Rove predicts through rose colored glasses

People often tell me that Rove is over-rated as a political operative but my philosophy is don't ever take you eyes off a snake, even if it looks like it's sleeping. Granted, Karl's recent tweeting blitz of failed talking points smells of fear and desperation, as do his predictions in this op-ed in WSJ. He does make one valid and honest point though:

Groups like American Crossroads (which I helped found) will narrow the Democratic money advantage.

Otherwise, shorter op-ed: This is my wish list and I'm counting on my high priced, stealth smear ad campaign to make it come true.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

Rove served with subpoena - Media MIA

Long time lefty activist Harvey Wasserman has been pursuing the theft of the 2004 election by the GOP and their connection to the Diebold/Sequoia voting systems for the last six years. He's apparently reached the deposition stage of his investigation.

A federal subpoena, issued by Ohio attorney Cliff Arnebeck and sanctioned by the Office of Ohio Secretary of State, was served last Sunday in Washington to Karl Rove on his way to an appearance on the CBS news program Face the Nation.

In an article written by Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman and published at OpEdNews.com, the federal subpoena orders Rove to testify in deposition about his role in the alleged theft of the 2004 election, and to discuss his orchestration of tens of millions of corporate/billionaire dollars in this year's General Elections on November 2.

The moment was captured by our stalwart gatekeepers of the establishment media.

According to an affidavit of the process server, Brad Bokoski, the civil case subpoena (Case Number: 2:06-CV-00745) was served on Rove at 10 a.m. on October 24, 2010 at 2020 M Street, Washington D.C. Bokoski said service took place "on the sidewalk in front of the address and was captured on video by CBS and CNN camera men."

As of yesterday, a google search produced no mention of the story in any establishment media outlet -- print or television. Wonder why our "liberal" media would be sitting on this story, involving a real scandal and crime, when they so gleefully run every crazy conservative conspiracy theory through endless news cycles? [h/t ahuntre.]

Rove caves to far right crush

Well that didn't take long. After being trashed by everybody from Slime Princess Malkin to gasbag Rush Limbaugh yesterday for mentioning O'Donnell is a nutcase that is going to cost the GOP a win in Delaware, today Karl walked back his criticism and endorsed her. In fact he takes credit for raising campaign donations for her.

Could be that was the plan all along. Any time Rove does something out of character, I always suspect it's some kind of trick. Or maybe he's just a wuss and couldn't take the heat. But he was right the first time. Crazy Chrissie is a nut case and unlikely she'll get elected.

Couple of big wins for the crazies

Too funny, but not a joke. Crazy Christine O'Donnell in Delaware and kooky Pallidino in the NY gubernatorial win their GOP primaries. Changed everything.

Hearing Unka Karl is unhappy. Can't say I am. He created this monster and I'm wondering tonight if we're seeing the beginning of the karmic kickback.

I must confess

I've been thinking about it and I admit I would say yes if Karl Rove asked me out on a dinner date. I mean, why not? I expect he would be an interesting conversationalist and I'm fascinated with the human race. The idea totally appeals to my inner sociologist.

Not to mention, at my age, the dating pool is rather small and hell - a date is a date. Think it's too soon to DM him and dare him to ask me out?


[More posts daily at The Detroit News]

Karl Rove back in the dating pool

Okay all you single women out there, here's your big chance. Karl Rove just divorced his wife of 24 years. Everyone else seems to be linking to this Politico piece with some sketchy details, but I'm loving this quote at The Caucus from his ex:

She called him a creative genius and a committed father to their 11-year-old son, Andrew, but also said he can be fierce and quite intimidating, even when he’s trying not to be.

“He’s learned to lay back a little bit when he and Andrew play chess,” she told me, “but even in croquet he’d be hitting my ball so far I was crying on vacation.” It isn’t only that he’s always working, she said, but that working for Republicans is the organizing principle of his life, at the center of his world, which he tends to divide into friends and foes. “I told Karl the other day,” she said, ” ‘You see things in black and white. I see lots of gray’.”

Even more interesting to me, is that Dana Perino is the official Rove family spokesperson. Whatever else her flaws, she is an attractive woman. Would it be irresponsible to speculate that perhaps Turdblossom's GOP family values may have included a little "hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail" with Dana?

Meanwhile, Karl's book is going to be released soon and you too can get a free, personally autographed bookplate by sending a SASE to to P.O. Box 40364, Washington, DC 20016. I'm guessing that also comes with inclusion on a GOP mailing list for future fundraising spam.

[More posts daily at The Detroit News]

"Lost" Bush White House emails found

I'm always feeling overwhelmed by my own overflowing inboxes, but glad I don't have to read the 22 million "lost" emails that were recovered after techs discovered they had been mislabeled. I'm seeing some optimism around the internets that this could lead to some long overdue frog-marching of high level Bush era officials, but I wouldn't start holding my breath just yet.

"The e-mails themselves are not what we're getting," Sloan said.Documents related to the handling of e-mail under the Bush administration and subsequent information regarding how White House e-mails are currently archived will be released under a settlement with the Obama administration, which inherited a lawsuit the groups filed in 2007. But the National Archives must sort out which documents are covered by the Freedom of Information Act and which ones fall under the Presidential Records Act - which means they could be withheld for five to 10 years after the Bush administration left office in January, Sloan said. [...]

Monday's settlement allows for 94 days of e-mail traffic, scattered between January 2003 to April 2005, to be restored from backup tapes. Of those 94 days, 40 were picked by statistical sample; another 21 days were suggested by the White House; and CREW, and the National Security Archive picked 33 that seemed "historically significant," from the months before the invasion of Iraq to the period when the firings of U.S. attorneys were being planned.

Also requested were several days surrounding the announcement that a criminal investigation was under way into the disclosure of then-CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson's identity. That investigation led to the conviction of White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby on charges of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to federal agents probing the leak.

There's some hope the emails could prove "Patrick Fitzgerald never received all the documents he requested during the Plame leak probe" but even if that happens, somehow I doubt we'll ever see Cheney or Rove in an orange jumpsuit. I keep remembering that weird "April Fool's joke" and the subsequent reports that emails had been deleted. Whatever the story behind that was, Rove really did visit the server farm around that time. Still think it's a strong possibility that the damning mail was routed through a dedicated server that has been sitting on the bottom of the ocean for a very long time.

[More posts daily at The Detroit News]

Rove under fire after document dump

Too funny. You've proably heard by now that the House Judiciary Committee released thousands of pages of emails relative to the politicalized DOJ firings under the Bush White House. Karl Rove and Harriet Miers have both testified now. Word on Twitter is that Harriet threw Karl under the bus but that is probably just going to be icing on the schadenfreude cake. TPM has its readers digging into the document dump, or as the cool kids are calling it now, crowdsourcing, and already they came up with this gem.

In a January 2007 email, White House political director Sara Taylor wrote:

Prior is going after Griffin. He's made this his cause.... We need to find some folks to defend Tim and his credentials, not to mention our policy.

Your thoughts? Rich Lowry offered to help Tim

The best part? Taylor went on to ask: "Anyone better?"

That would be Rich Lowry of the National Review. The same guy who saw starbursts when Sarah Palin winked at him on his teevee during the primary debates.

Meanwhile, you almost have to admire Rove's bravado. On the heels of the release of the docs he tweeted, "I welcome release of HJC interviews & docs. Items speak for themselves." As I tweeted to him, "Why yes. Yes they do."

[More posts daily at The Detroit News]

Unexpected encounters

I didn't plan it that way, but I ended up spending the day talking. I confess I spent most of it on Twitter. It was very interesting in Tweetopia today. I was DMed by Karl Rove. Meaning he sent me the Twitter version of a personal email. And Marc Ambinder of the LAT RTed me. Meaning he republished my tweet to him on his feed and he asked me a question. Which I answered. Sort of semi-direct contact. Both happened in response to my tweets. That would never happen in my 3-D world.

This is what I'm liking about Twitter. It's not like I think Rove and Ambinder are reading my every tweet, they're most certainly not. But, it's the best chance on the intertubz you have to make direct contact with the big players. And apparently sometimes you do.

It's also a great place to pick up links. I'm learning how to write my tweets so the page reads more like a blog. Check out my Twitter stream for a ton of links about the protests and my exchange with Ambinder. [graphic]

[More posts daily at The Detroit News]

Unprecedented protection for Cheney

Customarily vice president's don't get to keep their Secret Service detail but in Cheney's case, they made an exception and extended Cheney's protection for the foreseeable future. Probably a good idea that Obama signed off on it. Considering the guy is more universally hated than Castro, Chavez and root canals, he probably needs it. Word has it he's still getting regular death threats.

In un-related neo-con news, Karl Rove is asking for help in naming his memoirs. I'll be happy to pass on any suggestions if you're not on Twitter yourselves.

[More posts daily at The Detroit News]

House subpoenas Rove

This could get interesting. The House Dems are taking another shot at testing the limits of Rove's claimed executive privilege by forcing him to testify.

Michigan Rep. John Conyers, Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, on Monday issued a subpoena to Mr. Rove, seeking his appearance at a deposition Feb. 2. Mr. Conyers wants the former aide to President George W. Bush to answer questions on the Justice Department's firings of U.S. attorneys in 2006, among other matters.

The courts already held that Rove is required to appear, even if he refuses to speak. Of course, he ignored the order as long as Bush was there to protect him. Now we'll get to see how Obama handles this call for transparency.

"Change has come to Washington, and I hope Karl Rove is ready for it," Mr. Conyers said. "After two years of stonewalling, it's time for him to talk."

Part of me wishes Conyers had waited a while on this one. It's not like we don't have more pressing problems or even more important inquiries into Bush administration misconduct. But if the end result is that Rove is finally held accountable, for anything, it could be worth it.

[More posts daily at The Detroit News.]

Hand me the tinfoil, honey...

GOP IT "guru" Mike Connell, has been killed in a plane crash in Ohio. He wasn't just any guru, he was deeply connected to every GOP related scandal from the stealing of the vote in Ohio, to the "lost emails" related to the Attorney Purge, to the fraudulent prosecution of Don Siegelman. In fact he had just been deposed in the Ohio vote fraud case and was ready to testify despite having been threatened by Karl Rove, if he "didn't take the fall."

It's also useful to remember that the court just ordered the White House to take steps to retrieve the "lost emails" that covered the period of Katrina, the attorney purge and the outing of Valerie Plame. Connell is said to have hosted some of the accounts on servers in Chattanoga, TN through another of his related companies Coptix. Which leads me to recall that odd alleged April Fool's joke that had the distinct feel of a distraction tactic at the time.

My co-blogger at Newshoggers, Ken Anderson collects the relevant links to the backstory and the analogy to Forrest Gump is apt. Connell was literally present at the scene of every Bush family related crime for at least a decade. Details of the crash are sketchy but Connell is reported to have been alone in the plane and an experienced pilot. That reminds me of the death of Paul Wellstone who died in a similarly odd crash just as he was winning a race against Norm Coleman.

Add to that the other mysterious plane crash deaths listed at the last link and excuse me while I put on my tinfoil suit. I don't think just a hat is enough for this one. Further, considering that Al Franken is now winning the recount against the same Norm Coleman, let me give Al a bit of unsolicited advice. Stay the hell out of small aircraft.

[More posts daily at The Newshoggers and The Detroit News.]

Vetting Sarah Palin

On the assumption that you, my dear highest demoninator readers, do not need the education; I'm doing my public vetting of Mrs. Palin at the Detroit News, where they do. Best to click on the link at the bottom of this post for my archives if you're interested in what I'm saying since my co-bloggers are burning up the real estate over there and you definitely want to avoid JD if you value holding down your lunch. But Mako came up with this YouTube of Rove that is too amusing not to share.



Too cute by half. Mayor of the second largest city in Alaska? Behold, lovely downtown Wasilla.


Graphic via the Alaskan blog Mudflats. The post is worth reading as well.


[More posts daily at The Newshoggers and The Detroit News.]

Send Karl Rove to Jail

Psssst.... Do something.



Sign the petition.

Good ol' boy in Gucchi loafers

By Capt. Fogg

As much as I like living in small towns - and I do live in one - I must be out of touch with small town America; at least insofar as Karl Rove is being honest and genuine. (feel free to snicker.)

Karl has taken it upon himself, as a true man of the people and judge of patriots, to point out to a meeting of the National Rifle Association yesterday, that Barak Obama is out of touch with the people one needs to be in touch with in order to be the chief executive of the United States, Commander in Chief of the armed forces and representative of our country to the world at large. I must be out of touch because I am, given the chance, going to vote for Barak Obama. I own a number of firearms and learned to shoot when I was 10. I'm an outdoorsman who once had a farm, doesn't drive imported cars or drink Zima and is often seen dining with the local fisherman and bikers at the local tavern. I'm a Democrat. I'm educated. I don't support the NRA. I don't believe in faith.

Rove, whose neck is only red when he ventures out of his burrow, lives in a brand new palatial home in Florida and has spent most of his life promoting the interests of the very powerful to the detriment of truth, justice and what we'd like to call the American Way -- as well as to the detriment of the interests of the people he is now pandering and condescending to by insisting that Barak Obama is a panderer.

Convoluted? Sure, but that's Karl Rove. Karl, whose name has become synonymous with mean, ugly and dirty politics recently advised Obama

"Americans want to see you scrapping and fighting for the job, not in a mean or ugly way but in a forceful and straightforward way."

One has to wonder at the twisted and hidden paths Rove sees as the high road.

Karl, of course isn't exactly the hunting, shooting outdoorsman he was condescending to at the National Rifle Association Convention, and much less is he the God, Guns and Guts kind of a guy I'm familiar with in rural Florida. His face isn't tanned. I'm sure he doesn't wear camo boxer shorts or drink Budweiser or shoot pool with the boys after he punches out for the day. I'm sure he doesn't drive a 'pickemup' with Jesus stickers or gripe about them Jews driving up the price of gas or the Mexicans stealing his livelihood or the mill he works for shipping jobs to India. So it's a bit hard to see him as anything other than the manipulative, propagandizing, phony, lying, condescending, pandering bastard who has been sucking up to the power elite since he had hair.

By suggesting that the political opinions of what he calls "small town Americans" are what is and should be the policies of the United States, he's suggesting the kind of dictatorship of the proletariat that would have him screaming Marxism like a crazed parakeet if any Democrat had said it, and by categorizing the vast majority of us who live in urban or metropolitan areas as unAmerican by virtue of education and affluence he proves himself to be little more than an opportunist looking to rise above the masses by standing on their backs.

Cross posted from Human Voices

Perp walk in Rove's future?

By Libby

Hot off the rumor mill, this is the best news I've heard for a long time. Could be our long awaited Fitzmas present is about to arrive.

Just off the House floor today, the Crypt overheard House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers tell two other people: “We’re closing in on Rove. Someone’s got to kick his ass.”

Asked a few minutes later for a more official explanation, Conyers told us that Rove has a week to appear before his committee. If he doesn’t, said Conyers, “We’ll do what any self-respecting committee would do. We’d hold him in contempt. Either that or go and have him arrested.”

Conyers goes on to say “We want him for so many things, it’s hard to keep track.”

I've been daydreaming lately about the Democrats ramping up their investigations as a campaign tactic. What better way to define the Republican brand and frame the narrative for November? It looks like my dreams might finally be coming true.

[cross-posted to The Reaction]

The Empire retires?

By Capt. Fogg

There's a new kind of darkness come to the Sunshine State. Karl Rove, whose bald pate is sometimes described as looking like a shaved testicle, has bought himself a house in a small development on the gulf coast in the western half of the Florida panhandle. You may have a hard time finding it on the map. It's quite a way from any place with a name you might recognize; the kind of place that gets hurt really, really bad by the hurricanes that scream through now and then. The mangroves and the vegetation that used to protect the dunes are now gone to be replaced by condos and beach houses and the country types who used to inhabit the area have been replaced by more economically upscale and in this case at least, a morally bankrupt politician.

I could imagine all sorts of reasons that Karl would choose to spend at least part of his time in a remote area, even if locals aren't particularly likely to admire him any more than I do, but it seems to interest Raw Story to a degree I find amusing. The stereotype of the typical "liberal" often is someone of limited means with a jealous grudge against those with less limited means. It's not true, but of course one will find examples.

The story focuses on how large and expensive is his abode as though to provide a very unneeded reason to dislike Rove. It has to make a Floridian smile. Perhaps to a rust belt city dweller a 2500 square foot house is big and a million dollars for a seaside property is expensive, but Welcome to Florida. Even in the midst of a real estate slump a 50,000 square foot house was completed last month, just a few miles up the coast from me. A big chunk of the people who live here don't need mortgages and a million buys a rather average house if it's within sight of the water. Did anyone think a high level king maker like Rove couldn't afford it - regardless of his party affiliation? I'm actually surprised at how modest it is compared to the palatial Rush Limbaugh seaside estate in Palm Beach.

The real surprise though, is that the real base of the Republican party, and I don't mean the money people, the influential people, but the guy whose house has wheels, the small businessman resentful of taxes, the retired military lovers of authority who always vote Republican, the Religious right; that such people support Rove and Rumsfeld and Bush and Cheney even now is what amazes me. That they think the Party represents them, is on their side and is lead by struggling people just like them, is beyond understanding. But let's not do so much to further the false image of Democrats that serves the Republicans so well. Let's not make demons of anyone with money when it's those who get rich by lying, cheating and stealing; those who use economic power to subvert politics to nefarious ends who are our opponents. Karl Rove isn't evil because he made a few bucks, but because he made it the way he did.

Cross posted from Human Voices

Please remember this...

By Libby

It's not even worth reading Michael Gerson's latest pap. It's the sort of piece one would expect from George Bush's chief speechwriter. A mere piece of fluff in praise of Karl Rove. But the opening paragraph struck me.

When I asked Karl Rove this week to summarize his approach to politics, he quoted from memory a 167-year-old letter by Abraham Lincoln to his Whig campaign committee: "Keep a constant watch on the doubtful voters, and from time to time have them talked to by those in whom they have the most confidence."

Rather odd isn't it that Karl can't remember what he did with his emails, or who he met with in the last six years or any number of other details that interest the Congress, but he can quote a 167 year old letter by heart. I guess his amnesia only occurs within the White House walls.

[cross-posted to The Reaction]

Rove hits the road

By Libby

Well, I don't know about you, but I didn't expect Rove to resign today. I'm working so I only have a moment to speculate on the reasons beyond the customary disclaimer of "spending time with the family" that usually precedes an pending indictment. Marcy has my three best guesses at which investigation could be about to take him down and my man Cernig has a thought about what lies in Rove's future.

The mind reels with the possibilities really but as I said at the Detroit News, one can only hope he is running from his own culpability and not resigning because Bush and Cheney are about to do something so crazy, like invading Iran for instance, that even he doesn't want to be around to deal with it.

If you knew Susie, like Rove knows Susie...

I hate to link to this putz, but Novak breaks the news that Susan Ralston has asked for immunity before she testifies in front of Waxman's investigating committee. Ralston, as I'm sure you remember, is the key link between Abramoff and Rove.

Novak, in his inimitable haughtiness, suggests Ralston has got nothing to give up that will take down Rove, and implies that Waxman is merely engaged in a vendetta against him, but I wouldn't bet the farm on that. Novak is just phoning in the same tired GOP talking points about how this will be another "disappointment" for the Dems.

His [Waxman's] committee has aimed at the General Services Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, constraints on global-warming scientists, the misrepresentations of Cpl. Pat Tillman's death in Afghanistan, private contractors in Iraq and the Plame leak, among other things.

Whether or not Ralston rolls on her old boss remains to be seen but Novak implies these investigations all fell short and if one measures it by frogwalking the criminals out of the White House, well yeah, he's right about that.

Nonetheless, they all have uncovered embarrassing and damaging secrets about the Bush administration and Novak glosses over the ongoing Justice scandal, barely mentioning the emails in passing. Already all these small lies and manipulations are amassing to reveal a very ugly picture of potentially indictable corruption and the Democrats have another 19 months to keep putting the pieces together. The White House response is confused because they have no contingency plan for operating under oversight. Just as with all their badly laid plots, they never thought they would need one.

Novak would like us to forget that Rove and the White House created their little den of iniquity under the cover of a compliant GOP Congress that no longer exists. I'm sure he wishes he could forget it himself.