Rove Update

Hard to resist.. a couple of updates.

First, poll numbers from ABC:

Skepticism about the administration's cooperation has jumped. As the initial investigation began in September 2003, nearly half the public, 47 percent, believed the White House was fully cooperating. That fell to 39 percent a few weeks later, and it's lower still, 25 percent, in this new ABC News poll.

Yes, 3 out of 4 Americans surveyed think the administration is a bunch of liars.

Really, polling of every significant issue shows Bush tanking. Lets also not forget that Bush's ratings by Americans are far higher than ratings from the rest of the world. How nice we have a President that the entire world thinks is doing a shitty job.

Well, let me qualify that. There are some people who think Bush is God; like Ken "I'm not gay, I swear" Mehlman, and the 101st Fighting Keyboardists.

I still can't believe anybody voted for him in the last election. I hope they're happy now...

Oh.. and how about those gas prices eh? Like that $2.50 a gallon? Like 40 bucks to fill up your tank? Oh.. but the Bushies don't have anything to do with the oil industry, do they?

Yesterday Bush said: "if someone committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration."

Wow, thanks Chimpy. Now we know that if you are convicted of a felony and headed off to jail, you'll no longer be allowed to work for the Federal Government.

This morning Bush said: "if someone drops dead after choking on a chicken bone, they will no longer work in my administration."

Just a reminder boys and girls. Bill Clinton was investigated to the tune of 70 million tax payer dollars and found to have done nothing wrong in White Water. Then, he was impeached for lying about getting a blow job.

I know some of you probably think that cheating on your wife and getting blown is worse than lying your way into a war, and the outing of a covert CIA officer (and the myriad of other political atrocities).. After all, how else to explain the difference in how Clinton is treated versus Bush?

Now, Reuters is reporting that the nomination of the next SCOTUS judge has been moved up to deflect attention from Rove.

A Republican strategist with close to the White House described Clement as the leading candidate. "She's pretty untouchable," he said. "Plus, it helps take Rove off the front pages for a week."

Let's hope she's not bat-shit crazy. Yet another religious freak is not going to help matters in this country. Gorak would not approve.

Now - as far as the Rove investigation goes, the latest in the media centers around a State Department memo that was circulated in the Administration, and which identifies covert OP, Plame, as Joe Wilson's wife. The latest person to have been fingered as reading it? Ari Fleischer. Remember him? He's the press secretary that quietly quit his job... hmmmm

The Novak call may loom large in the investigation because Fleischer was among a group of administration officials who left Washington later that day on a presidential trip to Africa. On the flight to Africa, Fleischer was seen perusing the State Department memo on Wilson and his wife, according to a former administration official who was also on the trip....

Fleischer, who saw the July 7 memo, wasn't part of Bush's inner circle during his tenure as press secretary, while Rove was at the heart of it. Given those facts, it seems highly doubtful that Fleischer would have acted on the information in the memo without the knowledge or approval of Rove and other top-level White House officials.

Why is this important? Because the issue is whether or not Rove knew Plame was covert.

It's still too early to make a concrete judgment, but it's not looking good for Bush Co. If what we know is damaging, what we don't know must be catastrophic.