Day: July 13, 2005

With all the attention riveted on Karl Rove as a person of interest in the Plame leak investigation, we should remember that in Bob Novak’s 2003 story in which he revealed the identity of undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson, he said he had learned her identity after speaking with two “senior administration officials.”

We can assume that Rove was one of these officials. If we further assume that only two senior officials were leaking, it is likely that the second leaker is likely also the confidential source whose identity New York Times reporter Judith Miller went to prison to protect.

Miller talked with at least one senior administration official about Valerie Plame, in July 2003, around the same time that Rove was speaking with Matt Cooper at Time Magazine. But if Rove were Miller’s source, it is hard to imagine that he would let Cooper off the hook but not his pal Judy who was such a loyal Administration stenographer during the run-up to the war.

Who could the second source be? Here’s who:

People familiar with the inquiry say [special prosecutor Patrick] Fitzgerald also is reviewing testimony by former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, though it is not clear whether the prosecutor is focusing on him or seeking information about higher-ups. Fleischer last night refused to comment.

[…]

Reacting to the latest in a series of unflattering comparisons by Democrats – this one by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton comparing Pres. Bush to Mad’s Alfred E. Neumann – a group of Republicans in Congress is introducing legislation to ban both similes and metaphors in any speech, public or private, by any Democrat.

“We’ve had it with these apt comparisons,” Sen. Bill Frist (R-Sanctimony) said. “No more. If a law won’t get it done, we’ll start a petition for a Constitutional amendment.”

Rep. Tom Delay (R-Hypocrisy) added the method of likening one person or thing with another is distracting from the public’s business.

“We’re running out of ways to appear righteously indignant,” he said. “They’re just wearing us down. That whole thing with the Gitmo gulags – it was tough parsing out the fine distinctions of why that was an outrage. We’ve got to have some relief.”

Asked why the law, which will include analogies and symbolism, as well as figures of speech, would only bar Democrats from making contrasts, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Freakazoid) said such a question was the equivalent of a personal attack.

“That’s like asking why we want religious freedom, but only for Christians,” he said. “It’s like asking why it’s O.K. for Americans to torture prisoners but not for insurgents to. It’s like asking why Bill O’Reilly can have phone sex but not Bill Clinton. It’s like saying gay people are screwing dogs. Wait, that was me. But what are you, like a Communist?”

On “Larry King Live” Monday night, intrepid reporter Bob Woodward (on the air to tout his Me ‘N’ Deepthroat book, “The Secret Man”) offered to serve some of Judy Miller’s four months of jail time for the principle of the thing. He urged others who believe in a free press to serve her time, as well.

Why? Because Miller is gallantly fighting for all reporters’ rights. Yeah, right, Bob, and Robert Novak has just been named the Edward R. Murrow Professor of Journalistic Ethics at the Poynter Institute.

Here is the transcript from the portion of the show:

WOODWARD: No. Clearly, we’re not above the law. But frequently, people disobey the law. And when you do so, you have to be willing to accept the consequences. And in this case, the consequences, I guess, are a four-month jail sentence, and Judy Miller’s willing to do that, to stand on this principle of trust. You know, I…

KING: You said you would have done it, too?

WOODWARD: I would have done it, too. And in fact, you know, maybe I shouldn’t say this, but I will …

KING: Go ahead.

WOODWARD: … because it came to mind: If the judge would permit it, I would go serve some of her jail time, because I think the principle is that important, and it should be underscored. It’s not a casual idea that we have confidential sources. It is absolutely vital. And I’ll bet there are all kinds of reporters out there, if we could divvy up this four-month jail sentence — I suspect the judge would not permit that, but if he would, I’ll be first in line. It’s that important to our business.

And this book and Watergate demonstrated, the daily reporting in any newspaper or on CNN illustrates that. And what are you going to do? Are you going to interview all of the public relations people, all of the spokespeople, and that’s it? No one else can talk? Imagine, you know, the varnished pablum that would come out.

KING: We do need our Woodwards.

I agree, Larry. We do need our Woodwards — in jail!

Like Miller, who’s serving time to protect Karl Rove, Woodward (whose previous book on the Bush mis-administration was hailed for the “inprecedented access” Bobby was given to interview top Bush officials for “Bush at War”) is too dumb to see he’s been “Roved,” too. “Varnished pablum” indeed!

Entrepreneur, impresario and unsuccessful casino owner Donald Trump has offered to go to Capitol Hill to personally tell Karl Rove “You’re fired!”

“If that’s what it will take to get Rove out of the White House, I’m more than glad, as a true patriot and CEO, to do the job,” Trump told the Associated Press. “I’ll even do it on camera.”

Republican Senate leaders are seriously considering the curiously coiffed exec’s offer as a way to end the ongoing embarrassment over Rove’s “outing” of CIA agent Valerie Plame. Sen. John McCain expressed frustration over Rove’s continued employment, as it appears no one else at the cabinet level or above has shown any interest in firing him.

“It’s time for someone to go up the Potomac River and terminate Rove’s employment with extreme prejudice,” McCain said in arcane Viet Nam-speak.

Democratic leaders applauded Trump’s offer.

Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont spoke for the Democratic leadership: “If it took the evisceration of our cherished First Amendment right to free speech, the trampling of the long-standing practice of protection of journalists’ confidential sources, the journalistic integrity of Time Inc. and a four-month jail sentence for Judy Miller to get rid of Rove, it was well worth it.”

In other news, White House physicians expressed alarm at the idea of Rove being separated from President Bush, saying the president would then likely be declared legally brain dead and forced onto life-support with a feeding tube.

A grassroots alliance in small town Florida isn’t just pontificating about a possible draft, they are doing something concrete about it.

St. Augustine Record:

Three local women returned to the St. Johns County School board Tuesday with a request that “Opt Out” of military service forms be made readily available to St. Johns County students and their families.

Anne Galloway and Laura Braly, both members of People for Peace and Justice, and Peg Maguire, a member of Grandmothers for Peace, asked the school board to provide parents and of-age students with a form that gives them the freedom to opt out of the service.

Few people know the Bush government sneaked a clause into law the forces schools to contribute to a national database on teens, for use when they become old enough for the draft we don’t have. Yet.

Braly pointed out that Section 9528 of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires schools to forward a student’s data to the military, but she also said that the law gives parents the option to prevent their children’s information from being sent to military recruiters.

“Parents need to be made equally aware of their option to deny this process,” Braly said.

This is just one little group of women taking a stab at a great big thing, but who knows, maybe it could grow into a movement. Hmmm, a movement. Reminds me of Arlo Guthrie.

“I went over to the sargent, said, “Sargeant, you got a lot a damn gall to ask me if I’ve rehabilitated myself, I mean, I mean, I mean that just, I’m sittin’ here on the bench, I mean I’m sittin’ here on the Group W bench ’cause you want to know if I’m moral enough join the army – burn women, kids, houses and villages – after bein’ a litterbug.”

He looked at me and said, “Kid, we don’t like your kind, and we’re gonna send you fingerprints off to Washington.”

And friends, somewhere in Washington enshrined in some little folder, is a study in black and white of my fingerprints. And the only reason I’m singing you this song now is cause you may know somebody in a similar situation, or you may be in a similar situation, and if you’re in a situation like that there’s only one thing you can do and that’s walk into the shrink wherever you are, just walk in say “Shrink, you can get anything you want at Alice’s restaurant.” And walk out.

You know, if one person, just one person does it they may think he’s really sick and they won’t take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony, they may think they’re both faggots and they won’t take either of them. And three people do it, three – can you imagine – three people walking in singin’ a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and walking out?

They may think it’s an organization. And can you, can you imagine 50 people a day, I said 50 people a day walking in singin’ a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and walking out? Friends, they may think it’s a movement…”