Presidential Aide Takes Aim at Democrats (Rove Rides Again at Federalist Society dinner)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 11/11/05 | Pete Yost - ap

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON - Presidential adviser Karl Rove took aim at four of the Bush administration's Democratic opponents in the Senate and received a standing ovation from a conservative legal group, defying his critics as he awaits his fate in the CIA leak investigation.

Rove has kept a low public profile since his grand jury testimony a month ago, but he stepped into the limelight Thursday night. He spoke out on behalf of the administration's judicial selections, including Harriet Miers, whose Supreme Court nomination was withdrawn after opposition from the president's conservative base.

"If you like every one of the 200 judges that we have sent forth to the U.S. Congress to be approved in the last three years, there hasn't been one of them who hasn't been researched, vetted, studied, analyzed or recommended by my friend Harriet Miers," Rove told the Federalist Society.

Rove's praise of Miers drew polite applause from the conservative gathering. At society functions earlier Thursday, there was palpable relief that she had withdrawn her nomination, clearing the way for President Bush to tap Samuel Alito, an appeals court judge.

In his 20-minute speech, Rove singled out four Democratic senators who have strongly criticized the White House in the CIA leak probe and have been staunch opponents of some of the Bush administration's judicial selections. The four are Sens. Charles Schumer of New York, Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, Richard Durbin of Illinois and Patrick Leahy of Vermont.

Rove suggested the four Democrats have met their match in the conservative agenda of the Federalist Society.

"Who would have thought that the powerful members of the world's most exclusive club would be so threatened by a movement of competent, principle-driven egghead lawyers?" Rove said to laughter.

Rove in turn was the beneficiary of a Federalist Society attack on his opponents.

"Karl Rove has pursued conservative policies," said co-chairman David McIntosh. "He's come into the cross-hairs of criticism from the liberal establishment here in Washington.

When the establishment can't defeat the power of one's ideas, "they crank up the engine of personal attack in order to distract the leaders," McIntosh suggested.

Rove is under investigation for his involvement in leaking the identity of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame, and Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, is under indictment. Rove and Libby were involved in leaking Plame's identity to the news media.

"Everybody's presumed innocent until convicted and a mere investigation shouldn't hinder anyone's political activities," attorney Stephen Yelverton, a two-decade Federalist Society member, said of Rove's appearance.

Plame's CIA status was exposed by conservative columnist Robert Novak in July 2003, eight days after her husband, former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, accused the U.S. government of manipulating pre-war intelligence to exaggerate the Iraqi threat.

Rove spoke to Novak and Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper about Wilson's wife and her CIA status before each of the two journalists disclosed Plame's identity.

Libby, who resigned from the White House when he was indicted Oct. 28, faces five counts of perjury, obstruction and lying to the FBI. He has pleaded not guilty. Libby told investigators he had learned of the CIA status of Wilson's wife from journalists. Evidence gathered in the probe by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald shows that Cheney, the CIA and the State Department supplied Libby with information about Plame.

The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies was founded in 1982. Early advisers to the 35,000-member society included Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who at the time was a law professor at the University of Chicago.

[NormsRevenge]

President Bush's chief adviser, Karl Rove, pauses before boarding Marine One for the short flight to Andrews Air Force Base to accompany the president to Tobyhanna Army Depot near Wilkes-Barre, Penn., at the White House in Washington, Friday, Nov. 11, 2005. Rove has kept a low public profile since his grand jury testimony in the CIA leak investigation a month ago, but he stepped into the limelight Thursday night to take aim at four of the Bush administration's Democratic opponents in the Senate in defense of his boss' judicial selections, including Harriet Miers, whose Supreme Court nomination was withdrawn after opposition from the president's conservative base. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

[bmwcyle]

He back and he is pissed.

[NormsRevenge]

Man on a mission.

[alice_in_bubbaland]

Yes.....the trend continues! BTW- I guess he took a break from his weather machine to rip the libs a new one! heheheh......

[new yorker 77]

Pete Yost is an arrogant biased liberal jerk.

He is on Bin Laden's Ramadan Card List.

[Dems_R_Losers]

Locked and loaded and ready to roll in 2006! Dems should be afraid, be very afraid.............

[Argus]

Rove and Libby were involved in leaking Plame's identity to the news media.

Total BS - Libby's not even charged with this and Rove hasn't been indicted. But this so-called "news story" just states this as fact.

But what the hell - it's just another MSM bias moment.

[sgtbono2002]

Didnt Fitzpatricks term run out? wasnt it over when he indicted Libby. Is Rove still under investigation--meaning Fitzpatrick is still wasting more federal funds? When does it end?

[Republican Red]

defying his critics as he awaits his fate in the CIA leak investigation

Seems to me that Fitzgerald couldn't come up with enough to indict Rove after two years. Fitgerald said that the investigation is over. I think he was hoping Libby would roll or something.

I can almost guarantee that Karl is not losing any sleep "as he awits he fate"

[comebacknewt]

We can't let up for an instance. The national agenda has been completely hijacked.

If we are to recover it, we need to hit them day after day after day.

[rapture-me]

He back and he is pissed.

'bout time. Gettum Karl!

[isrul]

Good for him but why did he find it necessary to mention Miers? I just don't get that.

[kcvl]

"Plame's CIA status was exposed by conservative columnist Robert Novak in July 2003"



Dear Pete Yost,

Plame's CIA status was exposed by HER HUSBAND!

[syriacus]

Glad to see he was doing so well. I had never heard him speak before C-Span showed this.

Dems are the booby-traps along the road to Iraqi freedom. What do they have against the Iraqis?

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

[Past Your Eyes]

He read it or heard it somewhere so it must be true. Besides, everybody I know thinks it's true.
/s

[NormsRevenge]

Kennedy fires back...

CAPITOL HILL (AP) _ Democrats are already firing back, after hearing President Bush lash out at critics of the Iraq war. Senator Ted Kennedy says it's "regrettable" that Bush is using Veterans Day for what Kennedy calls a "campaign-like attempt to rebuild his own credibility."

[concerned about politics]

Libby, who resigned from the White House when he was indicted Oct. 28, faces five counts of perjury, obstruction and lying to the FBI. He has pleaded not guilty. Libby told investigators he had learned of the CIA status of Wilson's wife from journalists. Evidence gathered in the probe by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald shows that Cheney, the CIA and the State Department supplied Libby with information about Plame.

He very well could be telling the truth. How would Fritz know? Would an anti-Bush left wing press lie about something like this? Yes, they would!
They all should have been indicted , and the jury could have sorted it out. Fritz screwed up. He could have hurt the wrong man by taking the bias word of another.

Cheney, Libby, the State department, and the CIA all have security clearances. They have every right to discuss Plame. What exactly is this reporters motive?

[concerned about politics]

He back and he is pissed.

Hey, go for it. He has every right to demand retribution. He's earned that podium.