Why did Rove or whoever, call SIX reporters?

[Sperk]

I mean Novacula would have done the job for him and kept his source a secret. Now you have 5 others who can go "OFF" the record, get the word out that it was Rove and the evildoers in the white house won't know who needs to be suicided. Even though "off the record" comments wouldn't be presented in a court, it's enough to politically do Rove in if it's spread far and wide enough. Does anyone else agree?
:shrug:

"loose lips, sink ships" HA

[kentuck]

1. In fact, he would only have to call one reporter...

But request that that one call 5 others...But it makes sense. He would want it over as wide a spectrum as possible. Better to have it on 6 stations than just one.

[colorado_ufo]

7. Yeah - like I would call five other reporters

with a scoop! If I were a reporter.

[liberalnurse]

13. Ditto.

An they need to be placed in a secure bunker! And, stay out of small planes.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

2. As to reporters protecting their sources...

...this is a felony involving National Security. They will go out of their way to avoid the kind of trouble that awaits them if they try to protect Rove.

The CIA is quite angry about this issue, and rightfully so. The last two presidents to make the CIA angry didn't finish their terms...JFK and Nixon.

[WilliamPitt]

3. Simple

You know how it seems like the White House's version of spin somehow hits several networks and newspapers at the same time? That's not magic; it's Rove making several phone calls. He was just trying to broadband this story like he does the others.

[Brotherjohn]

9. Yes. It's their M.O. They're so used to it, they didn't even think...

... to consider whether it was legal or not. Emotion and partisanship got the best of them.

I don't know if this will bring anyone down or not, but the administration's decisions have consistently been led as much by emotion, partisanship, and ideaology as actual logic or thought. I have felt for a long time that this might, eventually, come back to bite them in the ass. Rove (?) lept before he looked on this one.

Many have said that Karl Rove is a genius. I don't think that's the case at all. I think he's ruthless, and bold. But one look at the many political and policy moves of this administration and you see that they are often rife with logical and factual inconsistencies, and rely on ignorance and appeal to emotion. While one might say that there is a certain genius in knowing how much of this will work, it is also a gambler's strategy. But the administration has been winning at the craps table for too long. The odds are catching up with them.

[bearfartinthewoods]

11. hmmm.i hadn't considered that.

but i still think the number of people called means it's likely not rove who did it. such a stupid move and rove isn't stupid. i still think it'll turn out to be some low level hack who thought he had a good idea and didn't run it past someone with a brain. it just reeks of amateur imho. low pay-back and high possibility of blow up.

anyone with real experience would know better than to screw around outting an UC CIA asset.

[ModerateMiddle]

12. "it'll turn out to be some low level hack"

I don't think so for two reasons. First, knowing Rove's penchant for retribution, I think no one in the political side of this mal-administration would act without Rove's blessing.

Second, if it were a low level hack, they'd have been thrown to the wolves already.

It's Rove.

[zbdent]

27. Don't you think that Novak's ego made him claim it was a

high-level admin? He thinks he's pretty damn important, and now it's bitten him on the ass.

Somehow, I don't think any of the other reporters are the type which would out a Repuke. I'm thinking O'Reilly, Limbaugh types. Ones who weren't stupid enough to miss the fact that this was actually a federal offense.

[Brotherjohn]

29. Washington Post reported Sunday that "two top White House officials"...

...called at least six Washington journalists and revealed the identity and occupation of Wilson's wife.

[Brotherjohn]

14. I think it was a higher up... and the Post's sources say as much.

You're forgetting one thing: they're very arrogant. They have been shown they can get away with anything. Like, say, starting a war under false pretenses. If they weren't called on that, why would they be called on some little detail?

As someone else pointed out below, they were "hasty and stupid". The Bush admin isn't used to being challenged, and when they finally are, they have a pattern of screwing up pretty badly. Look at the Niger docs thing. They were running around like chickens with their heads cut off for days. It hurt them big-time in the polls, and it still hasn't died.

As I posted earlier, I don't think Karl Rove is a genius. I don't even know if he's particulary smart. He's just ruthless and bold.

[bearfartinthewoods]

18. maybe you're right

maybe i'm a victim of the 'rove is god' mantra without even knowing it.

[Skittles]

19. Rove is a f***Ing THUG

I can EASILY see him doing it.

[Jackpine Radical]

Sorry, Bearfart. It was Rove.

http://www.mediawhoresonline.com/

Julian Borger Names Karl Rove



"Several of the journalists are saying privately 'yes it was Karl Rove who I talked to.'"

[Brotherjohn]

23. Posted in another thread: Wilson said last night on Nightline...

... that "reporters had told him directly Rove had told them his wife "was fair game." I had thought he backed away from naiming Rove, but now, at least, he is saying that the reporters are naming Rove (and he is also saying that he'll name the reporters).

Also, see Jackpine Radicals post above. Others are naming Rove.

See this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=446018

Someone also pointed out that the reporters who didn't file a story on this could come forward without violating a source. (no story / no source)

[NicoleM]

28. Rove didn't think it was a stupid move

because he didn't think he'd get caught. And why would he? He knows that reporters don't give up their sources. He knows that the WH press corp is so hungry for anything remotely resembling access that they're not going to sell him out. What's the downside? After all, he still might get away with it.

[Junkdrawer]

4. They felt a need to discredit Wilson so they shopped the story...

starting with "moderate" top name journalists and moved down the food chain until they hit bottom (Novak).

[JHB]

15. Not to discredit Wilson...

...it was done to HURT him, to let him and everyone else know that there is a cost to going against the Administration line and they'd go after your whole family to make you feel that cost. It's their oldest modus operandi; Shrub himself was the chief "loyalty enforcer" during Poppy's '92 campaign.

And in their typical arrogance, they did it automatically, with policy or national security considerations not even on their radar screen.

[kentuck]

17. It may have been Cheney ?

And I have this theory that Dubya does not want Cheney back as VP... He usurps his power as the CEO... and Dubya may want this investigation to go forward because he would really like to see Cheney gone...just a theory.

[Kusala]

5. this whole thing is odd

I mean, I've heard repubs reasoning that it's a setup because nobody would do something so stupid. They have a point, why do something so stupid? The most obvious reason is that they were getting away with so much already. The media was/is free passing everything. Nobody questioning the "great 9/11 leader fightin' terrorists". They were so confident that they were untouchable.

Look at the string of events starting around 9/11.

Press didn't question the patriot act. Untouchables.
No questioning of the Afghanistan War. Untouchables.
No questioning of the lead-up to the Iraq War. Untouchables
No questioning of the war itself. Untouchables
Even though there are no WMD's and soldiers are dying, where is the press? Untouchables

So then ask why someone in the administration would do this? Probably because they almost got away with it. After all, what took so long for this to become news? Untouchable.

[Kusala]

10. Another interesting point

I just realized. besides compromising anybody that had contact with Mrs. Wilson, and putting them all under suspicion, the leak will also affect all diplomat's families and put them under even more scrutiny than they would be under anyways.

[ModerateMiddle]

16. an even better question is...

why it came out NOW.

You said, "After all, what took so long for this to become news?"

• No one knew for sure in what capacity Plame worked at the CIA
  
  
• In July, the news du jour was the "16 words" in the SOTU. There was already a hit on the administration.
  
  
• There isn't much doubt that this story is today being driven by the CIA. And it's timed to match the letter from Congress critters about the lack of solid evidence.

Don't mess with the CIA.

[hang a left]

22. It is like they are consistently having to defend themselves

every week or two. The 16 words, that one took a few weeks. Then Sen Kennedy calling the war a "fraud" and a lie made up in Texas. Then Cheney and his Halliburton connections. Then Iraq war and 9-11. Now the felonious leak. It is almost like it is a concerted, calculated, continuous barage of accusations. Looking forward to what is next.

[Snellius]

6. Only six reporters we know of

Evidently a seventh came forward yesterday and there may be more.

[skip fox]

8. They were hasty and stupid in a scrapped

together attempt to discredit Wilson and imply his trip was self-initiated (and thus part of a pattern of trying to attack Bush).

[proud patriot]

20. Last night on NightLine

Wilson was asked if the FBI asked for the names of the reporters
if he would give them . He said Yes ...

[in_cog_ni_to]

21. On Nightline

last night, Wilson said one of the reporters told him it WAS Rove. He also said he (Wilson) would tell WHO that reporter is.....then that reporter will have to either fess up or cover up for KKKarl. WHY would a reporter who DIDN'T report the info cover up for KKKarl? Would they then worry they won't get any more "important" calls from the WH? The "scoop", so to speak? THIS should be very interesting.

[Gin]

24. how about phone logs? works on Law and Order

gin

[Brotherjohn]

26. I was thinking even recordings...

If so many reporters were called, I wouldn't put it beyond on or two of them to simply grab their pocket recorder and hold it up to the phone, once they realized what was happening.

I don't know if that's legal or not, but it's not the government taping a private citizen (without a warrant; which would be illegal), but it's a citizen taping a government official.

[leftofthedial]

25. they always flood the media

The more places their lies and propaganda show up, the more readily it is accepted by the sheeple.

I've had freepers, dittoheads and "good" Repugs alike tell me that they believe the media lies (for example, that Gore was a pathological liar) because if it wasn't true, it wouldn't be on every network. One columnist might lie or be mistaken, but if all the neworks are saying it, it must be true.