Cynical Nation

How little you know of the Left. The Rosenbergs and Hiss were innocent!

It IS an "actual scandal". When your boy makes Time, Newsweek, and a half-dozen major mags and journals, it's a scandal.

But you should know by now, as a good little right-winger who lived and breathed scandal in the Lewinski days, and even before, with Ollie North and Reagan, and even before THAT, with Don Segretti and H.R. Haldeman:

"It AIN'T the scandal that gits you; it's what happens when you botch the cover-up!"

Hee-hee.

When your boy makes Time, Newsweek, and a half-dozen major mags and journals, it's a scandal.

You realize that these news outlets as well as two dozen others are already on record arguing (rather convincingly) that no crime was committed, right?

MaDr, I don't know what I was thinking. What a memory you have. ;-)

Yup, this scandal is gonna be as bigger than Air National Guardgate, Halliburtongate, Yellow Cakegate, and Downing Streetgate all put together!!!!!!!!!

This is not simply a scandal. A crime has been commited and it is only a matter of time before criminal charges are filled by the prosecutor. Disclosing the identity of an undercover CIA agent is a crime. Especially in a time of war. The republicans should be the ones demanding to find out who committed the crime. Instead, most of the republican party is simply repeating the same "line" trying to protect Karl Rove. I guess the say "Power corrupts and absolute power absolutely corrupts" really applies to the Republican party of today. Kind of sad.

Don't forget Gannongate. Hee-hee.

Jeez, Blue, you seem to know the law better than the co-authors of it - both of whom said that this doesn't approach the criteria they set.

Plus, it is no crime to name a CIA employee who is not covert but merely works at Foggy Bottom as Plame seems to have done.

In fact, they only ones claiming that a crime has been committed seem to be the left fringe who hate and loathe Rove for being "Bush's brain".

I would think you guys would learn not to rely on Lying Joe Wilson, who has been discredited by several non-partisan investigations.

This is why you guys lose. You pick the wrong fights everytime.

Thanks for the talking points, Mal.

Yes, Blue and others are getting the hanging rope out a little early, but some of us, while refraining from signing the "Fire Karl Rove" petitions, still feel this is a matter of some consequence. As far as the "you" picking the "wrong fights", it wasn't "me" who pushed for the special prosecutor, it was the CIA. You may be certain that there was no crime committed. I, however, will wait for the results of the grand jury. I think it is they who get to decide whether there was a potential crime here.

I don't like Karl Rove, but I don't hate him either. He's a smart political operative, but I don't doubt that there are others ready to take his place if he can not continue. The question here is whether he or others broke the law and the important principle here is that no one is above the law. You seem pretty certain that there was no law to break. My guess is that you're wrong. We shall find out soon enough.

The fact of the matter is that the CIA submitted a criminal referral on this matter which is why we even have a special prosecutor. So all of this silly discussion of whether or not Plame was actually covert or not is meaningless. It's not my job or Mal's job or anyone elses job to say who is and who is not covert. That is up to the CIA.

Why is it that anyone who is concerned over the possible breach of security is immediately labeled a partisan? In reality it's just as partisan if not more so to write this off so easily.

The question is not whether Rove broke the law, the question is why was classified information made public? Who is responsible and how can we ensure that it doesn't happen again.

Believe it or not that is the issue on many people's minds. If you would allow yourself to step outside of your own partisan perspective Mal and merely acknowledge that yes, the CIA considers this a breach of classified information and potentially a crime then I think you'd see that.

You are letting your own hatred of Joe Wilson, and your partisan beliefs on the entire Niger story obscure the simple fact that the CIA is looking for answers. That should concern you. Now if people try to bend this to smear and/or indite innocent people for partisan reasons then you have a basis to complain - but don't let those complaints obscure the underlying issue which is the release of classified information to the public.