So what if Rove didn't say her name!!!!!

[CoffeeCat]

I can't believe these thugs!

Rove and the rest of the get-along gang--actually think that Rove is exonerated because he said "Joe Wilson's wife" and not 'Valerie Plame".

I swear to God. We have gone down the rabbit hole, took a left at insanity town, then drilled down a few more miles--until we've finally reached a parallel universe called Total Crazy Town!

What damn difference does it make if Rove didn't say her name???

He IDENTIFIED Valerie Plame!!

Matt Cooper knew, from Roves' words--who Valerie Plame was!

The end result was that Rove outed Plame.

Just how frickin DUMB does RoveCo think the American people are?

Are they so disoriented by their own power--that they fail to see their complete and utter absurdity?

Does anyone ACTUALLY think that Rove's sniveling defense, "But...but...but...I didn't say her name!" will work?

[sam sarrha]

1. they might just spin themselves out of this one

[onehandle]

4. No. Not a chance.

Rove will either be fired or be prosecuted. Unlikely both.

Rove will not survive this.

[Debi]

2. That's IT!!!

We must keep harping on the fact that he revealed the IDENTITY of a covert CIA operative....

AND

That the person who arranged Wilson's trip has no bearing on Wilson's findings.


Good job!

[Canuckistanian]

8. That's right. The law doesn't say anything about naming names.

Rove IDENTIFIED UNAMBIGUOUSLY exactly who Valerie was.

[marmar]

3. Unless Joe Wilson had multiple wives...

This is one hair they can't split...

:nopity:

[etherealtruth]

5. If he acted it out in charades ...

...how would that be any different. I am sure the law doesn't specify that it's a crime to reveal an undercover operative through charades... but the intent is there.

My 9 and 11 year olds can understand the intention ... this cabal of educated partisans cannot?

[libertypirate]

6. It is not a defense it's a distraction away from what he can't defend

Did Rove get her name off an official CIA document? NO

Why? Because if her work was presented to an administrative official she would have been identified by codename only. This protects her identity.

Someone had to already know, or seek out this information. The whitehouse won't know the identity of who is working as a spy via anything other than personal contact to recieve this information. They thought since there was no paper trail there was no crime.

If Judith Miller has gone to jail to protect anyone but Bu$h I will be surprised. I am sure that they would love to pin this on Liddy or some other shmuck. What does she get for protecting an already convicted criminal?

[Norquist Nemesis]

7. Ah, but he did!

All one had to do was google Joe Wilson bio in some fashion.

[tiptoe]

9. More to the point: "WIFE" == "VALERIE PLAME" was public knowledge...

...i.e. at least 5 monthe BEFORE Novak's report.


1) Feb 2003, last line of http://www.cpsag.com/our_team/wilson.html" target="_blank">Public Record: "WIFE" == "VALERIE PLAME"
2) Jul 2003, Karl Rove to Matt Cooper: "WIFE" == "CIA"

3) Therefore, anyone capable of a Google search: "VALERIE PLAME" == "CIA"


source: "ABC News, Wash. Post, Newsweek highlighted Rove claim that he did not actually disclose Valerie Plame's name, but a quick Google search would have produced it" (mediamatters.org July 11, 2005)

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

10. The Statute says "any information identifying" a covert agent is illegal

That's much broader than naming someone. I think the exact wording of the statute, "any information identifying" needs to be repeated over and over and over each time the conservatives try to bring up this EXTREMELY weak defense.

[Kazak]

11. Got a link for the Statute?

I could use that...

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

13. Here's the actual text of the statute:

and you can Google USC Title 50, Chapter 15, Section 421:

TITLE 50--WAR AND NATIONAL DEFENSE

CHAPTER 15--NATIONAL SECURITY

SUBCHAPTER IV--PROTECTION OF CERTAIN NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION

Sec. 421. Protection of identities of certain United States
undercover intelligence officers, agents, informants, and
sources

(a) Disclosure of information by persons having or having had access to classified information that identifies covert agent

Whoever, having or having had authorized access to classified
information that identifies a covert agent, intentionally discloses any information identifying such covert agent to any individual not
authorized to receive classified information, knowing that the
information disclosed so identifies such covert agent and that the
United States is taking affirmative measures to conceal such covert
agent's intelligence relationship to the United States, shall be fined
not more than $50,000 or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.

(b) Disclosure of information by persons who learn identity of covert
agents as result of having access to classified information

Whoever, as a result of having authorized access to classified
information, learns the identity of a covert agent and intentionally
discloses any information identifying such covert agent to any
individual not authorized to receive classified information, knowing
that the information disclosed so identifies such covert agent and that the United States is taking affirmative measures to conceal such covert agent's intelligence relationship to the United States, shall be fined not more than $25,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

(c) Disclosure of information by persons in course of pattern of
activities intended to identify and expose covert agents

Whoever, in the course of a pattern of activities intended to
identify and expose covert agents and with reason to believe that such
activities would impair or impede the foreign intelligence activities of the United States, discloses any information that identifies an
individual as a covert agent to any individual not authorized to receive classified information, knowing that the information disclosed so identifies such individual and that the United States is taking
affirmative measures to conceal such individual's classified
intelligence relationship to the United States, shall be fined not more than $15,000 or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

(July 26, 1947, ch. 343, title VI, Sec. 601, as added June 23, 1982,
Pub. L. 97-200, Sec. 2(a), 96 Stat. 122.)

[Zen Democrat]

12. My understanding is that the statute doesn't require "naming" .

This is a bogus and desperate ploy by the WH to keep Rove at his job for as long as possible.

But, it's a futile attempt and they know it.