Rep. Jane Harman (CA) Backtracks on Rove Allegation

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/7/17/145314.shtml

In more evidence that the effort to blame Karl Rove for "outing an undercover CIA agent" is coming unraveled, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee retracted her claim on Sunday that she knew Rove obtained the agent's name from government sources.

Asked about a letter she sent the White House demanding that Rove's security clearance be suspended, Rep. Jane Harman first insisted she was certain that the top Bush aide's source was someone in the administration.

"There's no other way that he would know (Plame's name)," Harman argued to "Fox News Sunday's" Brit Hume.

The California Democrat theorized that there was a "gossip pool in the White House emailing each other and chatting it up." She then charged that Rove was "marketing the facts" to reporters Matthew Cooper and Robert Novak. Hume noted, however, that according to published reports on Friday, Rove "heard about the information from reporters" - and not Bush administration colleagues. He challenged Harman: "How do you know that's not true?" The top House Intelligence Committee Democrat began furiously backpedaling: "Well, I can't know absolutely that it's not true," Harman confessed, before protesting, "But it's a circle - the reporters got it from somewhere."



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[Cha]

1. I'm waiting for Patrick Fitzgerald

to make his case. Certainly not listening to any irwingers on what's "really happening".

[xultar]

2. That is what I was saying when we all started doing the happy dance.

The Bush Admin is gonna wiggle and we are stuck in the middle.
Our Dem leaders can't continue to pin stuff unless it is proven.
She isn't backtracking she is following what is going on.

When Rove is indicted on something solid then we can dance. Why would you lambaste her on this issue?


I like Harman.

[grasswire]

3. not me

I've seen her be weak too many times, in front of the camera.

[DemsUnited]

4. Actually, she missed the boat a little.

According to whoever was leaking like a sieve to the media the other day (Rove's lawyer!), Rove is backtracking on the "I heard it from another reporter" ploy. Now the mem is that he may have heard about initially from a reporter who's name he forgot or he may have heard it initially from another white house aide but (you guessed it!) he doesn't remember who.

[Peace Patriot]

5. I have sympathy with anyone who is trying to speak accurately to these

yipping, biting lapdogs. She was trying to say, how could reporters HAVE this top secret information in the first place--however Rove & Co. may have laundered Plame's identity. We can hardly blame an honest person for blithering a bit in the face of this barrage of mindlessly repeated lies. It's heroic just to speak the truth in that situation, let alone be smooth and eloquent about it. I'd say, give her a break! Buck her up! Thank her for trying to explain the situation accurately, and tell her maybe she needs to memorize three word sentences and shout them repeatedly. (har, har). Really, don't let them win by making her feel bad. Tell her to hang in there. Keep trying. Go, girl!

They DO this to thoughtful people--rip them to pieces. That's what they DO. It's their job. We should be writing to THEM and THEIR bosses, and boycotting their advertisers!