I admit, I’m gleeful that such a high-profile Republican sleaze-merchant* like Karl Rove (shown on the left) is running from the harsh gaze of the spotlight concerning his exposure of Valerie Plame, a formerly covert CIA operative. That being said, it’s not easy to get a handle on the whole debacle and subsequent public squirming by the White House. Which is why it’s great that Matthew Baldwin of Defective Yeti has written a nice, easy-to-read, mostly even-handed summary of the events that lead to the renewed hullaballoo.
*I don’t call him that because he’s Republican, but because he’s the wet-work, dirty politics player who keeps Bush looking clean to those who can’t connect the dots, but allows Bush’s campaigns to be conveniently timed with sudden slander campaigns and malicious rumor mills.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050715/D8BBQEVO0.html
[Note: Post moved here for relevance]
Looks like Rove’s testimony is that he confirmed, for Novak, that Plame was a CIA operative, rather than outing her first, saying “I heard that, too.” (NY Times)