The Office of Special Counsel has started an investigation into Karl Rove and political operations inside the White House. Good night and good luck. Once you open us this can of worms, there's no looking back.
As you can see in this Los Angeles Times article about the investigation, there's no question that the White House used federal agencies as their own personal political piggy bank. The question is what crossed the line from regular course of business to illegal or unethical activities. The LA Times explains the focus of the inquiry:
"The new investigation, which will examine the firing of at least one U.S. attorney, missing White House e-mails, and White House efforts to keep presidential appointees attuned to Republican political priorities, could create a substantial new problem for the Bush White House."
I can hear it now from conservatives: The White House is political! Of course, they are going to partake in politics, that's part of their job, etc. etc.
Just calm down. Let's first find out what's legal and what's not. Can a person working in the White House cross the line into doing something that breaks the law by combining politics with federal government work? Of course. That's part of the reason why the Office of Special Counsel exists in the first place. They are charged with investigating whether administration officials were "engaging in prohibited political activities."
Didn't Republicans get all over Gore for making the wrong type of phone call from the White House? If that's wrong, I can certainly see how sitting every cabinet agency down and telling them to direct funds to help Republicans in upcoming elections is wrong. Way wrong.
There are certainly rules prohibiting political activity on federal grounds. But the investigation is just starting, so they might find out that no laws were broken. I doubt it. If there isn't a law against using federal money to make sure one party wins elections, there certainly ought to be.
But I have an open mind. Let's see what the investigation uncovers. Remember we already know that interfering with a Justice Department investigation in order to make sure members of your own party aren't prosecuted or encouraging prosecutions of the other party is illegal. This Office of Special Counsel probe will also specifically be looking into this issue as it relates to the former U.S. attorney for New Mexico, David C. Iglesias.
Here's another example of possibly illegal activity by the White House, from the LA Times story:
"Rove and his top aides met each year with presidential appointees throughout the government, using PowerPoint presentations to review polling data and describe high-priority congressional and other campaigns around the country.
Some officials have said they understood that they were expected to seek opportunities to help Republicans in these races, through federal grants, policy decisions or in other ways."
That is at the very least grossly unethical. Do we really want the White House running policy based on purely political considerations rather than what's best for the country? Absolutely not.
I would be outraged if a Democrat got into office and did the same thing. I don't give a damn about the Democratic Party. I only want them to win elections if they are doing the right things. And if they use the Oval Office as a way to keep winning elections rather than doing the people's business, then I would be pissed.
Every administration combines some politics with policy. No one should be naive enough to think that doesn't happen on a regular basis. But on the other hand, there is a line. You can't simply run the whole federal government as a giant political apparatus whose sole goal is to re-elect members of your own party. The actual goal of the government is supposed to be doing the business of the people.
Directing federal agencies to use their resources -- more accurately, our resources, this is our tax money after all -- to help Republicans (or Democrats) win elections seems to cross that line. Let's see what the investigation finds and what those findings lead to.
I don't think this is good news for Karl Rove or the rest of the White House. My sense is that this is the one that sinks them. You don't have to bother arguing with me because we're going to see soon enough. If it's above board, it's above board. If they crossed the line -- and my guess based on the information we already know is that they went way over the line and did it all the time -- they are going to be in a lot of trouble. If you're sure that they did nothing wrong, then you have nothing to worry about.
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Posted Apr 24th 2007 3:32PM by Cenk Uygur
Filed under: Politics, Elections, George Bush, Young Turks, Republicans, GOP, Al Gore, U.S. Attorneys
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46. Sorry #37 Rick. My last comment was meant for #13 Big West The one with the cowboy mentality
Gotta go now, I think I am being watched
rrm12 at 12:45PM on Apr 25th 2007
47. Hey! this phonnny investigator Mr. Block, works for the BUSHCRIME FAMILY, C'MON this is soooo GOP crappy! Lets have an IMPEACHMENT HEARING, and this Summer would be perrrrfect time to do something REAL!!!
Pastor Tommmmy
John Cameron Sweezy at 12:51PM on Apr 25th 2007
48. BIG DEAL! LIKE THE AG INVESTIGATION, THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH IS INVESTIGATING ITSELF AGAIN. HOW ABOUT A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR, OR THREE?
FetaYeidel at 12:58PM on Apr 25th 2007
49. KARL ROVE SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIRED A LONG TIME AGO. VALERIE PLAME, AMBASSADOR WILSON'S WIFE, SAID HE HAD OUTED HER AND STILL HAD HIS SECURITY CLEARANCE. ROVE IS AN ARROGANT, SELF-SERVING INDIVIDUAL, IN MY OPINION. HE ONLY REMAINS VIABLE, IN MY OPINION, BECAUSE PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH NEEDS HIM TO THINK FOR HIM. HE IS LIKE TOM DE LAY-SLEAZE IS ALL AROUNG HIM BUT HE HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG.
THE MASKED MARVEL.
Jimmy R. Cash at 1:02PM on Apr 25th 2007
50. BU$H'S PRESIDENCY IS HIS BIGGEST FAILURE. MORE PEOPLE ON WELFARE, MORE FORECLOSURES, PEOPLE MAKING LESS MONEY UNLESS THEY ARE IN THE TOP 2% AND FRIENDS OF BU$H, HEALTH CARE COSTS SKYROCKETING, DEFICIT OUT OF CONTROL, MORE OUT SOURCING OF JOBS, PEOPLE SAVING LESS THAN EVER BEFORE, PEOPLE DEEPER IN DEBT, EDUCATION SUFFERING, STATE TAXES GOING UP DUE TO LACK OF MONEY FROM FEDS., BORDERS NOT SEALED, LOSS OF RESPECT AROUND THE WORLD, THE 9-11 FIASCO, LOSS OF CIVIL RIGHTS, THE DESTRUCTION OF THE US CONSTITUTION, THE CORRUPTION IN THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE REPUKE PARTY HIGHER THAN ANY PARTY SINCE OUR REPUBLIC WAS FORMED. THE BIGGEST FUBAR OF ALL THE IRAQI WAR...BU$H'S LEGACY! HIS LIBRARY SHOULD BE LOCATED IN THE LATRINE AT GITMO WITH THE REST OF THE $HIT HE HAS CREATED.
ANN at 1:17PM on Apr 25th 2007
51. A Rove Investigation? A Rove-Cheney-Bush Investigation from the OSP? Good luck Mr OSP, but you'll need God's Help. You see, there are first the number of Red States, the number of Republicans in high office, and a veritable mountain of inertia here--what on earth can move all this? Certainly not a misguided,misinformed, believe-what-they-tell me credulous public!
Elections DO matter! There was and there IS plenty difference between Al Gore and George Bush, between
Senator Kerry and George Bush. George Bush put Rove in office, and there never would have been a George Bush presidency were it not for the idiocy of the Ralph Nader I-can't-win-but-I'll-screw-things-up campaign. Not to leave out the then Florida Governor's I'll-steal-it-for-you, bro! And all this was stamped "OK" by a right-wing Supreme Court.
So here we are, into year seven of an eight year DROUGHT of historic proportions in Rove-Cheney-Bush
(note my ordered pedigree) -land. Our world has taken a severe hit, and the United States has taken a stunning blow from this crowd: the idiocy and lack of leadership on global warming will be a lasting legacy of their incopetence. Then, there is the corruption, and the intransigence. There is the run on the federal treasury to the tune of many tens of billions that your grand children will have to pay off! What we see is the duplicity of a dagger from smiling faces and soft voices. And, on the disaster in Iraq and the epochal tragedy for the citizens of that nation, we hear Groupthink from this Administration.
Years from now, when historians look back on this Administration, they will mark it as a calamity of
historic proportions for the earth, the environment, and humanity. Our Nation will need all its inner strength to come back from this debacle.
Clyde McDowell at 2:01PM on Apr 25th 2007
52. LA Times?? What do you expect LOL!!!!!!!!. That's like having the Wall Street Journal being fair to Cindy Sheehan.
Bo at 2:58AM on May 4th 2007
53. LA Times?? what do you expect? LOL!!!!!!! That's like the Wall Street Journal being fair to Cindy Sheehan.
Bo at 1:49PM on Apr 25th 2007
54. This administraton is a shining example of the power that the energy industry has throughout the world. They have(all of them) effectively blocked or squashed all attempts at renewable enegy for the last 50 years, for profit. This administration has taken that agenda to the extreme, so much so, that everyone can now see it. The oil industry is responsible for wars, foriegn policy, and economic policy. If there isn't a struggle to gain control over fossil fuels, the world would be a much happier place. Anyone that thinks the global warming issue isn't real must never go outside. I can remember in my school days not being able to see across the street because of the smog, but the energy industry boo-hooed scientists warnings that didn't agree with their paid propogandists. Because they have the money and Washington in their pockets, we lose, we all lose. The scientific evidence is there and it doesn't take a Phd to see it. At present only 1% of all electricity used in the US is generated by renewable resources. Why? Doesn't require oil. Today Germany's dependence on the fossil fueled electrical grid has been reduced by 20%. The world is being held hostage by the energy industry because we haven't taken control with alternative methods of generation. The only way to loosen their grip on the economy, foriegn policy and war planning is to eliminate or drastically reduce the need for their product. The direction we are headed in now,
on a global scale will lead to makng the planet unihabitable in the near future, or result in the last global war. All because of the strangle hold the energy industry has on world affairs, politics and the day to day existance of everyone on the planet. The technology is out there to make this happen with solar and wind powered generation. The people who are really running things don't want it, because they will lose control. The polar ice is melting, snow pack in the High Sierra's shrinking, cliamte is changing rapidly throughout the world and WE KNOW WHY. Question is do we let it continue? Do we as free election society want to continue to be ruled by an industry that has undermined our principals? The fossil fuel supply is not an infinate resource, and we have seen what that industries stranglehold on politics, foreign policy, the economy, and the environment has done. Its time some really responsible and brave people in government stepped up and funneled some of the hundreds or billions spent on WARS for oil and spend that money on programs to end the dependence the world has on fossil fuels. Its time for radical and swift moves to end the dominance the oil industry has over us and the control of the price of everything we use. The technology is out there, lets use it and end the control the energy industry has over our existence.
jcn at 1:58PM on Apr 25th 2007
55. Mmm, lets see. The Democrats posting here think that because Rove helped Bush get elected twice, that - because Democrats do not like Rove or Bush - that Bush should fire Rove because, as per the Democrats, "Rove is evil".
Democrats - Can't you see why this sort of reasoning does not give you traction with the American public?
Regarding Rove, it is obvious to most people that for some reason, you have allowed yourselves to be wisked away on hysterical winds to the heights of nonsense.
And you wonder why nobody listens?
LOL!
Ken Berg at 2:05PM on Apr 25th 2007
56. More partisan BS intended to demonize the Right prior to the '08 election. What a waste of time. Today's Left is so busy making war on the Bush Administration, that they have failed at any and all of their other initiatives. Any objective person can see that protecting Americans from TERRORISM AND JIHAD is dead last on the list of Democratic priorities and Americans will remember that in '08. These manufactured "SCANDALS" are getting very old, and more and more transparent with each new LIBERAL MEDIA PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN. Cenk...YOU STENK(YES, I KNOW HOW TO SPELL STINK)
carlton wilson at 2:11PM on Apr 25th 2007
57. Unfortunately, Scott Bloch will whitewash this investigation as he has all others dealing with this corrupt administration. Bloch is under investigation himself. Neither he nor his staff can be trusted.
Meyer at 2:14PM on Apr 25th 2007
58. WHAT THIS COUNTRY NEEDS IN THE WORST WAY IS WHAT ENGLAND HAS ''A NO CONFIDENCE VOTE'' TO GET RID OF FUCKING SCUMBAGS LIKE WE ARE STUCK WITH NOW
DAN at 2:39PM on Apr 25th 2007
59. I so much agree with Ralph Dreifus, you go boy PREACH IT LOUD
joycesliter at 3:01PM on Apr 25th 2007
60. Yep, Bush, Rove and Cheney are responsible for 90 percent of the problems we face day to day. Bush was nicknamed the executioner while in office as Governor in TX. and as I see it he is still the executioner of our young men and women who he sends to Iraq to fight this war that cannot be won by troops. This war is political and needs to addressed as such. Send the three to fight this war. The Commander in chief should on the ground fighting along side our troops anyway.
jo mckenzie at 3:07PM on Apr 25th 2007