July 6, 2005, It's Miller Time.
On this, the President's 59th birthday, let's wish him a happy one, and hope he recovered from "that little accident." Oh, and let's take a quick look at a proper use of our nation's courts' use of their contempt power: the right and proper (and overdue) jailing of propagandist war criminal Judith Miller of The New York Times.
It appears that the source everyone seems hellbent on trying to protect, even at the risk of a most uncomfortable jailing at an actual jail in the case of Ms. Miller, was none other than the President's beloved key advisor, Karl "Turdblossom" Rove. Evidently, Rove signed some sort of a release that allowed Ms. Miller's fellow contemnor Matthew Cooper of Time to avoid actual jail (though he has to testify).
If, in fact, Mr. Rove knowingly disclosed the name and identity of a covert American operative, he is guilty of not only the specific felony of doing so, but quite likely treason, and to the extent his deliberate outing of an American covert operative resulted in the death or deaths of field operatives, he should, in all fairness, be facing the death penalty. Understand the principle of "IIOKIYAR", which most of you understand (but simply means "It's OK if you are a Republican"). Don't worry: there's no limit to what that simple phrase covers, up to and including treason. Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald will just have to come to that realization himself, if he attempts to actually... you know... do anything to Rove. But that's the way it is.
You see, knowingly risking the lives of American field agents is nothing short of treasonous. This is the sort of thing a Hanson or an Ames was doing: selling out our nation and its covert personnel for personal gain. In the case of Rove, it was personal and personal political gain: he was intimidating a critic of his boss, the President.
Ah yes, the President. The "smart money" (see how smart it was?) suggested it was the Vice President's chief of staff, Scooter Libby, who was the leaker. Of course, in that highly sensitive position, Libby might well have had a "need to know" who a covert operative was. As I noted in some e-mail exchanges with Diana, Karl Rove is and was a domestic policy advisor. In short, there was no reason for him to know who a covert operative was. Now, mechanically, we're pretty sure that Rove obtained this information from Ambassador Wilson's (and Agent Plame's) likely liaison to the White House... State Department official John Bolton (yes, that John Bolton). But not even Bolton could have given Rove this kind of clearance for information of that sensitivity.
Such an order could only come from one man (hint: "happy birthday, Sir"). Query whether being a likely accessory to treason, and quite possibly, the death of American agents, is, you know, some kind of "high crime and misdemeanor". Second hint: IIOKIYAR.
Comments
Dog:
How dare you lambast Hanson and Ames.
First off, Hanson was a fine group. Those cute little guys with that Hmmm Bop, let me tell ya, that's like watching early Lynyrd Skynyrd.
As for Ames-First there was Eight is Enough, and then he steals Charles in Charge away from that Scott Baio hoodlum. How can you not like talent like that? Stick to something you know, Muttley, like Conspiracy Theory (which would have been a good movie, except it violated the rule of all Julia Roberts movies. It had Julia Roberts in it).
Posted by Pete Moss at July 7, 2005 4:23 PM
Listen, don't mention Skynyrd without stating indignation about their lack of admittance to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!
Posted by Muscle Shoals at July 7, 2005 9:46 PM
Hey:
Watergate does not bother me,
but the R&RHOF snub does.
Posted by Pete Moss at July 11, 2005 8:33 PM