MSNBC - Bush denied Rove was leaker n/t

[janekat]

[diplomats]

1. If Rove didn't do it

he sure as hell coordinated it.

[papau]

24. Great questions for the media to ask - if they aren't owned by GOP

From the ABCnote:

"Has President Bush made clear to the White House staff that only total cooperation with the investigation will be tolerated? If not, why not?

Has he insisted that every senior staff member sign a statement with legal authority that they are not the leaker and that they will identify to the White House legal counsel who is?

Has Bush required that all sign a letter relinquishing journalists from protecting those two sources? Has Bush said that those involved in this crime will be immediately fired? If not, why not?

Has Albert Gonzalez distributed a letter to White House employees telling them to preserve documents, logs, records? If not, why not?

Has Andy Card named someone on his staff to organize compliance? If not, why not?

White House officials who might have legal or political exposure on this are going to have to decide whether to hire lawyers or not, and the White House counsel's office is going to have to decide what legal help they can and should provide to officials if and when the DOJ wants to talk to them.

That means that the '90s practice of every Washington bureau of calling members of the bar to see who has hired whom is about to heat back up. The first one to report someone hiring a criminal lawyer wins a prize, as does the first person who develops that lawyer as a source on all this.

A reminder that students of recusal politics will have to consider the Rove-Ashcroft history"

[Virginian]

2. If Bush knows who isn't guilty, he must know who is. n/t

[diplomats]

3. Yes

[MoonRiver]

7. Exactly. And the fall guys won't be low level operatives this time.

Novak has made it clear, and the media has repeated over and over, that this info came from TWO HIGH RANKING OFFICIALS IN *'S ADM.

[Brian Sweat]

8. That is what I was thinking.

Someone should ask Bush how he knows?

[Jacobin]

4. How does he know?

What? We're supposed to believe Bush*??????????


Bwahahahahahaha. Fucking liar

[ignatius]

5. OK,Mr. pResident, who was it then?

[Mari333]

6. Bush cant deny jackshit

There hasnt been an investigation yet!! what Bushit!

[Brian Sweat]

10. Not only that,

but isn't it considered a little unethical for the president to comment on something that is under imminent investigation?

[diplomats]

20. When the Clinton admin. was being investigated

the WH wouldn't comment.

[gratuitous]

9. How does he know?

He just scans the headlines. Unless there was a headline that only he got that said "Rove wasn't the leaker," I'd have to say that Lil George is incompetent to make that assertion.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

11. Good then that proves this goes up to the top since Bush's

indication of knowledge is evidence that he is involved in the cover up of a crime...these words will come back to haunt him.

[qanda]

12. How come it's so hard to believe that Rove didn't do it?

I'm almost positive that he didn't, BUT he either ordered it done or okayed it! Semantics baby, it's all about what the meaning of "is" is. Karl Rove *is* behind this.

[Brian Sweat]

14. If Rove directed someone else to contact NoFacts and the

other journalists, the Rove "did it."

[asjr]

13. rove

Do you suppose it is (gasp) Condescending Rice?? She was shakier than a cat on a hot tin roof on MTP Sunday. She looked as if she was ready to crack.

[Brian Sweat]

15. Even if she did not do it, she could be the scape goat.

Even if she didn't do it and she will not be the scape goat, national security is still her area and she bears some responsibility for this breach.

[hlthe2b]

17. Rice would look fetching in an orange jumpsuit....

but only if accompanied by some of those corrupt Bushista "boys...

There is no love lost on my part for Rice, but pinning all this on her would be (IMO) just TOO conveneient.

[bleedingheart]

16. because he's the one directing this nightmare

even more reason to impeach this ass.

[schrodinger_I]

19. Rove couldn't do it

He would need a very high level security clearance to even be privy to such knowledge. I would be willing to bet something like a CIA agent's identity would be on a "Need to Know" basis and be classified as Top Secret/SCI. Rove couldn't have that clearance.... It has to be someone else. Perhaps Tenet was complicit or *'s father.

[Classical_Liberal]

21. Why wouldn't Rove have security clearance

He is the Presidents Chief of Staff. It would make no sense not to give him security clearance?

[LittleApple81]

22. ROVE IS BUSH*'S BRAINS!!!! HE SEES EVERYTHING BUSH SEES

BEFORE BUSH SEES IT!

[Brian Sweat]

23. Isn't Andrew Card Bush's Chief of Staff?

[schrodinger_I]

26. You are correct....

Here is the link:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/cabinet.html


Rove is an adviser......So I doubt he could have such a high level security clearance.

[Brian Sweat]

29. Does he have to have a specific position to have a specific clearance?

Couldn't Bush just have him vetted and then grant him clearance?

[NoKingGeorge]

18. Rove was not 'authorized' to know IDs'. Who is ??

The deserter and head of NSC are authorized to get this type of information. Someone had to give K the information ,including the detail of her duties.

[chookie]

25. I suspect Lord Sauron Cheney

Assembling the "evidence" to justify invasion of Iraq seems to have been Dick's project.

When Wilson publically cast doubt on the sensational story of Hussein buying uranium from Niger, he was messing with Cheney's case.

Therefore, to silence him Big Time, he outed Wilson's wife.

Although Dick is extremely valuable to smirky because he does all the work, Rove is absolutely indispensible to His Chimperial Highness, who can't function without this diabolical genius behind him.

I think Dick is going to resign soon, on the grounds that he does not want this story interfering with the work of the Bush Administration at this critical time. Then, Condi Rice will be VP. Why? To split the Democratic vote in 2004, because they will present her incompetent as as a historical opportunity to vote for a Black Woman. Dick has nothing to lose. He is arrogant and flippant. He has set himself up financially and powerfully for the rest of his stinking life.

[Terwilliger]

27. how does Bush know?????????

[rucky]

28. Doesn't matter who dialed the phone...

They're all in on it. Same m.o. as yellowcake when the scandal erupted:

First: Deny/Stall/Dismiss and hope it blows over

Second: Excuse in advance the media's most likely target (Rove's turn...Condi in yellercake)

Third: Order a "full internal investigation" - details shrouded in secrecy for "national security" reasons.

Fourth: Pick a patsy (Tenet, most likely) and slap him on the wrist. Case closed.

But in this case, I'll predict Tenet gets fingered and will at least be forced to resign. He already got his hands dirty, and it's better to focus the blame on one turncoat than to spread it around.