Five Years Ago Today: Karl Rove in Pink Elephants

Five years ago, this blog wasn't even two weeks old. So, I may have picked too early a week to inaugurate a Five Years Ago feature. But it's cool. It's kind of fun to revisit the past. I think while I'm at it, I may start doing a few Four Years Agos too, since it was a presidential election year also. But for now, here is one of my posts from my first month. It would be another week or so before I became more current eventsy. . .here, I was re purposing some pre-blog work.

ORIGINAL POST: June 14, 2007

 

Here is another of my creations, from a couple of years ago. Picture it: Spring 2005, and revelations about a man-whore named Jeff Gannon were setting the blogs (but sadly not the mainstream media) on fire. Also, there were rumors that the man the Freepers called "Rove, you magnificent bastard!" was possibly--just maybe--gonna be implicated in the Plame affair. I didn't have an outlet yet for my political and artistic frustrations, but that didn't stop me from creating. So without further ado (and with apologies to and appreciation for John Waters), I bring you Pink Elephants!

NOTE (06/14/12):  This joke obviously works better if you know about: Pink Flamingos, John Waters, Divine, Jeff Gannon, Karl Rove, Valerie Plame and the whole vibe of the Bush era in 2007 for a liberal blogger.

Dick Cheney Admits to Outing Valerie Plame?

Photo from Raw Story

I've been ready to grudgingly accept that there will be many things we'll never be told about the Bush Administration, and their legendary secrecy. And I've also come to the conclusion that no matter how bad the things we do find out are, that nobody is going to be punished for doing them. That last part will probably hold, except maybe for some underlings, and a pretty heavy black mark in history for the whole lot of them.

But Dick Cheney has surprised me. George W. Bush too, although to a lesser extent. In their ongoing series of "exit interviews," they have been unexpectedly candid about some of their activities. Including. . .um. . .outing a CIA agent? Yeah, Cheney kind of admits that. But it was an accident. Yes, you see, that is the proviso for nearly all Bush Administration admissions: whatever improper activities they may have done, they either weren't their fault, or they were accidental. Mmm hmm.

[Excerpt]

Cheney’s admissions to the CIA leak prosecutor and FBI

Vice President Dick Cheney, according to a still-highly confidential FBI report, admitted to federal investigators that he rewrote talking points for the press in July 2003 that made it much more likely that the role of then-covert CIA-officer Valerie Plame in sending her husband on a CIA-sponsored mission to Africa would come to light.

Cheney conceded during his interview with federal investigators that in drawing attention to Plame’s role in arranging her husband’s Africa trip reporters might also unmask her role as CIA officer. . .

Read more at: Murray Waas

Robert Novak Hits Pedestrian, Doesn't Notice

Photo from source, Politico

Have you ever been drawn into one of those discussions about there being an cutoff age for driving? I've always thought it sounded mean, but maybe there ought to be at least some kind of retesting after a certain age.

Case in point, reporter (and CIA covert operative cover blower) Robert Novak, 77, hit a guy in a crosswalk today. He was tooling around in his black Corvette, and plowed into a guy who had a "WALK" sign in his favor, reportedly bouncing him off the windshield. And Novak just kept going like nothing happened. How do you not notice something like that?

Of course, he may have been lying, and had simply planned on hitting and running. I've got to say, the cops seem to have let the old guy off easy. Certainly easier than they'd treat most hit-and-run drivers, don't you think?

[Excerpt]

Novak cited after hitting pedestrian

Syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak was cited by police after he hit a pedestrian with his black Corvette in downtown Washington, D.C., on Wednesday morning. . .

Read more (with video) at: Politico

Opposite Day: Karl Rove Rips NYT for CIA Leak

Here's another good tip from Stupid Monkey Planet, who will be filling in for me this weekend. While it is known that Karl Rove at least had a part in leaking CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson's identity, he keeps trying to distance himself from it. So far, he still--somehow--has the arch right-wing on his side, and the left couldn't hate him any more than they do, so he's sitting pretty. Wait, this is Rove; sitting chubby? I don't know.

But Rove has managed to make himself appear even more hypocritical, though we didn't think that was possible. Take a look.

[Excerpt]



Rove Rips NYT For Outing CIA Agent’s Identity And ‘Putting Our Country At Risk’

. . .Yesterday, on The O’Reilly Factor, Karl Rove slammed the New York Times for supposedly leaking the name of a CIA agent. “[T]hey’ve got a very callous view about our nation’s security and interests,” Rove charged:

ROVE: Well, I read their explanation. And basically, it sounded to me like they were saying we put his name out there because we decided we could. And I mean, they didn’t have a good explanation for it. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Scott McClellan to Testify in Valerie Plame Case

Photo from source, Raw Story

Well, what do you know. Finally, we have a former Bush Administration being called for testimony who may actually show up. It should be interesting!

[Excerpt]

McClellan to testify in House in CIA leak probe

President Bush's former spokesman, Scott McClellan, will testify before a House committee next week about whether Vice President Dick Cheney ordered him to make misleading public statements about the leaking of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity.

McClellan's lawyers said he has accepted House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers' invitation to testify June 20. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Karl Rove Draws Hostile Response in Iowa

Photo from source, Think Progress

It's great that the alternate reality Karl Rove helped create in this country is finally being recognized for what it is. Like a glitch in the Matrix, people are finally getting wise. Karl Rove may have pocketed $40,000 for his speech, but I'm very sure he didn't have a good time. And may his little joke about being indicted come true, please!

[Excerpt]

Rove: ‘I Fully Expect To Be Indicted By The End Of The Year’

Karl Rove, former senior aide to President Bush, spoke to a hostile crowd at the University of Iowa yesterday evening. Students and local citizens protested his appearance at the university and “staged a mock trial” for Rove inside the student union before the speech. [snip]

Responding to a question about CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson’s outing, Rove, seemingly joking, added: "I haven’t been indicted yet, but I fully expect to be by the end of the year."

Read more at: Think Progress

Pardon Me: Scooter Libby Drops Appeal

Photo from source, Reuters

Hmmm. My cynical left-leaning suspicions lead me to think that if Scooter is giving up on appealing his case, he just might have some sort of Presidential Pardon in his future. My prognostication has been flawed before, but I think I could be on to something. OK, sure, it's obvious, but gimme one, OK?

[Excerpt] "Scooter" Libby drops appeal in CIA leak case

A former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, has dropped his appeal in a perjury case that fueled debate over the Iraq war, his attorney said on Monday.

Libby was found guilty in March of lying and obstructing an investigation into who blew the cover of a CIA officer, Valerie Plame, whose husband had criticized the Iraq war. . .

Read more at: Reuters

White House Blocking Congressional Probe?

Photo of Rep. Henry Waxman from source, Raw Story

“If the government has nothing to hide,then why are they hiding everything?” -- Dr. Robert Bowman

[Excerpt]

White House blocking congressional Plame probe, chairman says

President Bush is doing everything possible to delay, obfuscate and obstruct a congressional investigation of his possible role in exposing an undercover CIA agent, a Congressional chairman alleges. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Larry Johnson Dares to Call Bush a Liar

Photo of Larry Johnson from source, TPM Cafe

I've written a number of posts about the Valerie Plame story in the short life of this blog, from several different angles. But I'm just a loony leftist with an opinion. Larry Johnson, on the other hand, is a former CIA agent, and was a classmate of Valerie Plame's. So he has a perspective I could never hope to match, and credibility to boot.

And Mr. Johnson is doing something that few public people seem willing to do: he calls George W. Bush and others in his administration liars. He also throws in traitor. I'm tired of the euphemisms, and this is the perfect medicine.

[Excerpt]

George Bush, Traitor and Liar in Chief

Former Presidential spokesliar, oops, I mean spokesman, Scott McClellan, reminded us this week that the fish rots from the head. McClellan drops the truth bombshell that implicates George Bush and Dick Cheney in the sordid outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson. . .

Read his oped at: TPM Cafe

John Gibson Thinks Treason Worthy of a Medal

FOX "News" can be baffling sometimes. Most baffling would be the presence of John Gibson as the (now co-) host of The Big Story. For a channel that at least gives lip service to being "fair and balanced," they've got a rabid partisan hosting what is ostensibly a news show.

And here he is at his most egregious. He's rebooting his much derided "whoever outed Valerie Plame as a CIA agent should get a medal" load of crap. I'm continually amazed at what conservative pundits will excuse when it suits their purposes. Does anybody believe for a minute that this would be the reaction were it President Al Gore or John Kerry who'd been in office at the time? Please.

Scott McClellan Back Tracks a Bit to Save Bush

Photo from source, Raw Story

In a story that has the potential to really upset the Bush apple cart, Scott McClellan is backing off a bit, to soften his allegations against the Bush Administration. He seems to be trying to let Bush off the hook for lying, but the allegations against other Administration officials seem to stand for now.

You have to wonder why this information was even released in the first place. The book doesn't come out for six months. It's not particularly market-savvy to leak juicy details that early. I only see two scenarios: this book is loaded with juicy details, or McClellan thought it extremely important to let this out now for some reason other than marketing. It will be interesting to find out.

[Excerpt]

Publisher: McClellan isn't alleging Bush took part in 'conspiracy to mislead'

A bombshell excerpt from a new book by former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan was not an allegation that President Bush helped to mislead the public about the outing of ex-CIA agent Valerie Plame, the book's publisher told CNN.

"I just got off the phone with the publisher of McClellan's new book, and he tells me that McClellan does not charge in the book that the president himself was involved in any kind of conspiracy to mislead the public," reported CNN correspondent Jessica Yellin. "But of course, in the publisher's words, 'Scott did go out to take bullets without the proper flak jacket on.'"

Read more at: Raw Story

Scott McClellan Blows the Lid Off: Everybody Lied

Image from source, Raw Story

Everybody knows it, even the delusional Freepers, in their little black hearts. Knows what? That the whole bloody Bush Administration was lying about the Valerie Plame affair. More than lying, they were telling then White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan to lie too (only he claims he didn't know at the time that he was lying).

As many former administration officials do, McClellan has written a tell-all (more likely "tell-just a little") book about his tenure. And like several people who left before him, he only comes clean when given the chance to make a buck. With a little luck, enough dollars will be waved in front of enough people to get at least a partial picture of the crap this team has pulled. Lord knows they won't answer Congressional Subpoenas. . .

[Excerpt]

Former WH Press Sec.: Bush, Rove helped pass along 'false information' on Plame

President Bush, Karl Rove, and other top administration officials were "involved" in misleading the White House press corps about the outing of ex-CIA agent Valerie Plame, a forthcoming book from former Press Secretary Scott McClellan alleges. . .

Read it all at: Raw Story

Hindsight Is Always "50-50"...

Armitage says it was "foolish" to reveal Valerie Plame's name to the public. Really? Ya don't say? What a dip shit monkey this guy is... Anyhow, here is Armitage trying to explain away & make sure he can still get into the heavens with all of those virgins he's been promised.

I think the sign above this Dick's shoulder says it all... "Late Edition". Too late Dick.

This Dick Explains It All...

Photo Swiped from CNN

Valerie Plame & Joe Wilson on Bill Maher's Show

Valerie Plame, sometimes with her husband, Joe Wilson, has really been making a high-profile push for her new book over the last couple of weeks. I've caught the pieces she's done for 60 Minutes, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and this week's Real Time with Bill Maher. I also noticed that she didn't--to my knowledge anyway--appear on any of the FOX "News" programs.

And for good reason. There has been a flood of misinformation on the whole CIA-outing case, on FOX and on the the right-wing blogs. They somehow manage to turn spiteful, I'd say treasonous behavior, into a right-wing cause! I've covered my take on the story here, here, and here if you're interested.

For a little background, check out this link which purports to fact check both sides of the story. I cannot vouch for the veracity of this site, but it's a place to start. Also worth noting, this Wikipedia entry. Once again, if you want to know more, check multiple sources.

Anyway, I'm pleased that Plame's side of the story is finally getting more attention. I hope she gets a little more traction, and that the American people start to acknowledge the seriousness of what happened to her.

Valerie Plame on Countdown with Keith Olbermann

Since the term "swiftboat" became a verb, there has never been person more a victim of swiftboating. Make that persons, as her husband was the actual target. What was done to Valerie Plame and Joseph Wilson was criminal, made worse by the fact that no one short of Scooter Libby is likely to be charged. And we know how that ended up.

Here's Valerie Plame's appearance on Tuesday night's Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

Valerie Plame Wilson on 60 Minutes Tonight

Photo from source, RawStory.com

Well, the Valerie Plame/Joseph Wilson story is back, as Valerie Plame is to be interviewed on 60 Minutes tonight. This is one of those stories that baffles me, when it gets boiled down to its left-right "takes" on the issue. The right's view of the story becomes as strained and ridiculous as any tinfoil hat conspiracy theory.

And just like a 9/11-truther on a mission to disrupt a talk show, the Freepers will hold to their views that Joe Wilson was some sort of traitor, and that Valerie Plame was a paper-pusher at the CIA (and even if she was a covert agent, simply everyone in DC knew about it. . .huh?).

This article is interesting, as it shows that RawStory.com (a favorite source of mine) covered 60 Minutes' ground a year ago. Yeah, we bloggers can be ahead of the mainstream media like that. . . Heh heh.

[Excerpt]

CBS confirms 2006 Raw Story scoop: Plame's job was to keep nukes from Iran

CBS News has confirmed, in advance of a 60 Minutes interview with outed CIA agent Valerie Plame to be run this Sunday, that Plame "was involved in operations to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons."

"Our mission was to make sure that the bad guys, basically, did not get nuclear weapons," Plame told 60 Minutes. Plame also indicated that her outing in 2003 had caused grave damage to CIA operations, saying, "All the intelligence services in the world were running my name through their databases" to see where she had gone and who she had met with. . .

Read on at: RawStory.com

Valerie Plame Wilson's Suit Thrown Out

Photo from source, RawStory.com

Of course. Can't anyone hold these guys accountable? I hope CREW keeps at this one.

[Excerpt]

Judge throws out Plame lawsuit

A federal judge threw out a civil lawsuit former CIA agent Valerie Plame filed against members of the Bush administration, but the dismissal does not close all Plame's legal avenues. [Snip]

Plame's lawyers expected the decision to be thrown out anticipate filing an appeal, according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, whose executive director is representing Joseph and Valerie Wilson. But the couple does not plan to pursue legal action under the FTCA, a CREW spokeswoman told RAW STORY.

"While we are obviously very disappointed by today’s decision, we have always expected that this case would ultimately be decided by a higher court," said Melanie Sloan, CREW's executive director. "We disagree with the court's holding and intend to pursue this case vigorously to protect all Americans from vindictive government officials who abuse their power for their own political ends."

Read more at: RawStory.com

More Plamegate Misinformation on FOX "News" Sunday

Photo from source, MediaMatters.org

On FOX "News" Sunday, as well as on other Sunday morning political shows (it's hard to remember where you saw things sometimes, they all sort of blur together), the talking heads continued to parrot misinformation in the Valerie Plame Wilson/Scooter Libby story.

Mara Liasson from NPR was only one of the people guilty of this, and she's supposed to represent the liberal viewpoint. As David Brock notes in The Republican Noise Machine, being "from NPR" does not necessarily make you a de facto liberal. She does sound sane more often than William Kristol, but that is very faint praise.

Media Matters for America has more: On Fox News Sunday, Liasson called Armitage the "real leaker"

Sphere: Related Content

Joe Wilson: 'Did he do this so that Libby would shut up?'

Photo from source (RawStory.com)

OK, one more Libby/Plamegate story, and I'll try to lay off for a while (but no promises!). This story, from RawStory.com, gives us the Wilsons' point of view.

[Excerpt]

Joe Wilson: 'Did he do this so that Libby would
shut up?'

David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Published: Tuesday
July 3, 2007

CNN interviewed Ambassador Joseph Wilson, husband of outed
CIA agent Valerie Plame, about the commutation of "Scooter" Libby's sentence
soon after it was announced on Monday. "There's very little that surprises me
from this administration any more," said Wilson. "I think it's corrupt from top
to bottom."

"I don't give really a darn whether Scooter Libby goes to
jail or not," he continued. "What I care about is that the rule of law and the
system of justice that has undergirded our democracy for 220 years is upheld.
And that is what has been subverted by the president's actions today. ... By
commuting the sentence, I think the president raises the very real suspicion
that he is party to the obstruction of justice or the coverup of the original
crime. ... I think the public has a right to know whether there was a quid pro
quo in this. Did he do this so that Libby would shut up?"

Read more at: RawStory.com

Plamegate Myths Dispelled

With my heavy focus on the Scooter Libby commuted sentence, it may be appropriate to dispel some common myths about the case. The first is "Since Armitage was the leaker there was no underlying crime." Irrelevant since the charge was obstruction of justice, but regardless, go here for the refutation of that claim:

Media still repeating false claim that Armitage role in Plame leak exonerates Libby

There are several other claims, but I think this link will provide you with refutations of several of the common misconceptions. Take a look:

Treasongate (Part VI): Response to GOP/Neocon talking points on the Valerie Plame expose

I still don't understand why hard-core Bushies think that Scooter's commutation is a good thing. Is there anybody out there that can clue me in? Thanks!