Way Past Time To Oust Rove
The news that Patrick Fitzgerald is convening a second grand jury in order to continue his investigation of the leaking of Valerie Plame’s identity as a covert CIA agent comes as a reminder that Karl Rove should be relieved of his governmental duties. Reviewing Rove’s record, one learns of an appalling history of dirty tricks. As early as 1970, when he was working for Republican candidates in Illinois, Rove used a phony I.D. to enter the campaign office of Democrat Alan J. Dixon, who was running for State Treasurer. Rove pilfered 1000 sheets of Dixon’s campaign letterhead and printed them with false campaign rally fliers that promised “free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing.� He then distributed them at rock concerts and homeless shelters. Rove’s role in that deception only came to light in 1973. Dixon was elected despite the fake campaign rally, but the point is that the die was already cast for Rove’s character. While conducting George W. Bush’s campaign for governor of Texas against Anne Richards, Rove more than once initiated smear campaigns against Richards involving alleged lesbians on her staff. In the run-up to the 2004 presidential election, he was responsible for the distribution of pamphlets in minority communities wrongly saying that if one has been convicted of any legal infraction, including a parking ticket, one may not vote. Specifically as regards Fitzgerald’s grand jury investigations, Rove has knowingly lied about his role in the leak of Plame’s identity. Just the fact that he lied about such a thing, under oath or not, demonstrates depravity, and contempt for the nation he is charged with serving. The people who benefit from Rove’s dirty tricks, Bush and company and their supporters, comprehend that Rove is underhanded and unscrupulous. With nauseating winks, nudges, and smiles, they give their approval of his illicit activities. But the country deserves leadership of much greater integrity.
http://thepoliticsblog.org/?p=250