Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Jail Karl Rove
Mum's the Word
Editor & Publisher, July 4:
Two days after his lawyer confirmed that his name turned up as a source in Matthew Cooper's notes on the Valerie Plame/CIA case, top White House adviser Karl Rove refused to answer questions about the development today.
Rove traveled with President Bush when he spoke at a July 4 event in West Virginia today, but refused all requests for interviews about his role in the controversy that threatens to send Cooper, of Time magazine, and Judith Miller of The New York Times to jail this week for refusing to reveal sources.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) had called on Rove to clear the air on Sunday. "We've heard it from his lawyer, but it would be nice to hear it directly from Mr. Rove that he didn't leak the identity of Valerie Plame, and that he didn't direct anyone else to do such a dastardly thing," said Schumer.
Outside the presidential rally in Morgantown, one protester made reference to the case, holding a sign that read: "Jail Karl Rove," according to a New York Times dispatch. ...
[read more]
Editor & Publisher, July 4:
Two days after his lawyer confirmed that his name turned up as a source in Matthew Cooper's notes on the Valerie Plame/CIA case, top White House adviser Karl Rove refused to answer questions about the development today.
Rove traveled with President Bush when he spoke at a July 4 event in West Virginia today, but refused all requests for interviews about his role in the controversy that threatens to send Cooper, of Time magazine, and Judith Miller of The New York Times to jail this week for refusing to reveal sources.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) had called on Rove to clear the air on Sunday. "We've heard it from his lawyer, but it would be nice to hear it directly from Mr. Rove that he didn't leak the identity of Valerie Plame, and that he didn't direct anyone else to do such a dastardly thing," said Schumer.
Outside the presidential rally in Morgantown, one protester made reference to the case, holding a sign that read: "Jail Karl Rove," according to a New York Times dispatch. ...
[read more]
Monday, July 04, 2005
Bush's Words Heard Through the Ears of a Young Iraqi
Baghdad Burning, July 1:
Not only can they not find WMD in Iraq,” I commented to E. as we listened to the Bush speech, “But they have disappeared from his speeches too!” I was listening to the voiceover on Arabiya, translating his speech to Arabic. He was recycling bits and pieces of various speeches he used over two years.
E., a younger cousin, and I were sitting around in the living room, sprawled on the relatively cool tiled floor. The electricity had been out for 3 hours and we couldn’t turn on the air conditioner with the generator electricity we were getting. E. and I had made a bet earlier about what the theme of tonight’s speech would be. E. guessed Bush would dig up the tired, old WMD theme from somewhere under the debris of idiocy and lies coming out of the White House. I told him he’d dredge up 9/11 yet again… tens of thousands of lives later, we would have to bear the burden of 9/11… again.
I won the bet. The theme was, naturally, terrorism- the only mention of ‘weapon’ or ‘weapons’ was in reference to Libya. He actually used the word ‘terrorist’ in the speech 23 times.
He was trying, throughout the speech, to paint a rosy picture of the situation. According to him, Iraq was flourishing under the occupation. In Bush’s Iraq, there is reconstruction, there is freedom (in spite of an occupation) and there is democracy.
“He’s describing a different country…” I commented to E. and the cousin.
“Yes,” E. replied. “He’s talking about the *other* Iraq… the one with the WMD.” ...
[read more]
Not only can they not find WMD in Iraq,” I commented to E. as we listened to the Bush speech, “But they have disappeared from his speeches too!” I was listening to the voiceover on Arabiya, translating his speech to Arabic. He was recycling bits and pieces of various speeches he used over two years.
E., a younger cousin, and I were sitting around in the living room, sprawled on the relatively cool tiled floor. The electricity had been out for 3 hours and we couldn’t turn on the air conditioner with the generator electricity we were getting. E. and I had made a bet earlier about what the theme of tonight’s speech would be. E. guessed Bush would dig up the tired, old WMD theme from somewhere under the debris of idiocy and lies coming out of the White House. I told him he’d dredge up 9/11 yet again… tens of thousands of lives later, we would have to bear the burden of 9/11… again.
I won the bet. The theme was, naturally, terrorism- the only mention of ‘weapon’ or ‘weapons’ was in reference to Libya. He actually used the word ‘terrorist’ in the speech 23 times.
He was trying, throughout the speech, to paint a rosy picture of the situation. According to him, Iraq was flourishing under the occupation. In Bush’s Iraq, there is reconstruction, there is freedom (in spite of an occupation) and there is democracy.
“He’s describing a different country…” I commented to E. and the cousin.
“Yes,” E. replied. “He’s talking about the *other* Iraq… the one with the WMD.” ...
[read more]
Weatherman Matt Blunt
Scratching the dry earth of Missouri for some kind of relief from the political heat, Missouri Gov. Matt "Moron" Blunt has personally issued a press release on drought conditions in the state. When he leaves public service, or disservice in his case, perhaps he will pursue a career as a weatherman. It may very well be Blunt's true calling to predict, accurately or not, Acts of God.
[read more]
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It's the Sentiment that Counts, Right?
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 1:
by gossip gadfly Deb Peterson
Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton, R-Marble Hill, had the right spirit when he recently sent out "Happy Independence Day" greetings to supporters and constituents. The letter he sent - on his special House Speaker stationery - was packed with patriotic sentiments perfect for the Fourth of July. The letter, which was also a thank you to contributors, included a car flag that Jetton offered as a token of his appreciation for their support. "I hope you will fly it proudly and remind everyone that sees it how special this country is," Jetton wrote. Only problem was the flag had a sticker attached that said - you guessed it - "made in China." Todd Abrajano, a spokesman for Jetton, said Thursday that the speaker had never actually seen the flags, which were bought by a staffer. "It was just an oversight on the staff member's part," Abrajano said.
[read more]
by gossip gadfly Deb Peterson
Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton, R-Marble Hill, had the right spirit when he recently sent out "Happy Independence Day" greetings to supporters and constituents. The letter he sent - on his special House Speaker stationery - was packed with patriotic sentiments perfect for the Fourth of July. The letter, which was also a thank you to contributors, included a car flag that Jetton offered as a token of his appreciation for their support. "I hope you will fly it proudly and remind everyone that sees it how special this country is," Jetton wrote. Only problem was the flag had a sticker attached that said - you guessed it - "made in China." Todd Abrajano, a spokesman for Jetton, said Thursday that the speaker had never actually seen the flags, which were bought by a staffer. "It was just an oversight on the staff member's part," Abrajano said.
[read more]
Clandestine Insurgent Clown Rebel Army Confronts G-8
Associated Press, July 4:
Police confronted demonstrators in Edinburgh and near a nuclear submarine base as protesters kept up their pressure ahead of the G-8 summit.
Police had a few scuffles in Edinburgh with black-clad anarchists and antiglobalization protesters in the streets of Edinburgh, where officers also stopped a self-styled "clandestine insurgent clown rebel army."
No arrests were reported immediately.
At the Clyde Naval Base in southwestern Scotland, about 450 demonstrators blocked the road, vowing to shut down the Trident submarine base for the day. ...
[read more]
Police confronted demonstrators in Edinburgh and near a nuclear submarine base as protesters kept up their pressure ahead of the G-8 summit.
Police had a few scuffles in Edinburgh with black-clad anarchists and antiglobalization protesters in the streets of Edinburgh, where officers also stopped a self-styled "clandestine insurgent clown rebel army."
No arrests were reported immediately.
At the Clyde Naval Base in southwestern Scotland, about 450 demonstrators blocked the road, vowing to shut down the Trident submarine base for the day. ...
[read more]
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Scott McClellan Is a Lying Sack of Shit
Newsweek, July 11:
by Michael "Izzy" Isikoff
... At issue is the story of a CIA-sponsored trip taken by former ambassador (and White House critic) Joseph Wilson to investigate reports that Iraq was seeking to buy uranium from the African country of Niger. "Some government officials have noted to Time in interviews... that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, is a CIA official who monitors the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," said Cooper's July 2003 Time online article.
Now the story may be about to take another turn. The e-mails surrendered by Time Inc., which are largely between Cooper and his editors, show that one of Cooper's sources was White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove, according to two lawyers who asked not to be identified because they are representing witnesses sympathetic to the White House. Cooper and a Time spokeswoman declined to comment. But in an interview with NEWSWEEK, Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, confirmed that Rove had been interviewed by Cooper for the article. It is unclear, however, what passed between Cooper and Rove.
The controversy began three days before the Time piece appeared, when columnist Robert Novak, writing about Wilson's trip, reported that Wilson had been sent at the suggestion of his wife, who was identified by name as a CIA operative. The leak to Novak, apparently intended to discredit Wilson's mission, caused a furor when it turned out that Plame was an undercover agent. It is a crime to knowingly reveal the identity of an undercover CIA official. A special prosecutor was appointed and began subpoenaing reporters to find the source of the leak. ...
...In early October 2003, Newsweek reported that immediately after Novak's column appeared in July, Rove called MSNBC "Hardball" host Chris Matthews and told him that Wilson's wife was "fair game." But White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters at the time that any suggestion that Rove had played a role in outing Plame was "totally ridiculous." On Oct. 10, McClellan was asked directly if Rove and two other White House aides had ever discussed Valerie Plame with any reporters. McClellan said he had spoken with all three, and "those individuals assured me they were not involved in this." ...
[read more]
by Michael "Izzy" Isikoff
... At issue is the story of a CIA-sponsored trip taken by former ambassador (and White House critic) Joseph Wilson to investigate reports that Iraq was seeking to buy uranium from the African country of Niger. "Some government officials have noted to Time in interviews... that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, is a CIA official who monitors the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," said Cooper's July 2003 Time online article.
Now the story may be about to take another turn. The e-mails surrendered by Time Inc., which are largely between Cooper and his editors, show that one of Cooper's sources was White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove, according to two lawyers who asked not to be identified because they are representing witnesses sympathetic to the White House. Cooper and a Time spokeswoman declined to comment. But in an interview with NEWSWEEK, Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, confirmed that Rove had been interviewed by Cooper for the article. It is unclear, however, what passed between Cooper and Rove.
The controversy began three days before the Time piece appeared, when columnist Robert Novak, writing about Wilson's trip, reported that Wilson had been sent at the suggestion of his wife, who was identified by name as a CIA operative. The leak to Novak, apparently intended to discredit Wilson's mission, caused a furor when it turned out that Plame was an undercover agent. It is a crime to knowingly reveal the identity of an undercover CIA official. A special prosecutor was appointed and began subpoenaing reporters to find the source of the leak. ...
...In early October 2003, Newsweek reported that immediately after Novak's column appeared in July, Rove called MSNBC "Hardball" host Chris Matthews and told him that Wilson's wife was "fair game." But White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters at the time that any suggestion that Rove had played a role in outing Plame was "totally ridiculous." On Oct. 10, McClellan was asked directly if Rove and two other White House aides had ever discussed Valerie Plame with any reporters. McClellan said he had spoken with all three, and "those individuals assured me they were not involved in this." ...
[read more]
Quid Pro Quo
Washington Post, July 2:
Federal agents armed with search warrants descended on the California house of Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham yesterday, the latest step in a criminal investigation into his relationship with the owner of a District-based government contracting firm.
Agents from the FBI, Internal Revenue Service and Defense Criminal Investigative Service of the Pentagon inspector general's office participated in the search of Cunningham's house near San Diego, as well as the Washington home, office and boat of Mitchell J. Wade. Wade was until recently the chief executive of MZM Inc., which does intelligence work for the Pentagon.
Cunningham, a California Republican who was a fighter pilot in Vietnam and an instructor at the Navy's Top Gun school, is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and defense appropriations subcommittee.
The investigation began three weeks ago after news reports that Wade had purchased Cunningham's home in late 2003 for $1.675 million and then sold it months later at a $700,000 loss. Cunningham also was living rent-free on Wade's 42-foot yacht at the Capital Yacht Club on the Potomac River. But he has not stayed on the yacht for about two weeks, according to a source close to the congressman. ...
[read more]
Federal agents armed with search warrants descended on the California house of Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham yesterday, the latest step in a criminal investigation into his relationship with the owner of a District-based government contracting firm.
Agents from the FBI, Internal Revenue Service and Defense Criminal Investigative Service of the Pentagon inspector general's office participated in the search of Cunningham's house near San Diego, as well as the Washington home, office and boat of Mitchell J. Wade. Wade was until recently the chief executive of MZM Inc., which does intelligence work for the Pentagon.
Cunningham, a California Republican who was a fighter pilot in Vietnam and an instructor at the Navy's Top Gun school, is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and defense appropriations subcommittee.
The investigation began three weeks ago after news reports that Wade had purchased Cunningham's home in late 2003 for $1.675 million and then sold it months later at a $700,000 loss. Cunningham also was living rent-free on Wade's 42-foot yacht at the Capital Yacht Club on the Potomac River. But he has not stayed on the yacht for about two weeks, according to a source close to the congressman. ...
[read more]
