The Nation: Why Bush Has To Fire Rove

[Xipe Totec]

...

But let's put aside the legal issues for a moment. This email demonstrates that Rove committed a firing offense. He leaked national security information as part of a fierce campaign to undermine Wilson, who had criticized the White House on the war on Iraq. Rove's overworked attorney, Robert Luskin, defends his client by arguing that Rove never revealed the name of Valerie Plame/Wilson to Cooper and that he only referred to her as Wilson's wife. This is not much of a defense. If Cooper or any other journalist had written that "Wilson's wife works for the CIA"--without mentioning her name--such a disclosure could have been expected to have the same effect as if her name had been used: Valerie Wilson would have been compromised, her anti-WMD work placed at risk, and national security potentially harmed. Either Rove knew that he was revealing an undercover officer to a reporter or he was identifying a CIA officer without bothering to check on her status and without considering the consequences of outing her. Take your pick: in both scenarios Rove is acting in a reckless and cavalier fashion, ignoring the national security interests of the nation to score a political point against a policy foe.

This ought to get Rove fired--unless he resigns first.

Can George W. Bush countenance such conduct within the White House? Consider what White House press secretary Scott McClellan said on September 29, 2003, after the news broke that the Justice Department was investigating the leak. McClellan declared of the Plame/CIA leak, "That is not the way this White House operates. The president expects everyone in his administration to adhere to the highest standards of conduct. No one would be authorized to do such a thing."

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/35295

[newscott]

1. Fire him? He should be joining him in irons!

[skip fox]

2. W. will want to distance himself. Rove may even counsel him to do it since

Rove masterminded the 6 leaks (6 contacts with reporters as reported) and at least 3 confirmations.

Things don't "just happen," especially "unknowingly" with this many contacts

Rational:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1919571

[Skittles]

3. LOL, bush is more likely to promote the treasonous bastard

that's his track record, isn't it?

[Jack Rabbit]

4. And then there is this . . .

According to Cooper's email, Rove did leak classified information, wittingly or not. Did he share that fact with Bush? If McClellan can be believed, Rove did not. If that's true, Bush should dismiss Rove for holding out on him. But it Rove did talk to Bush about his participation in the leak, what did he tell Bush? And what actions did Bush take? Did Rove tell Bush how he had come to know about Valerie Wilson's position at the CIA? Did he disclose to Bush who else knew about it? Did he tell his boss whether anyone else was passing this information to reporters? In the first column that disclosed Valerie Wilson's CIA identity, Bob Novak referred to "two" senior administration officials? So who in addition to Rove might have revealed this information to Novak?

Bush also said at the time that any government official with knowledge of the leak should "come forward and speak out." Rove certainly did not follow that presidential order. He should be pink-slipped for that, too.

Of course, if Rove did tell Bush and Fitzgerald knows it, then that give Fitzgerald something to waltz down to the House Judiciary Committee.

And if Rove stays on much longer when it is so clear that he outed a CIA operative, knowingly or not, that gives the House something it ought to consider even without any prompting from Mr. Fitzgerald.

[Catfight]

5. How can anyone defend this treasonous rotten person. He ruined

not only the life of someone that put their life on the line for the defense and security of America, but Rove jeopardized every one of us Americans because he was vicious. He is immature and should be tried for treason. Any commentator or anyone in America that wishes to come to the defense of such a traitor belongs in prison with him. Rove is the most despicable person in this country. He puts everyone at risk, why not disclose other CIA operatives? Is Bush going to set the precedent for future CIA employees to have their cover blown if Bush's administration doesn't like what they are saying? This goes way beyond just outing an American that worked for OUR country. We pay ROVE to be a traitor, Bush has a traitor on OUR payroll, OUR tax dollars are keeping him in the WH. It's time to hang the dirty laundry out to dry. This was a rotten thing to do to Valarie Plame, not only to her career, but her dedication to this country was ruined by ROVE'S meanness. If any pontiff stands behind this sort of un American traitorous act, I think we should try them for treason as well. I won't stand for my countries safety to be jeopardized for a traitor of the worst kind. If Bush doesn't fire ROVE himself, then the America populous ought to march down to Washington and do it themselves. I can't believe we're still paying for such a traitor, I'm pissed off one dollar of my tax money goes to a person like this. And to think, Valerie Plame could have been killed because of ROVE being a traitor.