The DavidCyrus Blog of Wisdom

Did Rove Break the Law?
Hint: Don't ask the Rippups

I've been trying to piece together the law that would apply in the matter of CIA agent Valerie Plame's outing. After reading through several of the Republican support group blogs, I've been able to come up with this:

It is a crime against the security of the United States to force members of the press to publish information about covert CIA spies. To be considered criminal, (a) The reporter must actually publish the name of the CIA agent, (b) The informant must provide the exact name of the CIA agent, as documented in the agent's birth record, or subsequent official record of name change, (c) The correct job title of the CIA agent must be provided by the informant, (d) The CIA agent must be actively involved in covert activity at the time his/her name and profession has been made public, (e) The nation must suffer a devastating blow to its security as a result of the agent's publicity (f) The informant must intentionally wish to harm the security of the USA through his/her actions, and finally (g) The spouse of the publicized agent can not have supported John Kerry for President.

Wow- if that's the real law, it's going to be pretty hard to pin anything on Karl Rove. I mean, what's with all the White House secrecy; I'm sure Karl never even used the name "Valerie" in his discussions with the press. Well, at this point, no one in the White House is using the name "Valerie". White House interns named "Valerie" have had their nametags changed to "Jenna".

While all outlets of White House propaganda are furiously penning interpretations that espouse Karl Rove's innocence, and even his forthright commendable and cooperative behavior, Ken Sanders took the time to point out exactly what the law is that governs this matter:

"Under federal statute, it is a felony offense (punishable by 3 to 10 years imprisonment) to disclose any information identifying a covert agent to any unauthorized person. For purposes of the statute, a "covert agent" includes "a present or retired officer or employee of an intelligence agency," whose identity as such is classified information, and who is serving or has served outside the U.S. "within the last five years."

Hmmm. Perhaps it isn't going to be so easy to sidestep this one...