REUTERS: BUSH MOVED UP COURT PICK TO SUFFOCATE ROVE FIASCO

[Imagevision]

Sources said the timing of an announcement had been moved up in part to deflect attention away from a
CIA leak controversy that has engulfed Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove.

"It helps take Rove off the front pages for a week," one Republican strategist said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050719/us_nm/bush_court_dc_23

[Botany]

1. Really?

Next big story Water is wet. They are shitting their pants @ the White
House they know it goes right to Dick Cheney.

[fooj]

2. That's pretty much a given, right?

However, I don't think it will do a damn thing to the Traitorgate investigation. It's got legs and it's running full steam ahead.

Peace.

[jenmito]

3. Yeah, but it doesn't matter...

They are so transparent. And I'm betting it was ROVE'S idea to do this. And short-term it WILL put Rove on the back burner, but the investigation is still on-going. The sad thing is that Hardball was supposed to have a week of Rove-related stories. Tonight was supposed to be about Fitzgerald but is now about the new judge, who will be John G. Roberts, Jr. This WH can run from the Rove scandal but they can't hide!

[Imagevision]

5. I agree, it looks like a Rove move, Bush is too stupid at this point

[jenmito]

9. Good try, Rove...

But it won't stop the investigation. And I hope Faux News keep talking like they are, saying Rove has been vindicated and exonerated. They also ALL said that Bush has NOT moved the goal-post by saying that if anyone is charged with a crime they will no longer work for this administration. It was so funny to listen to-Brit Hume and his gang all agree that he said the same thing years ago. When one person mentioned that McClellan DID once say that if anyone was INVOLVED in the leak they'd be gone, Brit quickly said, "Well, that's McClellan. Bush always said the same thing..." Well, who does he think McClellan speaks for? I can't wait 'til Rove is found guilty of SOMETHING-purjury is good enough to make the Repubs. have to look even more stupid than usual.

(Anyway, Countdown will talk about Rove a little, from what I just heard).

[jenmito]

22. But...

Bush was ALWAYS too stupid! :D

[rasputin1952]

15. Welcome to DU...

:hi:

[jenmito]

18. Thanks!

:hi: I like it here! :)

[Skittles]

24. good LORD jenmito

what on earth took you so long to get here? :D

[jenmito]

25. Um...

I didn't know how much fun it could be hangin' with people who agreed with me! (Thanks, by the way)! :blush:

[Skittles]

26. aw it is great fun!

we are glad to have you :hi:

[jenmito]

27. Thanks again!

And I'm glad to be here! :hi:

[Demobrat]

4. As long as the investigation continues

I don't think it's such a tragedy if it's knocked off the front pages for a day or two. It's been going on for, what, two years now? And it's just getting good.

[yorkiemommie1]

6. we can

walk and chew gum at the same time, Georgie.

[MO_Dem]

7. The WH is admitting they are guilty of blowing the cover

of a CIA agent with this development and they need a diversion to figure out their next moves.

[Peace Patriot]

8. Gut feeling. First instinct. The Democrats should just not show up for

this fight. Disappear. Say nothing. Walk away. Forget about Roe vs. Wade. It's gone. And, a) Concentrate on Bush/Cheney treason in Plamegate and Iraq war, Cheney illicit arms dealing and filthy thieving Halliburton contracts. b) Infuse energy, funds and resources into the states to wrest control of the election system away from Bushite companies (or at the least, get paper ballot backups, strict auditing and security, and no secret, proprietary programming code!); and c) ALSO plan to fight for women's rights at the state level, while working for transparent, verifiable elections to Congress in '06, to get federal law or Constitutional amendment protecting women's rights.

We are going to have a bad, bad judiciary on all issues for a long, long time. We MUST find other strategies. And election reform is the key. As long as Bushites own the election system, nothing can be done.

The only place where we can achieve election reform is in state/local jurisdictions, where the authority over election systems still resides, and where ordinary people still have some say. The bipartisan corruption in the electronic voting business at the state/local level is daunting, but it is nothing compared to the bipartisan corruption in Washington DC, and it is local and therefore much more fixable. See the DU Forum "2004 Election Results and Discussion" for information and action ideas:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=203http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=203

[tavalon]

32. Nope, can't agree with this one

We can do both.

[ChiciB1]

10. I'm Still Pissed!

:puke: :puke: :puke" just doesn't seem to convey how I feel! Yeah, I'm so SICK of this shit that I long for :nuke: :nuke: almost EVERY day!!!

:mad: :nopity:

[Peace Patriot]

17. Yeah, Bush has no right to do this--no legitimacy at all. We have to

understand that we are looking at a fascist coup.

The vast majority of Americans don't support this or ANYTHING BUSH DOES--not the Iraq war, not Social Security, not the deficit, not Cheney thievery, not the outing of honest gov't agents and putting their lives in danger, not the torture of prisoners...NOTHING! And he has a 40% approval rating!

So, just understand this. He has no legitimacy. We have to work AROUND THAT. We have to KNOW THAT, and find our way out of it.

One election night, Nov. 2, 2004, the TV networks, acting in concert, ALTERED the exit polls on everybody's TV screens--"adjusted" the exit poll numbers (Kerry won) to fit the official result (Bush won). The official result was coming from two private companies, Diebold and ES&S, run by major Bush supporters, who tabulated the votes with SECRET, PROPRIETARY software.

So the exit polls were a much more reliable gauge of who won than was the highly non-transparent, unverifiable "official" tally. And THEY FALSIFIED THOSE EXIT POLL NUMBERS, thus depriving the American people of major evidence of election fraud, and dampening all protest and calls for investigation.

The news monopolies are directly COLLUSIVE in this fascist coup. Not one word they say can be trusted. The only way to change this is to RESTORE OUR RIGHT TO VOTE.

As long as we have that opportunity--that one last chance--we MUST go for it. We must try to restore election transparency, through pressure campaigns at the state/local level--NOW, before they take power away from us, too, and federalize elections under Bush Cartel control.

[ChiciB1]

23. Great Reply... And I Think It's Because Of So Many Like You

that keeps me coming back and blogging here. Alone, I would be DESPERATE!

Even though I feel like a squashed ant at times, I keep coming back. AND I'm making plans to get to D.C. for September 24th.

And today, while visiting with an Acupuncturist, who actually got her degrees from Loyola and hails from L.A., we struck up a fantastic conversation! She told me not to give up regardless of how few we seem. We live in Cruella's district... another huge :puke:

Anyway, I look forward to my treatment with her. She told me she was originally from PA, which is where I was born and said we will talk more. My heart did LEAP! Our local DFA is pretty lame and she felt the same way. From what she conveyed she's quite an activist and touched on the fact that she and others started an environmental group in L.A.

So, it KEEPS HOPE ALIVE!! Sometimes it's just so hard waiting, and sometimes I realize that we will only achieve a portion of WHAT should really happen. But something is better than a big fat ZERO!!!

[Fly by night]

46. More Bush non-support: 85% independents oppose his economic plan (sic)

[djg21]

11. And by picking an extremist like Roberts ...

he's assured that there will be a confirmation battle, and that there will be no air for Plamegate for the next two months.

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. Rove is desperate, this is going to be a big mistake

Congress is in recess for the next five weeks. Nothing is going to happen in regards to this nominee until then. Normally, they would have waited until Congress returns so there would be less time for people to find out about any ghosts in this fellow's closets. They put this out there early in order to divert attention and it's going to come back to bite them.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

14. Interesting point about the skeleton search.

[tavalon]

33. Yep,

I had this same thought. I was surprised that the announcement came today. It's like a gift from Santa.

[Cha]

13. Too bad it's not going to

work in the long run..BLOWBACK'S A BITCH!

[Canuckistanian]

16. ROVE'S LAST STAND

What do you do when everyone's paying attention to your wrong-doing?
Drop a nuclear bomb somewhere else.

SOP for Rove, and sooooo predictable.

[BrightKnight]

41. Rove's last cover-up attempt

Bush is obviously involved.

[Ioo]

19. Want Proof ... Cong out for 5 weeks...

Nothing will be done for 5 weeks...

I also bet that in the AM, he will appoint Bolton, because he hopes that will also not make it...

5 Weeks, this is nothing but a LOOK OVER HERE...

[IowaGuy]

20. Well. it may work, but then again a lot of teams have

lost the game by going into a 4- corners stall and playin' to try and not to lose. Even if the timing isn't to our liking...we are basically in as strong as a position as possible considering our elected representation numbers. Bushco is playing defense on this, and soon will be on this SCOTUS nomination also. If they are explaining and scrambling to save their own asses, it diminishes the possibilies of them spending time conceiving of ways to do any more radical damage to the planet.

[Sparkly]

21. The media is really telling that like it is, at least!

They haven't been shy about it, to the point that it may get heard.

[faithnotgreed]

28. kick for the truth

[DeepModem Mom]

29. kick

[AuntiBush]

30. I... I... I D.O.N.T T.H.I.N.K S.O. Come On. I'm laughing too hard now.

My belly is aching. LOL Shows the kind of "strategists" the ReTHUGs have. Yeah. They're real pieces of work there, that they think they're going to pull this over-whelmingly, over-obvious tactic tonight on the American people, whom I might add are no longer fooled by this scandalous administration.

Have you checked with MSN'S Question of the day, by any mere chance?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3080261/

Do you agree with Pres. Bush's handling of the CIA leak investigation?

15815 responses (That's fifteen-thousand, eight-hundred fifteen voters)

Yes - 19%
No - 81%

[elperromagico]

38. It's called a grand jury. It finishes its work in October, IIRC.

What the Republicans don't get is that this is not just a case of Karl Rove saying something nasty about liberals.

This is a criminal investigation with Karl Rove and Scooter Libby at its heart.

How will they take the heat off that?

Maybe Jacko will get in trouble with the law again...

[rosesaylavee]

43. Or if we are real lucky

there will be another fascinating story like the Runaway Bride to distract us.

This Rove/Leak/War Lie thing isn't going to blowover and I agree we can fight the Bushies on many fronts. That means that they will have to divide their attention too. And guess what, there are now more of us given the poll numbers. I don't think people will think impeach one day and forget it the next.

Bring it on W.

[AuntiBush]

50. Oh, Ulrikaumeko: Don't Say That. Can't take another Wacko-Jacki

Scandal. No. Not again... I know of no one that watches that crap anymore. Seriously. Republicans, elderly, you name it - everyone is sick of network television these days.

In reality, I actually "miss" the MSN network news, but that was before the BFEE came. I hope you're right on that 2nd line. I'm tired of wondering what happened to my country.

Thank you for responding. It's greatly appreciated.

[tavalon]

31. Pretty damn short sighted though,

don't you think? I mean the indictments are going to come down eventually anyway and I don't think they can run out the clock on this Rove fiasco.

So they get a news cycle or two on this issue. In the long run, they'll have egg on their face over this raving lunatic they just announced (think Schiavo) and still be facing the takedown of Rove, Libby, Cheney and hopefully even Bush.

It just seems awfully short sighted and not very well thought out of them. Maybe they should have consulted Rove on this one?:evilgrin:

[rucky]

36. zactly...It's not like Fitzgerald will be distracted...

and that's all that matters.

[rumpel]

34. Wishful thinking. This is too serious to go away.

[McCamy Taylor]

35. Hmm. I think its the other way around. They hope he squeaks through

because everyone will be so busy grilling Rove they wont bother with Roberts. The Religious Right will get their anti-abortion candidate and the Dems will miss a chance to mobilize their base in preparation for the 2006 election, which they could do by portraying the WH as intent upon overturing Roe V. Wade in the near future.

[bowens43]

37. From the posts I've seen brushing off the nomination

as if it was nothing, I'm beginning to think that Rove is the diversion. The make up of the court is far more important then bringing down a petty want-to-be tyrant who will be gone a couple of years anyway.

[Disturbed]

40. In the five weeks that Congress is not in session..

no one thinks that these people won't be preparing for the hearings on this nominee? We can post here double of what we usually do,s end out letters, snail or email, call etc. but that wouldn't change what Dems are going to do about this nominee. How can Dems stop this person from being voted in?

[patrioticliberal]

39. GOD

Finally a Republican strategist being honest.
IS HIS NAME KARL ROVE?

[slor]

42. I asked this yesterday...

Is it still a "distraction" when they admit it is a distraction? To the blindly obedient (stupid) it will be, but I believe most Americans will see it for what it is, a pathetic attempt to get that fat fuck rove off the front pages. Honestly, these fuckers are too easy!

[DoYouEverWonder]

44. Once you open your eyes then you can never look at them

in the same way again.

Most people want to think the best of others. We are almost always willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. Most of Bu$h's support comes from people like this. Fortunately, Bu$h behaves so badly that he eventually pisses everyone off. Once that happens then the scales come off their eyes and there is no turning back.

Welcome to the light.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

45. Absolutely!

And we need to keep the focus of the public on Rove and co.

[WhoWantsToBeOccupied]

47. "It helps take Rove off the front pages" ...until our next "terror attack"

...or other dirty trick

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

48. I don't think it worked that well...The stories are still piling up..

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/07/20/DDGLKDPUAS1.DTL

SNIP:
And perhaps most deviously, Rove handed the GOP the double-edged prize of the spiteful Christian right; he galvanized an entire throng of terrified Christians and hard-core homophobic evangelicals from the flyover states to get out there and vote lest those icky liberal gay people swoop in and eat their babies and steal their sons and have sex with their pastors and tastefully redesign their kitchens.

Here's the bottom line: Scandal notwithstanding, Rove's nastiest and most valuable work for this lame-duck president is now complete. And Bush is flopping all over the place: Social Security reform is a disaster, and Iraq is an appalling catastrophe, and the economy is running on fumes, and this nation is an international punch line, and Bush's poll ratings are sinking faster than Jenna Bush can slam down a Bud Light. All things over which even Rove himself has little control.

.

[StaggerLee]

49. That's some scary shit right there

Here's hoping Rove actually get some prison time out of this.