addicted to Rove.

The New York Times comes out this morning with an article reminding the president that he promised to fire any leakers in the Valerie "Jane Bond" Plame affair. Says Richard Stevenson:

WASHINGTON, July 11 - Nearly two years after stating that any administration official found to have been involved in leaking the name of an undercover C.I.A. officer would be fired, and assuring that Karl Rove and other senior aides to President Bush had nothing to do with the disclosure, the White House refused on Monday to answer any questions about new evidence of Mr. Rove's role in the matter.

Tim Cavanaugh quotes Michael Isikoff about the now published emails from Rove to Matthew Cooper:

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."

Observations:

1. If Rove outed Plame as retribution for Wilson's campaign against the administration, he should be fired and prosecuted;
2. That said, if he was just answering Cooper's questions and telling him why Wilson was sent to Africa--and neither used Plame's name nor knew that she was undercover--he's off the hook legally;
3. There are conflicting reports on the timing of this email. Was it sent before or after Plame's name was published by Robert Novak? That needs to be cleared up because it goes to whether Rove was leaking or merely talking about a story already out;
4. Why is Novak getting a pass? Did he have a deal? Has he already testified to a grand jury? It seems that he has the goods to clear a lot of this up;
5. Judith Miller is looking more and more like a fool instead of the vanguard of press freedoms her keepers at the New York Times portray her as. That is, of course, unless her source is someone other than or higher up the chain than Rove;
6. If Rove goes, the Democrats will have lost a rallying point against the president but will keep Rove hatred simmering in case Rudy Giuliani runs for president or veep in 2008 (Rove has been hired by Rudy);
7. You'd like to think that you're immune to the stuff.

Comments

[Dave Schuler]

Yes, Novak already testified.

[Daniel]

Thanks, Dave. I couldn't remember.

But of course, you are always ahead of me...