Josh Marshall points to this AP piece that he suggests looks like a political obituary.
It most certainly does. TMV wrote for and worked on newspapers and he can flatly say: this looks as if the AP is expecting something to happen soon involving Karl Rove. Like an indictment, perhaps? Newspapers don’t usually run this kind of timeline unless there is a news PEG. It is basically a fact-sheet SIDEBAR to something bigger. As of this writing, there is no monster Rove story out there. So something does seem — as Sherlock Holmes would say — afoot (and Democrats will say it involves a heel…).
By the timing of this AP chronology on Rove, we would not be surprised to see something big coming out about Rove fairly soon . News story…or legal action?? The unthinkable would be a resignation — but for that to happen before an indictment, cows would have to fly in Utah.
Or, perhaps the AP is covering all bases by running it (just as we are by adding this line…..)
CORRECTION: Our earlier version said New York Times since this was carried in the Times but it’s an AP story. We’ve corrected the headline and post.
UPDATE: There’s now a longer AP story that seems even more of a scene-setter…and pre-emptive political obituary:
WASHINGTON — For nearly a quarter century, Karl Rove has been George Bush’s political mentor. Bush calls him “the architect,” the “boy genius.” Others have called him “Bush’s brain.”
Now, with a federal grand jury nipping at Rove’s heels in its CIA leak investigation, the president may have to contemplate the previously unthinkable: managing without his right-hand man.
Rove helped Bush create a political persona and steered him to victory in two Texas gubernatorial and two presidential races. He polished Bush’s message, nurtured ties with conservatives, oversaw crisis control and helped frame major policy initiatives…..
….If Rove, 54, is forced to resign, it would be a major blow to a presidency already reeling from low approval ratings, the war in Iraq, rising gas prices and the aftermath of two Gulf Coast hurricanes.
That could explain the earlier timeline — or, again, reflect editors sitting down and weighing what they know (including info not published yet) and setting the scene for their readers. At the least you can say this: a very dark cloud hangs over Karl Rove and it isn’t air pollution…..