The Rove Witch Hunt

The media appears to be licking its chops over the latest news that Karl Rove spoke with Matthew Cooper, the Time magazine reporter who mentioned Valerie Plame as an undercover CIA agent. The MSM would love to "get Bush" by hurting his chief political strategist.

Although the facts are still sketchy at this point, I believe the media is making more of the story than is actually there. It appears that Rove did speak with Cooper prior to the Time magazine article in 2003, but never mentioned the name "Valerie Plame" as an undercover CIA agent.

It also seems that it was fairly common knowledge among politicians in Washington that Plame worked in the CIA. As many Democrats were trying to come up with evidence that "Bush lied" about some of the Iraq evidence, Plame personally recommended that her husband, Joe Wilson (a notorious anti-Bush partisan) go to Niger to find out facts about the "yellowcake intelligence." While sipping tea with diplomats, Wilson claims he debunked the evidence within 20 minutes. (Nevermind that the U.S. and Britain still have evidence that the original intelligence was correct.)

The trip was not sanctioned by the Bush Administration, so Rove told Cooper not to make too much of his "findings." In fact, it seems that Rove was warning Cooper not to go with the story. While explaining this to Cooper, Rove likely mentioned that Wilson's wife (not by name) worked for the CIA and she was the one who sent him.

Again, not all the facts are out, but I think this is what happened. No crime and not much of a story. Finally, if it were a crime, do you really think the NY Times reporter, Judith Miller, would be willing to head to jail to save Rove?? Come on.