The Rovian Dogs Yap Away

From John Podhoretz in The Corner:

Here's what we know, based on the two pieces of information we have - Lawrence O'Donnell and Newsweek:

Matt Cooper of Time Magazine was preparing a story on Joseph C. Wilson's CIA-sponsored trip to Africa. Cooper spoke to Karl Rove. Presumably he talked to other people. Period. Cooper's story never appeared. Lawrence O'Donnell said Newsweek was going to say "It's Rove" who "outed" Wilson's undercover-CIA-agent wife Valerie Plame. But Newsweek's story doesn't say that. It only says Rove spoke to Cooper, and Rove's lawyer Robert Luskin offers a complete and flat denial that Rove said anything about Valerie Plame:"Luskin told Newsweek that Rove 'never knowingly disclosed classified information' and that 'he did not tell any reporter that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA.' Luskin declined, however, to discuss any other details. He did say that Rove himself had testified before the grand jury 'two or three times' and signed a waiver authorizing reporters to testify about their conversations with him. 'He has answered every question that has been put to him about his conversations with Cooper and anybody else,' Luskin said."

Seems to me that unless Luskin is lying, Rove is in the clear.

Me, too. But don't look for the Democrats to let this go. They hate Rove ALMOST as much as they hate Bush, and the truth is secondary. "Getting" Rove and Bush is primary. I think they are going to come out looking as ridiculous on this as they did with the Downing Street Memos, but it's a shame that politics in America has been reduced to this kind of thing.

JAS ADDS: Oddly "coincidental" how this latest conspiracist tangent has such close temporal proximity to Karl the Great's calling out of the DisLoyal Opposition on its anti-war seditions. Makes one wonder just how long it will take drooling maniacs like O'Donnell to figure out that the very rage they've stoked ever since the Florida insurrection is their most gaping weakness.

My guess? They won't. And it'll be Hillary Clinton who ends up rescuing them from themselves.

Queen, as the saying goes, of a poisoned realm.