The big picture on Rove's emails

I only have a minute here this morning. I have to deal with taxes and then work for a few hours, but I do want to just point a couple of things about this so-called April Fool's joke and Rove's photoshopped photo. So okay, he wasn't carrying a Coptix brochure. Frankly, I found that suspicious from the git-go. He's a very careful man and I wouldn't expect him to carry the evidence around in public. But the more I think about it, the more I realize just how clever the whole "joke" was.

I mean think about it. The emails are in question. These companies, Coptix and Smartech are related to each other, and one at least is owned by a Bush family friend. They admit the RNC is a client but deny they have the emails. Meanwhile, the RNC denied they were clients. One thing is glaringly clear. Both companies are based in Chattanooga and the picture is real.

A Chattanooga resident, David Gidcumb, said he took the photo of Mr. Rove at the restaurant on Feb. 21 and put the doctored image on his blog. Mr. Rove was accompanying President Bush during his visit to the Scenic City.

Rove and Bush seem to have an odd fondness for visiting the city don't you think? I mean why that particular city? It's not a customary tourist stop and why was the photoshop "joke" invented about that company in particular? Feels like the old maxim about hiding the contraband in plain sight and it surely does have a Rathergate feel to it. Try to discredit the damning information by starting a sideshow and discrediting some inconsequential peripheral point.

As for the emails, the geek talk is here today but I think this statement pretty well sums up this very fishy joke.

"It's easy for people to plant disinformation and misinformation out there," said Josiah Roe, executive vice president of Coptix, based in St. Elmo.

That works both ways doesn't it and this administration should know.