And I Hope He Burns in Hell!!

Well, it’s all startin’ to ooze out, my toasty cheese sandwiches. The truth, that is. And as we all knew the moment it happened, the Valerie Plame leak came directly from the mouth of everybody’s favorite evil college dropout, Turd Blossom himself, Karl Rove.

Shocker!

And it’s getting weirder and weirder. First Cooper said his source said he could testify. Now it’s like maybe not. Or something. I kinda don’t understand it really. The key in my opinion is this bit:

A report on Newsweek's Web site on Sunday, that the magazine said was based on a document Time produced to the special prosecutor, added other elements to the puzzle. While Mr. Rove did identify the operative in a conversation with Mr. Cooper, Mr. Rove did not use her name - Valerie Plame, as she has been called in news accounts, or Valerie Wilson, as she prefers - or refer to her covert status, Newsweek said. Lawyers involved in the negotiations did not dispute the accuracy of the document Newsweek cited.

In other words, Rove’s lawyer is running around saying things like, “Mr. Rove did not name a covert CIA operative,” and ignoring that he identified her as Joe Wilson’s wife, yeah that chick you met at that party last Friday; she had that green dress and those open toe pumps your wife was admiring. Which is the legal equivalent of chanting, “I’m not touching you! I’m not touching you!” while holding your finger an inch away from your little sister’s face.

So maybe Rove gets away with it legally, or maybe he doesn’t. But what about getting in trouble with his boss?

GEORGE W. BUSH: “This is a very serious matter. And our administration takes it seriously… this is a serious charge, by the way. We’re talking about a criminal action.” [10/6/03]

ED GILLESPIE: “I think if the allegation is true, to reveal the identity of an undercover CIA operative — it’s abhorrent, and it should be a crime, and it is a crime.” [MSNBC Hardball, 9/30/03]

KAREN HUGHES: “President Bush has said — and I agree — there are too many leaks in Washington. We didn’t experience that kind of situation when we were here in Texas. I think it’s very disruptive to democracy… Whoever did this leak obviously was not serving President Bush very well.” [Houston Chronicle, 10/2/03]

JOHN ASHCROFT: “Let me just indicate that this is a matter of great concern to me, that I have not ruled out any options. Leaks are a serious matter. When information is classified, it’s classified for a reason, and classified because it is in the national interest of the United States of America that the information not be shared. And anyone who purposefully leaks information that has been classified is, for some reason — it’s incomprehensible to me, but for some reason — subordinating a national security — if they purposefully leak information — suborting the national security in the interests of the United States to some interests of their own.” [News conference, 10/16/03]

GEORGE H.W. BUSH: “I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious, of traitors.” [Speech at CIA, 4/26/99]

COLIN POWELL: “Not only do you put her at risk, or any undercover agent at risk, by letting it be known that they are an agent, but you also put the sources they have worked with over the years at considerable risk.” [9/30/03]

The most insidious of traitors. I couldn’t have said it better myself, H-W. And a question for the current president – what is the penalty for treason? I’ll give you a hint. Doing it gives you a bigger rush than that time you and Smitty freebased an 8-ball in his basement on spring break.