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

[dexxjones]

sorry but they dont get to make new laws until they can enforce the laws they ALREADY HAVE.

[BEHM777]

Rover needs to be jailed. Period. maybe after he sits there for a month or so he'd be willing too testify. Of course, the Republicans would have a hissy fit.

BEHusseinM777

[Insideout143]

I doubt incarceration would help... maybe if they waterboarded him?

[Mr772]

I think our best bet would be to find a rope and a strong tree limb. Strong enough to hold Bush and Cheney as well. Even then I think they would be getting off to easy for trying to destroy our nation.

[twitch1956]

It will be a very full prison courtyard: Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, oh and lets not forget Scooter.

[Insideout143]

doesn't look like they'll ever see prison... that's for us at the bottom... they have money and power... it's their never go to jail card.

[monac58]

And "Condi".

[Via]

Hell, if Waxman and Conyers would simply do their jobs and enforce the subpoenas via inherent contempt, we wouldn't be nearly as apt to have another Karl Rove situation in the future. Typical spineless Dem tactic - kick the can down the road and throw legislation at it.

[Insideout143]

As the saying goes... if you're trying, you're not doing... sometimes they aren't even trying let alone doing!!

[neem]

The only hope for the Republicans are people like Ralph Nader and Hillary Clinton. Will the Democrats sabotage themselves again? We'll know in November.

[LAWTON]

All this BS doesn't matter one iota. The republicans , neocons and Rove were given a free reign for eight years by the democrats and republicans and now after they stolen america blind and are ready to move on all of a sudden there's this cry for condemnation. Little to late ain't it? What' s the use Huh?
Now the democrats want the spying republicans exonerated by their democratic authored FISA bill and expand the executive's power to unlawfully read our mail, our e-mails and listen to our phone calls.
Dems or republicans? Name your poison! Change my arse!

[watchingthings]

If the title of this article were true then nobody would be showing up at McCane's "lie sessions". There are many who do......th­e gullible, simple and just plain stupid that vote party ahead of what the party actually stands for.

[AzRealProgressive]

You said it ! On the money for either party! Make the candidate dance to our tune, not the party tune.

[kuate]

The first order of business under a John McCain White House administration would be to extend an irrevocable pardon to Bush, Cheney, and Rice. The crimes of war orchestrated by these individuals by misleading America into invading Iraq ought to be prosecuted once they are out of office in January 2009.

This is one of the reasons McCain should not win the election this November, and this is also one of the reasons we have to hold Obama’s, as well as Democratic Senate leaders feet to the fire.

[LAWTON]

Never thought I'd say this but Obama and the democrats will give that same pardon. Count on it. Don't believe me then catch the vote on the immunization bill FISA the dems authored and sponsored today. The democratic elite are fighting hard as hell to keep Bush, Cheney and his cronies out of jail as we write. And all this is against the will of the American people!

[meanguy]

sorry, but 'the will of the American people' is NOT the standard by which we jail people in this country.

[LPK]

I have just read a very disturbing report on Raw Story that Nancy Pelosi may be trying to kill the effort to bring contempt charges against Rove.

[AzRealProgressive]

Read the same thing. And also I heard she says anything to do with impeachment is a waste of time.

[LAWTON]

Exactly! The republican and neo con criminals have many allies in the democratic party. They are all of the same ilk. I haven't figured out their end game yet but I'm sure it will come to fruition in our time!

[Meggie]

The House better show they've got a pair and take action against Ol' Karl when he ignores his subpoena.
All the other stuff is a good idea, but they've got to deal with this particular mess first.

[AzRealProgressive]

Don't bet on it. I think it is all for show.

[Insideout143]

Yeah, meanwhile Pelosi says impeachment is off the table because there are 'more important' issues to be dealt with for the people.... Like this one? yeah right... this will go nowhere... Rove won't reveal a thing.... the rest of the lot in Congress are all wusses too, except for a slim minority..­..and those are the only ones who should be re-elected when their time comes.

[AmeriGus]

Will they call it the Grimer Wormtongue Law?

But seriously, hear Scott McClellan on NPR confirming Karl Rove oversaw a "massive operation" supplying talking points to Conservative talk show personalities from the White House. This is, of course in violation of U.S. anti-propaganda law, unless the sources are clearly disclosed.

Check it out at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Stand-Up-Against-Rush---40-by-Gustav-Wynn-080704-210.html

[AzRealProgressive]

I realize I may be ignorant, but what is an anti- propaganda law here in the US? I can't find the statue anywhere, help me out, please.

My first amendment goggles are blinding me.

[eden4barack08]

"publicity or propaganda" is defined by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to mean either (1) self-aggrandizement by public officials, (2) purely partisan activity, or (3) "covert propaganda­." By covert propaganda, GAO means information which originates from the government but is unattributed and made to appear as though it came from a third party.

" The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 forbids the
domestic dissemination of government-authored propaganda or "official news"
deliberately designed to influence public opinion or policy. The law
singles out materials that serve "a solely partisan purpose." The GAO
has already found at least four separate occasions that Bush
administration agencies violated this and other federal restrictions.

[saltpeter]

Is there any doubt that Karl Rove is anything but an insecure man-boy hell-bent on imposing his ideology upon the world no matter how counter-intuitive it is to the notion of DEMOCRACY? He is the full embodiment of a neo-con movement that will stop at nothing to destroy all competition and opposition to their precious little policies that have, at last, been proven to be an utter failure for all. It's not like the neo-con demogogues could impose their policies through, you know, honest and democratic means. No, they seek to prove the supposed plausibility of their policies not through the success of those policies but through the annihilation of all other policies. Karl Rove is the poster boy for these kind of tactics. He is the hitman willing to the dirty work and be the neo-con sic dog, in part because he believes that he is protected by such rhetoric as "executive privilege" and because he's insecure about the fact that a man like him (ugly inside and out) could never hold these leadership positions. He is, like Henry Kissinger, a war criminal who has assumed far more power than the Founding Fathers ever intended for a non-elected individual to hold. He and his ilk are the greatest threat to American Democracy our nation has ever known and unless Pelosi and the Congress hold him accountable for his crimes, more like him will be in the making.

[AzRealProgressive]

Why then did NewsWeek or Time, I forget what one, hire him as a columnist? And I think one of the Washington papers did as well. Why then? And he is a Fox news contributor as well. I also heard several other MSM people are trying to hire him as well.

And I heard tonight Pelosi has says all of this impeachment stuff is a waste of time, is that true?

[Insideout143]

Makes one wonder what Pelosi's connections are will all that went on, doesn't it?

And the MSM for that matter!

[TLV]

Arrest him now. He is in contempt.

[gloriar8]

TLV, Now that's what I'm talking about. Do not pass go Karl, straight to the pokey, besides that's what he and cronies did to the governor of Alabama. I'm so sick of thes people getting away with thumbing their noses at the rule of law. We'd have been in the pokey long ago.

[Amunaka]

Hey TLV.......­.I sure do like seeing rove like this....



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/Nate987/Rovearrest.jpg


http://holidaygraphics.com/bush/frove.gif

[AzRealProgressive]

You really can't be serious.

No one should criminalize people in any administration , no matter the party. Remember as the Democrats told the Repubs when they were hammering Clinton, your guy could get elected, and then its our turn.

Let it go. That is nothing more than a distraction.

[gfm2008]

No, I'm afraid he's not "in contempt." No such finding has been made by a Federal judge.

[Gasparilla]

It all depends on the president. Bush is dishonest, he employs dishonest people. Changing the office won't help.

[cultkicker]

PELOSI FIGHTING AGAINST CONTEMPT CHARGES FOR ROVE.

IMPEACH PELOSI FIRST.... BUSH'S BIGGEST ENABLER!

[nirek]

Agreed hr then them, impeach now. PEOSI IS not DOIN HER JOB.

[LPK]

I was once very pro Pelosi but the woman is useless.

[neesy08]

Bush tricked millions of people. He conned them with his Christian like line. The right fell for it. It could happen again. Bush was a lion in sheeps clothing