July 4, 2005

I'm generally opposed to the death penalty, but in Karl Rove's case I could see my way clear to an exception.

At http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/lawrence-odonn
ell/rove-blew-cia-agents-cov_3556.html Lawrence O'Donnell reveals:

I revealed in yesterday's taping of the McLaughlin Group that Time magazine's emails will reveal that Karl Rove was Matt Cooper's source. I have known this for months but didn't want to say it at a time that would risk me getting dragged into the grand jury. McLaughlin is seen in some markets on Friday night, so some websites have picked it up, including Drudge, but I don't expect it to have much impact because McLaughlin is not considered a news show and it will be pre-empted in the big markets on Sunday because of tennis. Since I revealed the big scoop, I have had it reconfirmed by yet another highly authoritative source. Too many people know this. It should break wide open this week. I know Newsweek is working on an 'It's Rove!' story and will probably break it tomorrow.

Indeed, Newsweek has this at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8445696/site/newsweek/:

The e-mails surrendered by Time Inc., which are largely between [Time reporter] Cooper and his editors, show that one of Cooper's sources was White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove, according to two lawyers who asked not to be identified because they are representing witnesses sympathetic to the White House.

Title 18, Part I, Chapter 115, paragraph 2381 of the United States Code reads:

Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.

Reads a lot like the definition of someone who unmasks a CIA operative (Valerie Plame) for rank political gain, doesn't it?

Of course, if this is true, odds are that this goes straight to the top, to Piehole his own self. Can you really buy Rove acting without authorization? If so, there's no time for a lengthy impeachment process. The feds should burst into the White House, throw a bag over his head, stick him in an orange jumpsuit and drag him off to Guantánamo--or "render" him to a "friendly" country like Uzbekistan or Syria--for a lengthy session with our "humane" torturers.

The only questions now are:

Do Republicans have a shred of patriotism or loyalty to American legal principles left?

and

Do Democrats have the slightest spine left?

They released this stuff over a somnolent July 4th weekend, but if there's any sanity we won't be talking about much else during the coming days. This is huge, even bigger than Justice O'Connor's replacement and certainly worse than anything Richard Nixon or Bill Clinton ever did to merit impeachment. Rove's head isn't enough. Not that the Administration doesn't deserve prosecution on everything from war crimes to obstruction of justice, but the Rove-Plame connection ought to be enough to stop this charade of a faux government once and for all.

© 2005 Ted Rall