Sidney Blumenthal on PlameGate
Sid Blumenthal’s got an excellent, clear-eyed, and personal analysis of the scandal surrounding the leaking of CIA agent Valerie Plame’s identity as an act of revenge against Joe Wilson. (at Salon, watch an ad to see the whole article)
Rove’s still very much in his place of honor at the White House, seated right behind the prez, serene as a basking eel, and free to crank that republican spin machine harder than he’s ever cranked before. It’s thrilling to watch it in action. The talking points memo to the republicans…. the magical transformation (through endless repetition of the memes) of “unethical and low” to “gutsy and patriotic”…. the deliberate misquoting and outright fabrication… the relentless flogging of this hackery at the Wall Street Journal and Fox News….
If you step back, relax, and just let the waves of deliberate obfuscation wash over you, you can appreciate what an artist Mr. Rove is. Right before your head spins around and you start spewing bile, that is.
But, as Mr. Blumenthal matter-of-factly points out, it doesn’t really matter if Rove’s talking points squelch our outrage for now; “before the prosecutor, Rove’s arsenal is useless.” . . .
At one point, on CNN, Wolf Blitzer asked [RNC chair Ken]Mehlman if he had attended meetings at the White House on how to deal with Wilson. Suddenly, the voluble Mehlman constricted. “I don’t recall those meetings occurring,” he said. Has the prosecutor inquired about such meetings and their participants?
The sound and fury of Rove’s defenders will soon subside. The last word, the only word that matters, will belong to the prosecutor. So far, he has said very, very little. Unlike the unprofessional, inexperienced and weak Ken Starr, he does not leak illegally to the press. But he has commented publicly on his understanding of the case. “This case,” he said, “is not about a whistle-blower. It’s about a potential retaliation against a whistle-blower.”