Rove Identified, but It's Second Source Fitzgerald is After

While the Newsweek article now makes clear that Karl Rove identified Joseph Wilson's wife as a CIA agent, that in itself is not a crime. The crime is to name a covert operative. Therefore, after Rove, in his perfect Rovean way, tipped off Cooper, it must have been a second source that more explicity identified Plame as a covert agent. Only by cross referencing Rove with a second source could an ethical reporter publish an exposition of Plame.

If Rove, or anyone else in the White House, was in the habit of letting it slip to reporters that Wilson's wife worked at "the agency," the logical next step would have that reporter find out what she does at the CIA.

A reporter would immediately call the agency and ask, "What does Valerie Plame [or Mrs. Joseph Wilson, or whatever] do there?"

Since Plame was undercover at the time, they would say, "No one named Valerie Plame [or married name] works here."

Now that reporter has something.

Karl Rove, White House official, says she does work at the CIA. The agency says she does not. What does that mean? She is undercover. It is simple math.

Therefore, Patrick Fitzgerald -- the Special Prosecutor assigned to investigate the White House leak that outed Valerie Plame -- is not going after Rove. He is going after the source that confirmed that Plame was a covert agent for the CIA. Rove tipped Cooper (and perhaps others) off, setting them on the trail. The source along the trail, the second source, is who Fitzgerald is trying to nail.

And yes, of course, Rove knew that his tiny tip off, thrown in unsolicited at the end of a longer conversation with Cooper about something else, would send a reporter on a quick trail to find out what Valeria Plame did. That is why the story quickly became, in Cooper's words, "double super secret," according to Newsweek.

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As I said before (see Fat Speak posting from July 6, 2005), it is only a matter of time before Scott McClellan opens up and tells us what he really knows. Rove set McClellan up on October 10, 2003. And today, McClellan took a beating because of it.

You can just tell from the transcript that McClellan is itching to come clean.

Despite very direct and persistent questioning in today's briefing, McClellan would not talk about Rove and the case. But McClellan did say the following:

Now, I remember very well what was previously said. And, at some point, I will be glad to talk about it, but not until after the investigation is complete.

So, "at some point" McClellan "will be glad to talk about it."

I can hardly wait.

What about you?

Let's chew the fat; let me know what you know.