Rove was the source of the Plame leak... so it appears

Pretty transparent why this crowd so values "loyalty". Imagine what might be the consequences here of a single person, possessing integrity, coming clean publicly about the whole shebang.

It's about time "deep throat" came out and revealed everything.

I know this probably sounds a little nuts, but a potential deep throat could very well be Jeff Gannon/James Guckert (really, no pun intended. But it's still pretty funny..)

He had unfettered access to the White House, showed up as an obvious plant, and apparently had access to classified documents pertaining to the Valerie Plame affair. But nobody is talking about this.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/9/191334/0754

What's truly interesting are the questions Jeff Gannon asked of Joe Wilson on behalf of the now debunked Talon News Agency. Jeff Gannon should be a full part of the investigation, and Fitzgerald may still grill his arse relatively soon as this continues to unfold. But the timeline is certainly ripe for scrutiny...

Dookie


Dookie, does this mean that Gannon will be the scape goat for the Bush adm's actions? He is the most dispensable guy they have to fall on his sword. Do you think Fitzgerald could turn him when the Republicans throw him over the side of their Titanic?

BBB

Ask yourself, BBB: Does the WH really want to put Gannon on the spot?

I mean, it is obvious that his connections in the place have more to do with his proffession as a whore than they do as a reporter.

Do you really want this guy to start talking about the affairs he was having and being snuck in/out of the WH?

He's safe for now, lol

Cycloptichorn

All underlings that works for this administration is 'dead meat.' Look at the Gitmo and abu Garaib affairs; only the lowly guys got convictions and prison time. Something is drastically wrong when the generals don't speak up for the foot soldiers who went to war without the proper equipment and training. They're more interested in the personal careers, and are scared shytless that they might lose their pensions if they speak out.

Cyc


If Gannon becomes too dangerous, they will just find him dying from a virulent form of cancer, just like Jack Ruby. Remember Ruby?

BBB

I saw this last night when I was watching from the airplane, on my way to Oregon. Very long flight. Yuck! Anyway, they were just about to give the details, when the flight crew decided to "reset" the TV sets and turned the TV power off! But later, it was repeated and repeated and repeated.........so i finally saw it and heard it and saw it.......the entire affair keeps getting deeper and wider......can't say that I mind at all.

All this by way of a book mark. I can't play right now. I'm helping my daughter move to New York........yay!

Lola, I was wondering why your trip to NY untilI read your last sentence. Nice to have children close by. Ours live in Austin, and my wife and I are planning to visit in October. Good on ya!

If you're going to Austin in October, let's get together for a drink.

Cheers

Cycloptichorn

If Fitzgerald continues to have unfettered access in his investigation, I would imagine that he'll call up ANYONE who had ANYTHING to do with this Valerie Plame affair. The minute the appearance of stonewalling from this administration becomes readily apparent, I would imagine (and hope) that the American people will see it for what it is.

Jeff Gannon has so far disappeared off the face of the media planet, so it would seem. His blog is an absolute joke, to be sure...

http://www.jeffgannon.com

By the way, great news!!!!:

We can probably talk PDid and his wife and shewolf and hubby to join us.

Yes, you could.

A grilling I want no part of.

Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy will probably be the GOP's first target to try to force the Democrats to back off on Karl Rove. See 2001 story below. It's amazing how the GOP hates leakers---as long as it's not one of their own.----BBB

Congress May Consider Tough Bill to Punish Leakers
Lucy Dalglish
Editors and Publishers
Published: July 25, 2005 7:30 PM ET

WASHINGTON House Intelligence Chairman Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., told an audience at the conservative Heritage Foundation on Monday that deliberate leaks of classified information have "probably done more damage to the intelligence community" than espionage. He said he wants to create a culture where "zero tolerance" is the norm.

The House Intelligence Committee will consider crafting legislation to help the Justice Department prosecute individuals who leak classified information.

"It's time there is a comprehensive law that will make it easier for the government to prosecute wrongdoers and increase the penalties, which hopefully will act as a deterrent for people thinking about sharing information," he added.

Hoekstra's comments came as Democrats called for congressional investigations into the headline-grabbing leak of a covert CIA operative's identity during the run-up to the Iraq war.

The Justice Department rarely investigates leaks of confidential information, which often come from Congress members or political appointees hoping to influence international policy.

Hoekstra said he plans to hold hearings this year with the CIA, Justice Department and Defense Department on ways to prevent leaks. He said he is considering inviting journalists to testify.

Lucy Dalglish, executive director for the Washington-based Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said her organization would be interested in the issue and any proposed legislation. She said she hoped journalists would be invited to testify.

"People leak or release classified information every day - deliberately," Dalglish said. Defense Secretary "Donald Rumsfeld has a briefing; he is releasing classified information. He is making a choice to do that. It is a very touchy area."

A variety of state and federal laws were crafted in the 1970s and 1980s to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of classified information while leaving some room for whistle-blowers and accidental leaks. The laws do not extend to journalists who report that information, except in rare cases, such as details about wiretaps.

During his speech, Hoekstra made several references to the 1998 disclosure of the intelligence community's ability to monitor Osama bin Laden's satellite phone.

"Were it not for a leak, there is a chance we could have brought Osama bin Laden to justice by now and have a much better understanding of al-Qaida operations," Hoekstra said.

The leak of CIA weapons expert Valerie Plame's identity has taken center stage in recent weeks.

On Monday, 26 Democrats wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., requesting that Congress investigate. They cited press reports examining whether senior Bush administration officials - including White House chief of staff Karl Rove and the vice president's chief of staff, Lewis Libby - may have exposed Plame's identity.

"Americans deserve a Congress that holds Washington accountable for the truth about our national security," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., one of the signatories.

When asked about the investigation, Hoekstra said he hasn't been focused on it.

"We are not chasing newspaper stories" in the committee, he said.

Asked if anyone's security clearances should be revoked while the investigations are ongoing, he said that is a decision for the manager involved - in this case, President Bush.
------------------------------------------

Traditional Values Coalition

Senator Daschle Must Remove 'Leaky Leahy' From Judiciary Committee
Washington, DC - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), head of the Senate Judiciary Committee is probably one of the most powerful men in the Senate. He may also be one of the most unreliable and a threat to our national security. Senator Tom Daschle should remove Leahy from heading any Senate committee and prohibit him from sitting on any committee handling intelligence information.

Surely, Majority Leader Daschle knows about Leahy's sad history of leaking classified information, yet he placed him as head of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Leahy gained notoriety in 1987 for his role in leaking classified information in 1986 about a covert operation by the Reagan Administration against Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddhafi.

Leahy, at the time, was on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Leaky Leahy was quoted in the Washington Times as saying he thought this effort "was the most ridiculous thing I had seen, and also the most irresponsible." Apparently he felt obligated to leak this intelligence information to the press-and the plan was aborted. One can only wonder how many innocent civilians have died since then because of Gaddhafi's terrorist activities.

Leahy also leaked intelligence information in 1985 dealing with the terrorist attack on the cruise ship Achille Lauro. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that this leak apparently cost the life of at least one Egyptian operative who was working on the case. When Leahy leaks, people die.

The Senate conducted an internal investigation of Leahy's penchant for leaking classified information, and he was allowed to save face by resigning from the intelligence committee.

Thanks to Tom Daschle's committee assignments, Leaky Leahy is currently stonewalling President Bush's judicial nominees and recently held the first of several hearings to grill Attorney General Ashcroft and Justice Department officials on their efforts to fight terrorism here and around the world. Last week's hearing conducted by Leaky Leahy was called "Department of Justice Oversight: Preserving Our Freedoms While Defending Against Terrorism."

Leahy claims to be concerned about civil liberties and our national security, but his track record is dismal. He has previously compromised U.S. national security for partisan political purposes. There is little to make us confident that he will not again jeopardize national security by leaking future classified information to the press if it suits his political agenda.

Senator Daschle is ultimately responsible for this situation. He determines who will head Senate committees. He should remove Leahy immediately for the sake of national security. The unfortunate truth is that Leaky Leahy is the one who deserves to be investigated, not Attorney General John Ashcroft or the Justice Department. Providing classified information to Senator Leahy constitutes a potential security breach and American operatives may die as a result.
Sen. Daschle must understand this fact and act now to relieve Leahy of his duties.

Seems there's a little inconsistency here when it comes to yanking security clearances...

Cycloptichorn

Doonesbury under attack again for "Turn Blossom" R
Some Papers Pull, Edit 'Doonesbury' Strip After 'Turd Blossom' Reference
By David Twiddy, Associated Press
Published: July 26, 2005 1:03 PM ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo. About a dozen newspapers have objected to the use of toilet humor in Tuesday's and Wednesday's "Doonesbury" comic strip, and some either pulled or edited the strip.

Kansas City-based Universal Press Syndicate, which distributes the strip to around 1,400 newspapers, said it had received some complaints from editors about a reference to presidential aide Karl Rove.

In the strip, a caricature of President Bush refers to Rove as "turd blossom." [This is, reportedly, one of the president's old joking nicknames for Rove.]

Lee Salem, editor at Universal Press, said the complaints, from 10 to 12 newspapers, weren't unexpected, given the concerns many editors have about language in the funny papers. But as opposed to other times when editors have objected to Doonesbury content, the syndicate did not send out replacement strips.

"Given the coverage of Karl Rove, we thought it was appropriate, especially given the history of the strip," Salem said.

Among those with concerns was the Providence (R.I.) Journal. There, editors simply removed the offensive word from the strip's final panel.

"I didn't think [taking out the word] hurt it," Executive Editor Joel Rawson said. "I would prefer to run the strip and if we can edit it, that's fine."

Rawson said the paper would take the same approach with Wednesday's strip.

perhaps if the gingrich brigade had paid attention to ANYTHING other than clinton's weenus and done their freakin' job we would have caught bin laden, avoided kobar, cole and wtc II.

but, noooooooo.

I don't know. Listen to this guy's words and the rest of his speach to the Heritage Foundation. There is this one glaring paragraph:



Consider this a trial baloon in testing the waters of the "blame Clinton" mantra that Republicans will desperately try to use in deflecting any blame. The Rebugs are very good at manipulating the "liberal" media these days, and if anybody were STILL believing that the media is mostly liberal, consider this:



Oh, those nutty rightwingers, eh?

Editing out "turd blossom" renders the strip pointless.