Taking Aim At The Next Karl Rove (VIDEO)

The Hill reports that Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman is considering legislation that would prevent future administrations from having Karl-Rove type advisors:

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who has primary jurisdiction over the executive branch, is considering legislation to eliminate Karl Rove-type advisers in future administrations.

The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hints broadly that such a bill could ban the use of federal funds to finance such a politically partisan office.

"Why should we be using taxpayer dollars to have a person solely in charge of politics in the White House?" Waxman said in an interview. "Can you imagine the reaction if each member of Congress had a campaign person paid for with taxpayer dollars?"

Waxman, one of President Bush's most dogged opponents, will decide in September whether to press ahead this year or wait until next in hope of having a Democratic president sign such a bill.

Waxman says the White House operates under looser political ethics rules than does Congress, where chiefs of staff and other high-ranking officials are prohibited from using government phones, computers and facilities for political purposes.

Rove focused on President Bush's reelection while working on a West Wing salary during the first four years of the Bush administration.

As Bush's senior adviser, Rove headed the Office of Political Affairs, which interacts with the party's political committees, and the Office of Public Liaison, which works with outside groups such as business, religious and advocacy organizations that want to communicate with the president.

Rove's political activity at the White House sparked fierce disputes with congressional Democrats.

Keep reading here.

Rove has ignored a subpoena from Congress to testify under oath for the second time this year. The American News Project tracked Rove down to see if they could find out why.

Comments

[brandon102]

Whoops! When I saw the title of this article I thought you were referring to something else entirely!

My bad.

[Raymondf]

Consider source ANPO, Aclone of media matters. Non-Issue.

[Raymondf]

Mus ado about nothing.

[libido]

Oboma should appoint hillary attorney general and let her go after them!

[rubyrubyruby]

I don't particularly like Karl Rove but I don't like governmental instituitions threatening intimidation based on political ideology...that scares me more then Karl Rove ever could!

[JeanPaulSatire]

You said, "but I don't like [government] threatening intimidation based on political ideology..." You went on to say that scares you more than does Karl Rove (who just happens to be its chief proponent and most expert practitioner).

Either your post was sarcasm/satire at its best, or you are perhaps the most uninformed and truth-denying person who ever uttered an opinion about Rove.

My money would be on the latter.

[ilovemydoggy]

Abe Lincoln said the face we have after the age of 40 is the one we chose. Don't people like Rove look kind of creepy? Maybe the face says more than his speech. You can't hide everything. I wonder - Is he an "eminence grise" or merely a "court jester"? He does not strike me as an intellectual with any brilliance. What a ship of fools.

Anthropologist V. Cornue has some good political insights today at http://www.Vaboomer.com seen through the prism of "baby boomers".

[pitneo]

There is ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE for congress NOT TO ARREST ROVES, other than being scared to do so.

Fear is not the answer because you NEED TO FEAR US, we, the people, because we control whether you have a job or not. And if you do not do what is necessary in this instance, we will remember who you are and will not give you our votes to put you back into office.

All those who believe this should be their fate, let them know because I am. I've already written my congress person to let them know how I feel about this ROVE debaucle. We have to make a stand and stick with it for the good of the country.

[ljlu]

Why not a Bill at least to get qualified people to run agencies ( FEMA and "Good job Brownie" comes to mind) and out law selecting Judges ( which I believe should be done locally by the states, and leaders for CIA and FBI jobs.. This is too much control by one twisted person to have. We can't know the extent of the damage Bush has done by appointing idiots, but Katrina comes to mind. This should have long ago inspired a Bill for quality qualified people in such important positions.

[AnnieinOR]

Karl PP Rove is a criminal that belongs behind bars. We throw petty criminals in jail for a lot less.

[Trolmaster]

You want to make sure there's no other Karl Rove advisers? Toss Rove in jail for contempt, and let future Roves know that this sort of abuse will be punished to the extreme.

[dejayel]

It is impossible to make Karl Rove illegal. And wasting the time to try just plays into the right's hands....it will make them martyrs in the eyes of many....and O'Reilly, Hannity, Limbaugh, and Ingram will exploit it to the maximum..
Rep Waxman.....just forget about it.

[wardropper]

"Waxman says the White House operates under looser political ethics rules than does Congress"

Waxman is too kind.
The current White House operates under nothing which could be called "political ethics" at all.

I know it's convenient to label things and have a prescribed remedy for every given sickness, but different rules apply according to whether we have allowed a psychopathic gang to inhabit that poor abused House, or decent human beings.

An influential presidential adviser is one thing.
Rasputin, Macchiavelli and Rove are another.

It's all about corrupt hidden agenda masquerading as classified state security matters.
One is legitimate; the other is not.

[Counterglow]

I thought "political ethics" was an oxymoron. Like "military intelligence", "jumbo shrimp" and "cafeteria food".

[meanguy]

"compassionate conservatism'
'liberal thought'

[georgeeparker]

Who pays for Airforce One, limos, secret service etc, when the President goes fund raising. It must cost millions... Are we, the tax payers, footing the bill?

[sa]

first, we arrest rove -
and then the ball starts rolling...

.

[AzRealProgressive]

Arrest him for what? Have you thought about this? With a Democratic congress that would have been the first thing to happen if he had done something to be arrested for.

The guy is a good political mind, just like many Democratic operatives are.

Criminalize political beliefs and eventually the other side gets their turn at your people.

That is the politics of personal destruction. Obama said it had to stop.

[Hesperion]

"Arrest him for what? Have you thought about this?"

Uhh...Contempt of Congress for instance? He also got away with treason by being deeply involved in outing a CIA agent and endangering her. Baby Bush's daddy called that one of the most treasonable offenses that can be.

Shall I go on...??

[meanguy]

"That is the politics of personal destruction. Obama said it had to stop."

and i'm sure he'll be getting right on that, after he's finished using it to get elected...

[SaulGoode]

This frightening. This is exactly why we cannot allow a complete Deomcratic takeover of the government.

First, it was speech codes, now this. We will become a complete fascist state if Obama wins.

[dexxjones]

see what i mean? oppositeland. if you dont see what the gop did as fascism, treatment for dyslexic thinking may just be in order. im just sayin...

[ScooterLiddy]

Too funny. I guess you think the current secretive underhanded administration is democratic? And the rubberstamp apparatchik Repugs who got us into the mess we are in with budget deficits, endless war, mortgage debacle, dollar decline, oil price rise of 6-fold in six years are stewards of good government? What the hell are you smoking?

[AzRealProgressive]

I would hold back on accusing anyone in the oil price rise, mortgage debacle, etc. It may turn out that a whole bunch of Democrats are profiting from all of the miseries. The Countrywide mortgage scam has already shown some opportunists from both parties.

These debacles could very well be from both parties, and whoever is responsible needs to go. Period.

[Changeizgood]

Don't blame it on pot, either. No deaths by it in the 70 years of research thus far.

Must be Crack. That stuff makes you justify BS, with more BS.

LOL

[JiminNC]

huh?

[monac58]

When are they letting you out of the home SaulGoode?

[Hesperion]

You are one of the many I have met who have swallowed the kool-aide and don't understand what fascism means. Here is a handy list of symptoms for your education.

http://www.operationawareness.com/whats_new_10.html

Keep in mind that most of this has come about in the case of America since the Republicans came to power starting in the 80's. Some of the symptoms however were already well established before that. Legend has it that if you invite the vampire into the house you are rendered powerless. Better to inform yourself with facts than to listen to these neocon hacks and radio hotheads you tell you what to think.

[ilovemydoggy]

Thank you for the link and definition of facism. You can also read Mussolini's and Hitler's writing on the internet. They both used the word "DEMOCRACY" a lot. Kind of eerie, isn't it?

How naive we can be -- as IF someone comes to office and say "HI WE ARE CROOKS" -- it's always deception and hidden.

[dexxjones]

and also, why is it that these "good government" laws alway appear after the gop has done evil. just in time to for when the democrats get in office.

conversely

why we let the republicans ruin impeachment for a frivolous (relatively) charge and then use that very frivolity to prevent a legitimate impeachment?

up is down and night is day with these people. cindy sheehan '08

[gfm2008]

Relatively minor charges such as... perjury and subornation of perjury...

What was Scooter Libby convicted of? Hmm. Is perjury more or less frivolous if committed by a President, or an unelected advisor?

Talk of impeachment is so pathetic. No grounds exist. The fact that you have ground down all your molars with your Bush Derangement Syndrome does not constitute a high crime or misdemeanor by the President.