It doesn't matter if Rove "knowingly or not"

[whosinpower]

exposed Valerie Plames name as a CIA asset.

Think about it for a moment - here is a guy who deliberately outed this person as retribution for Wilson not towing the party line in regards to the Niger documents.

Even if he did not KNOWINGLY out her....HE OUTED HER. And that, is a grave grave misdeed in terms of national and international security. ANYONE WHO DID THIS AT THE VERY LEAST SHOULD BE KICKED OUT OF THEIR JOBS IMMEDIATELY.

And, if it was knowingly - then throw the book at him. (I think he knew - he just felt above the law)

Bush jr must follow what his father did - and kick Rove out. Anyone like that in the White House is a loose cannon and cannot be trusted with sensitive secure documents.

[acmejack]

1. He'll follow in his Father's footsteps all right!

And pardon the miserable jerk.

[Lord_StarFyre]

2. Ignorance is NO Defence from the LAW

"Gee your Honor, I didn't know it was against the law to walk out of the store without paying..."



Hey Karl, get ready to meet your new Husband, Bubba. He just bought you for a pack of cigarettes and a candy bar...

[bigwillq]

3. Nice!

Hope it turns out to be true!

[emulatorloo]

4. "I didn't know her name, and I didn't leak her name."

Rove, who has testified before a grand jury investigating the case, likewise has maintained that he did not break the law, saying in a television interview, "I didn't know her name, and I didn't leak her name."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/07/AR2005070702215.html

So he didn't know or say the name "Valerie Plame" -- I guess that makes it ok then!

[BillZBubb]

5. Legally, it does matter.

The way the law is written the leaker has to know the person is a covert CIA operative; otherwise, it's not a crime.

My guess is that Rove knew. Proving that may be difficult. But, I'm hoping they get the bastard for perjury which should be easier to prove.

You are right he should be booted immediately. But it is Bush we are talking about, and he's not going to boot the guy who's made him pretzeldent unless it gets very hot. Even then, like his old man on the Iran-Contra criminals, he'll pardon Rove.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

9. A pardon I can live with . . .

. . . if it occurs. The important part is to remove Rove from the political/campaigning equation. Pardon or not, if the charge sticks at all it will make him a radioactive political liability for life.

Any future candidate who is even seen talking to Rove, even through intermediaries, will watch his poll numbers drop. The average voter will say "Candidate X has Rove on his team; didn't Rove out a CIA agent for political payback? Well, I can just assume anything coming out of X's mouth is a lie."

[BlueStateGirl]

6. He is such a scumbag. How does one not knowingly out a CIA

agent?

If he says he didn't know her name or leak her name, did he just say something like Joe Wilson's wife is a covert agent? And left it up to the journalists to get her name?

Whatever. He's scum.

[bridgit]

7. oh please, rove knows damn well what he did...

unless he's losing his fucking mind, which i do not rule out, he can't wax genius/dullard without a price; when 'the old man' reckons rove to be a liability to his clients...rove will be as-gone-as stale, month old french bread this you can believe it

[DURHAM D]

8. He had to know who she was and what she did or there would

have been no reason to discuss her at all with reporters. end of story

If she was a nobody she would not have been brought up in the first place. Proof of his knowledge is in his actions.