On Mon, 11 Jul 2005, Michael Pollak wrote:
> This is quintessential Rove: the master of plausible deniability. On this
> account, he never named Plame, and he never said she was an agent.
Yah, but actually it's the Sun that is making Rove look subtler than he was. Here's the actual money sentence from the email that Cooper sent his bureau chief
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8525978/site/newsweek/page/2/
<quote>
Rove told Cooper that
Wilson's trip had not been authorized by "DCIA"-CIA Director George
Tenet-or Vice President Dick Cheney. Rather, "it was, KR said,
wilson's wife, who apparently works at the agency on wmd [weapons of
mass destruction] issues who authorized the trip."
<quote>
So according to Cooper's notes, Rove told him flat out she worked for the agency and in what department. His defense now can only be to say that he thought she was a non-covert agent and hence "fair game" i.e., not covered by the law, which only covers covert agents. He would then argue that he thus didn't "knowingly" let slip her identity, which is a defense under the law.
But politically a pretty damn thin one, even if true. This looks better and better. Especially with the heart-warming sight of the White House Press corps finally attacking like a pack. Since it isn't convicting Rove that really matters. It's goring the administration.
Betty Bowers has a very funny rap on what Bush might look like without Rove -- like Tom Cruise without Pat Kingsley:
URL: http://www.bettybowers.com/nl_may302005.html
Michael