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You are here: Home / Politics / Republican Stupidity / Peak Schadenfreude: Major New Reserves Discovered in Karl Rove’s Office

Peak Schadenfreude: Major New Reserves Discovered in Karl Rove’s Office

by Tim F|  May 10, 20071:02 pm| 40 Comments

This post is in: Republican Stupidity

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Funny spring. Usually as the weather warms up rain and the occasional hail will drop from the sky. This year we get shoes.

The Bush administration has withheld a series of e-mails from Congress showing that senior White House and Justice Department officials worked together to conceal the role of Karl Rove in installing Timothy Griffin, a protégé of Rove’s, as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

The withheld records show that D. Kyle Sampson, who was then-chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, consulted with White House officials in drafting two letters to Congress that appear to have misrepresented the circumstances of Griffin’s appointment as U.S. attorney and of Rove’s role in supporting Griffin.

[…] Several of the e-mails that the Bush administration is withholding from Congress, as well as papers from the White House counsel’s office describing other withheld documents, were made available to National Journal by a senior executive branch official, who said that the administration has inappropriately kept many of them from Congress.

Damn, that will leave a mark.

***Update***

The story has so many gems that it is almost impossible not to quote it in full. Waas catches the White House flat-footed:

White House spokesman Tony Fratto denied that the White House was withholding records in the Justice Department’s possession, and he said that Gonzales could make many of them public at any time. “The White House is neither guiding nor directing the Justice Department’s decisions on privileged documents,” Fratto said. “They make those decisions on their own.”

It would have been subtler if the White House tacked a target on Gonzo’s back and cried, Duck season! Although I suppose that the alternative, admitting their own role in obstructing justice, would bridge that shrinking gap between public scandal and indictable behavior. The perps don’t have any good options right now.

***Update 2***

John begged me to keep the title, but in the end I decided to go with something a bit less hair-raising.

***Update 3***

Good analysis by Paul Kiel at TPM.

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Reader Interactions

40Comments

  1. 1.

    28 Percent

    May 10, 2007 at 1:34 pm

    When Klinton lied you democRATS said that it did not matter because what he lied about was not a crime but now when that SHOE is on the other foot it is all about the lying with you isn’t it? At least there is nothing immoral about the way people serve the pleasure of the President in W’s White House!

    ha ha ha

  2. 2.

    Zombie Santa Claus

    May 10, 2007 at 1:43 pm

    Damn, 28 Percent beat me to it. I was going to say that this was nothing compared to a scandal like Socksgate.

  3. 3.

    chopper

    May 10, 2007 at 1:53 pm

    ah, 28%, you truly are the living end.

  4. 4.

    Zombie Santa Claus

    May 10, 2007 at 2:00 pm

    This scandal isn’t Clinton’s fault, but it is Al Gore’s. If he hadn’t invented the Internet, Rove couldn’t have been caught by emails he’d sent on it.

    Ho ho ho, bitches!

  5. 5.

    sean

    May 10, 2007 at 2:21 pm

    what was the original title?

  6. 6.

    Dulcie

    May 10, 2007 at 2:24 pm

    He’s still not as good a BIRDZILLA

  7. 7.

    Tim F.

    May 10, 2007 at 2:27 pm

    what was the original title?

    Something about Karl Rove’s fat ass. I decided that I didn’t want to insult the big & tall community by including Rove in their number.

  8. 8.

    sean

    May 10, 2007 at 2:34 pm

    so you just changed ‘orifice’ to ‘office’?

  9. 9.

    mrmobi

    May 10, 2007 at 2:35 pm

    Something about Karl Rove’s fat ass. I decided that I didn’t want to insult the big & tall community by including Rove in their number.

    How very sensitive of you, Tim. Now, please, please tell us what the first title was, please!

  10. 10.

    Tom Hilton

    May 10, 2007 at 2:35 pm

    I thought this was a very juicy tidbit:

    Several of the e-mails that the Bush administration is withholding from Congress, as well as papers from the White House counsel’s office describing other withheld documents, were made available to National Journal by a senior executive branch official, who said that the administration has inappropriately kept many of them from Congress.

    Remember when this administration had absolute message control? Remember the stories about how nobody was leaking? That paragraph would have been inconceivable not too long ago.

    Between this and the public finger-pointing among McNulty, Sampson, Goodling, and Gonzales, we’re witnessing the total collapse of the administration. And not a moment too soon.

  11. 11.

    mrmobi

    May 10, 2007 at 2:39 pm

    You know, for a tard, 28Percent is actually very creative, witness “Klinton,” “democRATS,” and, of course, the masterful use of CAPITAL LETTERS.

    Don’t feel bad though, 28. My sister’s a tard, now she’s a pilot.

    I agree, though, her stuff doesn’t have the simplicity of the master, BIRDZILLA.

  12. 12.

    kchiker

    May 10, 2007 at 2:40 pm

    So who is the leaker here? Someone high up in the administration that suddenly sympathizes with Congress’s oversight responsibilities?

    BWAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAA.

  13. 13.

    kchiker

    May 10, 2007 at 2:42 pm

    Or maybe Tony Snow is just practicing his poker face(s).

  14. 14.

    Jimmmm

    May 10, 2007 at 2:47 pm

    What was the original title ennyhow?

  15. 15.

    Fledermaus

    May 10, 2007 at 2:52 pm

    It’s a Fitzmas miracle!

  16. 16.

    demimondian

    May 10, 2007 at 2:52 pm

    It had to do with finding something *under* Rove’s fat ass, evoking images of drilling into his ass…not that there’s anything wrong with that.

  17. 17.

    Jake

    May 10, 2007 at 3:12 pm

    So, was the original title “Drilling down to find what’s up Karl’s arse?”

    Let’s see. You got yer senior officials handing over sensitive, damaging information, and then there’s yer adverse story breaking before Friday, 5 pm… This is getting too good for popcorn. Perhaps a nice breast of [lame] duck. Or a big fat rump roast.

    And is it me or is Oprison a delightfully appropriate last name?

  18. 18.

    p.lukasiak

    May 10, 2007 at 3:55 pm

    So who is the leaker here? Someone high up in the administration that suddenly sympathizes with Congress’s oversight responsibilities?

    my guess….Fred Fielding. While he’s not a “loyal Bushie”, and sees his job as first and foremost protecting the President. If that means throwing Rove and Gonzales under the bus, so be it — Fielding was there for Watergate (as John Dean’s assistant White House Counsel) and Iran-Contra (as White House Counsel). He knows all about “cancers on the Presidency,” and how much damage these kinds of scandals can do.

    And Fielding reads the polls — when Iran-Contra and Watergate broke, Reagan and Nixon had relatively high approval ratings. Given the contempt with which every American with more than half a brain holds Bush, Fielding knows that the longer this scandal festers, the worse it will be for Bush. So he’s taken pre-emptive action.

  19. 19.

    tBone

    May 10, 2007 at 3:59 pm

    It had to do with finding something under Rove’s fat ass, evoking images of drilling into his ass…not that there’s anything wrong with that.

    Not according to Jeff Gannon, anyway.

    Sorry. Somebody had to go there.

  20. 20.

    Zifnab

    May 10, 2007 at 4:04 pm

    Was it something along the lines of “Karl Rove Suffers Massive Leakage in the Rear”? Any time you can work anal leakage into a board title, I think you’ve got a winner.

  21. 21.

    chopper

    May 10, 2007 at 4:04 pm

    Sorry. Somebody had to go there

    no, no they didn’t. no.

  22. 22.

    tBone

    May 10, 2007 at 4:29 pm

    Any time you can work anal leakage into a board title, I think you’ve got a winner.

    I think putting “Rove” in the headline is sufficient to get that idea across, though. No reason to gild the lily.

  23. 23.

    gus

    May 10, 2007 at 4:40 pm

    I still say Abu G is there until the end. They’re going to try to brazen this one out.

  24. 24.

    Jake

    May 10, 2007 at 4:41 pm

    No reason to gild the lily.

    Or the Turdblossom.

  25. 25.

    Tim F.

    May 10, 2007 at 4:42 pm

    The title ended: “…new reserves found under Karl Rove’s fat ass.”

    Now go wash your dirty minds out with soap.

  26. 26.

    demimondian

    May 10, 2007 at 6:02 pm

    The title ended: “…new reserves found under Karl Rove’s fat ass.”

    Now go wash your dirty minds out with soap.

    Hmm. Tim, welcome to the-place-that-we-can’t-refer-to-as-BJ (unless we’re prepared to hear jokes that even Beavis and Butthead would reject as below them). Now, Tim, you know I still owe you a sixpack of beer — but did you really expect anything else?

  27. 27.

    ernie marraccini

    May 10, 2007 at 6:04 pm

    This issue centers on those USA’s who were not doing enough of what the administration wanted. Just imagine what those USA’s, like Pittsburgh’s Buchanan, had to do to get the kudos and rewards this administation granted to their ‘best performing’few USA’s. IMHO a far more serious scandal is the behavior of those rewarded and accoladed by this administration as its Justice Dept pursues the religious agenda of John Ashcroft. If only because when you are doing God’s work then procedure does not matter.

  28. 28.

    The Other Steve

    May 10, 2007 at 6:31 pm

    my guess….Fred Fielding. While he’s not a “loyal Bushie”, and sees his job as first and foremost protecting the President. If that means throwing Rove and Gonzales under the bus, so be it—- Fielding was there for Watergate (as John Dean’s assistant White House Counsel) and Iran-Contra (as White House Counsel). He knows all about “cancers on the Presidency,” and how much damage these kinds of scandals can do.

    And to think, they waited until Mark Felt admitted he was Deep Throat before giving Fred Fielding the job. ;-)

  29. 29.

    Dreggas

    May 10, 2007 at 6:42 pm

    GAH and here I was stuck in training/new hire orientation today (it was actually a good thing and made me even happier about working where I do) I missed all of this and feel somehow cheated…

  30. 30.

    Julie Morrison

    May 10, 2007 at 7:13 pm

    Come on now….who is up for the bet? Do you think Karl Rove and Jeff Gannon were “doing it”??

    When is this scandal gonna break?

  31. 31.

    Rome Again

    May 10, 2007 at 8:23 pm

    GAH and here I was stuck in training/new hire orientation today (it was actually a good thing and made me even happier about working where I do) I missed all of this and feel somehow cheated…

    I’m in the same boat. New job, lots of work, nose in paperwork all day and look at all I’m missing.

    But, I sure I’m not missed!

  32. 32.

    Krista

    May 10, 2007 at 9:15 pm

    Now go wash your dirty minds out with soap.

    The dirty minds and the utterly warped thinking are what make this place fun!

  33. 33.

    Rome Again

    May 10, 2007 at 9:39 pm

    The dirty minds and the utterly warped thinking are what make this place fun!

    Very true. I hate when I can’t have my entertainment.

  34. 34.

    kchiker

    May 11, 2007 at 9:50 am

    Now go wash your dirty minds out with soap.

    Mmmmmmmm…caffeinated soap.

  35. 35.

    Jake

    May 11, 2007 at 10:14 am

    Peak Schadenfreude: Major New Reserves Discovered in Karl Rove’s Office Orifice.

  36. 36.

    Dreggas

    May 11, 2007 at 10:29 am

    Rome Again Says:

    But, I sure I’m not missed!

    oh you’re missed.

Comments are closed.

Trackbacks

  1. Administration Withheld E-Mails About Rove « Michael P.F. van der Galiën says:
    May 10, 2007 at 3:09 pm

    […] More at The Washington Monthly, Think Progress, Balloon Juice and Obsidian Wings. […]

  2. Administration Withheld E-Mails About Rove | The Moderate Voice says:
    May 10, 2007 at 3:10 pm

    […] More at The Washington Monthly, Think Progress, Balloon Juice and Obsidian Wings. […]

  3. Pajamas Media says:
    May 10, 2007 at 4:29 pm

    Peak Schadenfreude:

    Ballon Juice’s take on today’s news the White House’s handling of news that senior officials withheld emails in order to hide Karl Rove’s involvement in the U.S. attorney scandal: “It would have been subtler if the White House tacked a…

  4. Go Gonzalez, Go! Show Those Loony Libs What-For! « Blogs 4 Brownback says:
    May 10, 2007 at 7:18 pm

    […] UPDATE: Those moonbats sure are clueless, aren’t they? It would have been subtler if the White House tacked a target on Gonzo’s back and cried, Duck season! Although I suppose that the alternative, admitting their own role in obstructing justice, would bridge that shrinking gap between public scandal and indictable behavior. The perps don’t have any good options right now. […]

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