The L.A. Times has a particularly hard-hitting piece on the scandal/investigation involving whether Bush political guru Karl Rove outed a CIA official to retaliate for what her husband wrote about the President — and while it bluntly puts it all into perspective, it doesn’t greatly advance the story.
It doesn’t cover a ton of new ground but provides more info on the angry White House reaction to a critic — and how two top White House staffers went into overdrive in a discrediting campaign him. Read it all but here are the two most interesting parts:
Top aides to President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were intensely focused on discrediting former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV in the days after he wrote an op-ed article for the New York Times suggesting the administration manipulated intelligence to justify going to war in Iraq, federal investigators have been told.
Prosecutors investigating whether administration officials illegally leaked the identity of Wilson’s wife, a CIA officer who had worked undercover, have been told that Bush’s top political strategist, Karl Rove, and Cheney’s chief of staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, were especially intent on undercutting Wilson’s credibility, according to people familiar with the inquiry.
Although lower-level White House staffers typically handle most contacts with the media, Rove and Libby began personally communicating with reporters about Wilson, prosecutors were told.
So this was crticism they could not let stand due to the gravity of the charge. How to handle it? Counter the criticism point by point? Nope. It was apparently to go after and try to dismember the person in the press. Second key quote:
A source directly familiar with information provided to prosecutors said Rove’s interest was so strong that it prompted questions in the White House. When asked at one point why he was pursuing the diplomat so aggressively, Rove reportedly responded: “He’s a Democrat.” Rove then cited Wilson’s campaign donations, which leaned toward Democrats, the person familiar with the case said.
The disclosures about the officials’ roles illustrate White House concern about Wilson’s July 6, 2003, article, which challenged the administration’s assertion that Iraq had sought to purchase nuclear materials. Wilson’s article appeared as Rove and other Bush aides were preparing the 2004 reelection campaign strategy, which was built largely around the president’s response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
So the motivation immediately had to be “He’s A Democrat” and cast the criticism in a 100 partisan mode. There could NEVER be any other motivation to criticism of this administration that was on substantive issues.
FOOTNOTE: In the end this L.A. Times piece or any other newspaper articles will not change any minds. The 21st century partisan mentality, particularly in the GOP these days, is to totally close ranks, circle the wagons and politically take out as many of the folks coming at you as possible. Staunch Bush partisans will argue the fine points of press acounts, say the press is blatantly lying, contend their reports are inaccurate — then quote whatever interpretations are out there stemming from the GOP talking points as the original source. Any chronologies, new facts, etc presented by the press (or partisans or bloggers who do not agree with a given blogger) will have limited impact.
However, all of these mental gynmanistics and outrage on both sides can only last so long: the Special Prosecutor will then decided if there is any crime, if there was no crime and who will be charged or not charged. That’s change the dynamics — somewhat….
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.