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Rove: Nothing Wrong With US Attorney Firings
Bush aide testifies before Congress
WASHINGTON - After years of silence, top Bush administration political adviser Karl Rove went on a public relations offensive Thursday, saying he did nothing wrong in the controversial firings of nine U.S. attorneys and that soon-to-be-released White House documents and his closed-door congressional testimony will bear that out.
Karl Rove, former advisor to U.S. President George W. Bush, peeks out from the colonnade at the White House in Washington January 7, 2009. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque/ United States) Rove's comments, made through his lawyer, Robert Luskin, prompted immediate charges of foul play by congressional Democrats, who accused him of sidestepping an agreement not to discuss his two days of closed-door testimony about the firings before the House Judiciary Committee.
That testimony, which wrapped up Thursday, came only after a protracted legal battle during which Rove and some other senior Bush administration officials refused to testify for the congressional inquiry. The Bush administration had said the probe was a partisan witch-hunt by congressional Democrats who believed the top prosecutors were fired because they refused to go along with the Republican political agenda.
As a compromise, Rove agreed to field questions from one congressman and one staff lawyer from each party. Also in the room were various staff members and lawyers from congressional leaders, the Bush and Obama White House staffs and the Justice Department, which appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the firings for possible criminal violations.
Bush administration officials have defended their actions -- and Rove's -- saying that he was merely passing along complaints from some Republicans about various U.S. attorneys, particularly David Iglesias in New Mexico, Bud Cummins in Arkansas and Missouri's Todd Graves.
Until Thursday, however, Rove had declined to comment, Luskin said. But he made prearranged deals with The New York Times and Washington Post to see some of his e-mails. He also gave interviews with both newspapers in which he insisted he had done nothing wrong.
There were few if any disclosures in the e-mails or interviews. For the most part, Rove claimed, as the White House did earlier, that he was providing political guidance about larger policy issues, and interested in helping put the best people into prosecutor positions that were either already open or about to become open.
Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee said their negotiated agreement prohibited any of the parties from discussing any details until everything was officially released.
"It's hardly surprising that Mr. Rove would minimize his involvement in the U.S. attorney firings or that selectively leaked documents would serve his version of events," committee spokesman Jonathan Godfrey said in a statement.
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19 Comments so far
Show AllWhat an amazing 'tribute' to hypocrisy.
Mr. Rove, and his former 'boss'---'The Smirk' are enjoying the 'basic constitutional right to due process'----while they are directly responsible for the 'denial' of the same to hundreds of others.
Since there are so few americans who have protested this blatant hypocrisy---the world has only one conclusion to draw and that is 'the USA is really screwed up' and consequently are a danger to themselves as well as the rest of the world.
How much longer the world is willing to tolerate the USA can only be give over to speculation.
If the USA were 'another country' and presented such a danger; the USA would have invaded them long ago---you know--
the 'law of self preservation and all'.
It truly is a compliment to the world's patient and considerate tolerance of the USA that they have allowed the USA to continue.
That can only last so long though.
Good Luck America, you really need it.
NativeSon: STOP!!!!! Wishing for the U.S. demise will put those vibes out there. The "Fey" is very responsive to suggestion. Do you live in the U.S.? Tho many of your posts in the past have been accurate criticism.....lately, you seem to be all about "the end of the U.S. True, we are not doing very well as a whole. However, there are at least half of the people who are promoting true change and are aware of the foul direction the other half is aiming toward. Why not cheer the good side?!
Inanna: STOP - Do you really hope for continuation of this present empire? Does living in the U.S. matter when offering an opinion?
What statistics do you have in mind when claiming that half the people living in the U.S. are promoting true change?
What awareness do you refer to? What progress can you point to changing the "foul direction" the U.S. has been on, not aiming toward, for at least the last half century (and arguably since it's founding and the genocide of "NativeSon's" people?)
Please let us all know more about the good side and any evidence of it's existence. Let the U.S. die - it is as evil as it gets - if you haven't noticed thats the course it's on - economically, ecologically, educationally, socially, medically, criminally, politically,
religiously, consciously, etceterally. I would love to know an example of any "true change" that is real and growing.
We all could use some cheer....
Rootkoz: No I do not hope for continuation of empire at all. Nor do I hope for the continuation of Multi-national Corporations. I also hope for the demise of the 2 party system and the corrupt elections even here in the U.S. I also abhor what happened to the Native Americans in this country and the fact that violence and war are gods in the U.S. as well as money and power.
The chance we have however rests with a good percentage of people who are actively working to turn around the ship. Polls taken show that at least 60% of people want single payer health insurance. A fairly good percentage of people identify themselves under the heading of Cultural Creatives (myself being one), who are working to creatively work in a positive direction to penetrate old ways of doing things and introduce change where they can. A group called "11th Hour Action" is working to promote environmental and political change by direct actions taken in this country and others thru education, hands on help, etc. Young farmers are looking anew at the prospect of community organic farms and promoting Permacultures. Code Pink is a dynamic direct action group of women who are standing up all over the world in protest against the powerful and the monied and are making headway in some areas or at least bringing awareness where there was none. Dennis Kucinich is working hard at trying to establish a Department of Peace within the constructs of the present governmental system we have. Many authors are encouraging people to elevate their consciousness and break thru the power of evil in our world by sending positive messages into the atmosphere. Read Gregg Braden or Eckhart Tolle. or Daniel Quinn. I know many artists who are creating beauty (my son being one) in a world of ugliness. Universities have been teaching for years about the possibility of a paradigm shift in our world....where patriarchy finally balances out with the feminine. There are groups right now who believe in the resurgence of the feminine aspect of God.....fortelling the end of the exploitation and hatred of the feminine element (although the backlash is the most extreme ever). There is a sea change possible if we only embrace the positive possibilities.
I am not naive nor am I a Polyanna and God knows I have been cynical and skeptical myself. The problem is .... it is making me depressed and sick! All the negativity has affected my health. We have a choice in how we think. Thinking promotes actions. So, if you think fatalistically...you bring that result on yourself. If you let go of the hope that people can make a positive life for themselves and others, then you give over to the dark side. I'd rather die trying something honest and light and new and different then just give up to the evil that is being done by the powers that be. We live in an unbelievable time but there have been other and worse unbelievable times in this country and the world. If you read "A Peoples History of the United States" by Howard Zinn...you read all about the futility suffered by the poor and the treachery done unto the middle class in this country. And if you read Naomi Kleins "Disaster Capitalism" you read about all that happening and worse because of the U.S.....all around the world! I'm not giving up to them! I intend to have my life and have it on my terms! Or else I'll die trying! I hate what is happening in the world! But, somehow we need to take it and turn it in the favor of mankind and nature. We're not making enough noise....yet! But have no doubt...many are working hard to change things. I don't know if we will succeed....but we must try. Would you rather just pray for destruction?!
Nothing Wrong with Putting Rove On Trial and Behind Bars.
Only if the cell is wasted space, housing him alone. Let Bush and Cheney join him, and the three can split their ration of a piece of bread and a glass of water per day.
Rove is an experienced media whore. He will pimp his story to the media and not have to worry because the mainstream media always whitewashes political stories. Rove has a bright future as a writer and lecturer for the empire.
Hoa binh
We need a public water boarding of him and the rest of the scum!
There will be no respect for Obama and Eric (do nothing) Holder until they defend the laws of this Country as they swore to do. Hang that previous bunch of war criminals and their crimes against humanity. Obama and Holder are working for the corrupt repug party.
Well native son, the rest of the world doesn't need to invade preemtevely the USA, this country is rotting from the inside. It's all a matter of time
Lessee ...
After 'years of silence' on the issue, the Doughy Troll* emerges like a malignant whack-a-mole to embark on a 'public-relations offensive'. The fact that cherry-picked documents and testimony relating to the crimes are 'soon to be released' is, of course, simply a coincidence.
---
*Nickname credit to Liz Winstead
If the Obama administration and Congress follow their same practice, Rove and the rest will never see justice.
Hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist but is there a pattern here?
Maybe one that might possibly suggest a conspiracy by an authority influential over the combined United States government and the democratic election process?
There is nothing wrong with capital punishment for those who commit treason.
Porky Pig can wear a suit and tie and magically jump off the two dimensional screen but he is still subhuman.
"Rove agreed to field questions from one congressman and one staff lawyer from each party."
So Rove, even though he is now a private citizen, gets to dictate terms of his questioning? Sheesh! This is all just theater. It's like professional wrestling. They may play bitter antagonists for the fans, but when the show's over and nobody's looking, they're all pals, working for the same organization.
Return of the Turd Blossom Part II -soon to be a major motion.
http://donsiegelman.org/Pages/MAIN/home.html
Why is Eric Holder allowing Gush appointees to stay in place in Alabama where Don Siegelman is only out of jail after a lengthy campaign to get him released on bond while his case is on appeal. Karl Rove still is at large and free to bloviate for dollars on the corporate media, while Siegelman has to battle to prove that he is an innocent victim of a DOJ that became a tool of partisan prosecutions.
=============================================================
Larisa Alexandrovna Reports on the WH
Politically Motivated Conviction of Gov.
Don Siegelman -- And Rove's Role
Interview by BuzzFlash.com
Rove's dream was to recreate the landscape of the judicial
system, and to install judges that were either pliable, malleable,
and/or very, very pro-corporation. Essentially that is what he did
in Alabama in the early Nineties. That is what this is all about. If
you control the governor in the states where the justices are not
elected, you control who gets on the supreme court. And that's
essentially what this is all about for Rove ultimately. But to get
those kinds of things done, you have to eliminate the governor
you don't want and install the governor you do want. There are
a lot of corporate interests funding this. So it intersects in that
sense. It's buying the law and restructuring the state judiciary.
nore:
http://blog.buzzflash.com/interviews/111
Rove is just displaying his contempt for the law because he believes he is entitled to define it as whatever suits him, and that he can totally disregard such ethereal things as common decency, the truth, and morality in general. He believes that if he can impose his will on something or somebody, he should, in repayment of some debt to God Who gave him the power to do so. A sociopath.
Show me a "Goodside" There is none.
Washington is money in action out town.
Corrupt to the core.
Dems and Repug same pigs at the same trough.
They will destroy our country in the name
of greed and ignorance.
Nemesis is on the premises and the American
public is too busy with life style diseases
to know up from down.
Watch the borders once the dollar is destroyed.
Enjoy.