KARL ROVE PSEUDO-SCANDAL

So much noise about this Karl Rove situation, I decided to avoid posting on the topic until now. I believe Dems are either showing their fear of Rove since he's been kicking their ass or their desparation as a aimless party since they lack substance and leadership by calling for his head.

"Was that a headless chicken that just passed by?"

"No, no. That was just the Democrats."

The Wall Street Journal came out with their "ra-ra" editorial Wednesday:

If there's any scandal at all here, it is that this entire episode has been allowed to waste so much government time and media attention, not to mention inspire a "special counsel" probe. The Bush Administration is also guilty on this count, since it went along with the appointment of prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald in an election year in order to punt the issue down the road. But now Mr. Fitzgerald has become an unguided missile, holding reporters in contempt for not disclosing their sources even as it becomes clearer all the time that no underlying crime was at issue.

As for the press corps, rather than calling for Mr. Rove to be fired, they ought to be grateful to him for telling the truth.

Vodkapunit had a different view:

"Thank you, Mr. Rove" is taking things a bit too far for my tastes.

Even if Rove didn't give out Valerie Plame's name (which appears, for now, to be the case), it also looks like he pointed a pretty bold arrow her way. That kind of leak is breaking the rules, and that's a bad thing.

Now, as I understand the law regarding intelligence officers, Karl Rove didn't do anything illegal. But was he right to leak? Or was he to be, as the WSF editors did, to be congratulated? My gut tells me no on both counts.

As a practical matter, leaking classified information has usually been treated as a matter of discretion for higher-ups - and Rove's actions might fall under that historical leeway.

Even if Plame wasn't covered by the law, and even if her husband was a lying ass, and even if Rove was acting within the tradition discretion accorded someone in his position... Rove's leak - at the very least - sent a bad message to other intelligence officers: "Toe the line or we'll out you."

Well, I don't see how that kind of thing can be good for "company" business. (full post and comments)

As always The American Thinker's Thomas Lifson writes a solid piece on what I think is the most important issue for Democrats:

Desperate people say stupid things. Democrats are increasingly desperate, and in increasing numbers have moved from uttering the merely ridiculous to shouting self-destructive rhetoric from their media rooftops.

Karl Rove occupies a unique role in the demonology of fundamentalist Democrats. You know who these FundieDems are. They practice politics as their religion, seeing Republicans not as opponents but as the embodiment of evil, endowed with supernatural abilities to deceive ordinary people in Kansas and elsewhere into voting against their obvious self-interests. (full post)