Revolutionary Moderation

Meet Karl Rove

MR. McCLELLAN: I've made it very clear, from the beginning, that it is totally ridiculous. I've known Karl for a long time, and I didn't even need to go ask Karl, because I know the kind of person that he is, and he is someone that is committed to the highest standards of conduct.

So spake Scott McClellan, White House Press Secretary, today, during a shitstorm the likes of which has not been seen in the press room in some time. Considering that I permalink to the Daily Howler, you can imagine how heartened I am to see reporters doing their jobs. Today proved once and for all that Ari Flescher was the savviest man in politics to leave when he did.



Edited to note that the quote was from a few days ago. The shitstorm is ongoing.



So, despite my playing-card links yesterday, people don't seem to be too sure about this Karl Rove guy. After all, how bad can the guy be, if he's "committed to the highest standards of conduct"?



I found so many profiles of bad Rove behavior with a daypop search on "Rove", I can hardly list them all. But here's my favourite, because it predates them all:

February 15, 2001: Some wonder to what extent Rove will use the power of the federal government against those who would cross the President. Rove's past suggests such worries are not unfounded. "This guy is worse than Haldeman and Ehrlichman," a source who worked in Hightower's office twelve years ago said in a recent interview, referring to Nixon's advisers at the time of the Watergate break-in. "He'll have an enemies list." The interview ended with a request common among sources speaking about Rove, even those no longer involved in politics: "I'd prefer you didn't quote me on this."

Read the whole article. Do your own Google search.



Much of the blogosphere is backing off, as Ambassador Wilson did, on the contention that Karl Rove is behind the Plame leak. The more I read, the more this seems to have a recognizable, "Rovian" autograph on it. Do not let yourself be distracted by Novak's denials or Wilson's retreats.



Some of the left-wing bloggers I've been reading today sound downright giddy about this. I'm not entirely giddy - after all, the actions of an unknown (*Cough cough rove cough*) White House staffer has contributed to undermining intelligence sources about the locations and ownership of WMDs. As a result, those weapons might instead be used at some future time to kill me.



At the same time, knowing that the chances of Bush winning a second term have become, over a week, extremely slight, will help me to sleep more soundly. And watching the White House stonewalling, suffering, squirming --- my alliteration skills are not what they once were --- is, I have to admit, a popcorn event.