How are the Rove defenders explaining Fitzgerald?

[Cocoa]

his being a Republican sure doesn't help their case that this is a partisan witch hunt.

So how do they handle that? As far as I can tell, they are simply not mentioning him at all.

Possible tactics, but which I haven't seen, would be to accuse him of being "ambitious" or "overzealous."

[Goldmund]

1. They're trying to convey that their beef isn't with Fitzgerald

Hence calls of "Give Rove a medal" -- they're not disputing any findings by Fitzgerald, they're only trying to spin their political implications. That may change once the indictments come down.

[Cocoa]

2. but they're screaming about the dems' "negativity"

they should see Fitzgerald as way more "negative," he's actually prosecuting the case, he actually puts people in jail, he forced these revelations out into the open.

The dems are just calling for Rove to be fired.

[Goldmund]

3. He hasn't put anyone in jail yet

And they're hoping that he, somehow, won't. The political damage is immediate, and that's what they're trying to deal with now -- legal damage is intrinsically harder to defend against, and they'll deal with that if and when it comes.

Best explanation I can think of... :shrug:

[Cocoa]

4. Judith Miller is

or is going (does anyone know, is she in jail right now?).

And Cooper came pretty close.

[Goldmund]

5. Yeah, she's in jail

But why would they be defending Judy Miller?

[bemildred]

6. Fitzgerald is an "out of control" prosecutor.

Which is, of course, perfectly true. But then, prosecutors are not supposed to be "under control".