It's about Rove, stupid!

Today's Wall Street Journal has an editorial that amazes me. It completely brushes off Rove's part in the revealing of Valerie Plame as a CIA operative and seems to be following Republican Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman's lead by blaming it all on Ambassador Wilson himself. The point is summed up in the final sentence:

As for the press corps, rather than calling for Mr. Rove to be fired, they ought to be grateful to him for telling the truth.

Way to completely miss the point while aiding the Republicans in their campaign of lies, half-truths and misdirection!

They justify this "brush off" of Rove's responsibility this way:

But it appears Mr. Rove didn't even know Ms. Plame's name and had only heard about her work at Langley from other journalists

According to US Code Title 50, Chapter 15, Subchapter IV, Section 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 under title 18 or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.,

The key phrases are:

1)

...having or having had authorized access to classified information that identifies a covert agent...

2a)

...intentionally discloses any information identifying such covert agent to any individual not authorized to receive classified information...

2b)

...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...

You can see why Mr. Rove's comments ALL ALONG have been carefully worded. He knew EXACTLY what he was doing the entire time. It's going to be hard to prove that ALL of those parts are true. However, there are significant clues if they can be backed up:

1) His weakest argument is his protestation that he "did not know her name." The Code's words (and all other federal regulations, while possibly more restrictive, cannot be less restrictive than the US Code) don't mention the word "name." It talks about "identifying" a "covert agent." While my marriage just happened several weeks ago and my name is still different from my husbands, I can be "identified" as HIS WIFE. With that information alone, ANYONE can go find a copy of our marriage license (public information) and find my name. If I am "identified" as my daughter's mom, ANYONE can go to the school records and find out who I am. So, it doesn't flippin' matter that he didn't share her name...HE SHARED HER "IDENTITY."

2a) Rove's minions are arguing that he did not know that she was a "covert agent" when he talked to Cooper. Give me a break! Look, she was a covert operative for the CIA, only people with access to classified information would even KNOW that she worked for the CIA and ESPECIALLY WHAT SHE DID for the CIA! Cooper's email made it clear that Karl Rove revealed 2 things:

- Ambassador Wilson's wife worked for the CIA

- She worked in the area of Weapons of Mass Destruction

I don't know about you, but I can't imagine too many folks specifically working in that area being able to go home and discuss the details of their day or even identify their job around the family dinner table or at a neighborhood cocktail party!

2b) If it WAS the case that he HAD learned her identity from other journalists, it was his duty as a Federal employee (who took the same "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic" oath that I took 13 years ago) to report such a breech to the CIA and investigate who leaked that information to these unnamed journalists. If any Joe Schmo like myself were found to NOT have reported such a breech, at the very least it would cost me my job.

This is why you are not hearing a peep from a majority of the Republicans – especially those with ties to the military. It doesn't friggin' matter if Joe Wilson was the biggest horse's ass on the planet. It doesn't matter WHAT Joe Wilson said. Just the information we posses right now is enough to show that Karl Rove is someone who would SELL OUT the folks serving our country in dangerous positions to enable those in the Administration to achieve their agenda. He would do this in order to "punish" a perceived "betrayer."

Ironically, I find Rove's actions to be the very definition of betrayal.


(P.S. Go to Americablog for another cool T-shirt opportunity - I love that "Benedict Rove" logo!)