Karl Rove's Awkward Moment
Former White House chief strategist Karl Rove wasn't clapping when Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo was given the "Blogger of the Year" award (in absentia) at The Week magazine's Opinion Awards dinner at the Four Seasons hotel Tuesday night.
Marshall won the award for his relentless coverage of the U.S. attorneys firings scandal -- and the White House's behind-the-scenes role in the firings.
Since Rove himself was accused of having a role in the firings, the moment was a bit awkward.
Marshall, who also won a George Polk Award for his work on the story, posted thousands of internal Justice Department e-mails and memos on his blog, which became mandatory reading for anyone following the unfolding scandal.
Just as Marshall was being extolled Tuesday night, Rove, who was subpoenaed by the Senate during the height of the brouhaha, was overheard saying, "There wasn't a shred of evidence in those documents."
Of course, we don't know whether he was referring to the Justice Department documents (that were released publicly) or all those missing White House e-mails, which, by the way, are still M.I.A.
We'll let you know when we hear back from Rove, who we e-mailed earlier for comment.
Rove sure was busy Tuesday night. He also appeared on The O'Reilly Factor doing his best impersonation of Bill Clinton.
For more on The Week awards ceremony, and Rove's role as a panelist on the magazine's panel, check outReason magazine's Web site.
By Mary Ann Akers |
April 9, 2008; 5:36 PM ET
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Posted by: Char M. | April 9, 2008 11:37 PM
Rove should have been more than embarassed, but it seems this administration doesn't know how to blush.
On another note: CAMPAIGN CONTRIBTUIONS
I stumbled onto this site and I am left with the ??? Where do so many unemployed students get this kind of cash? Check out this great page.
http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=occ&occ=STUDENT
Enjoy!
Posted by: Char Mason | April 9, 2008 11:47 PM
What on earth.. that Huff Po link does have an absurd number of $4600 student contributions. (It goes to all 3 candidates though perhaps Clinton's name seem more common than the others.)
Why have we never heard about this from the media?
Clearly, these are rich people donating in the name of their adult college going children. Maybe legal but border line.
Posted by: Walter M | April 10, 2008 12:28 AM
May the Turdblossom have many many more "awkward" moments.
And a march in the cuffs up the courthouse stairs.
He is bound by his words.
Eggies are extra.
Posted by: mommadona, Ben Lomond, CA | April 10, 2008 7:47 AM
Where do so many unemployed students get this kind of cash?
"so many"? 7,246 to be exact.
Out of more than 17 million. Less than one out of every 2000 students.
I'm sure there are many times that number driving luxury cars worth in excess of $50,000.00. Where do you suppose they got that money?
Back in my day we used to call those kids "trustafarians" - well, some of them anyway.
Should I be concerned that they're opting to participate in the political process, and put their money where their mouths are?
Or should I be more concerned with the fact that so many unemployed kids have that much money to burn in the first place?
Posted by: kenga | April 10, 2008 10:13 AM
"wasn't a shred of evidence" - not exactly a total denial, sounds more like a criminal bragging about a caper he got away with.
Posted by: wire | April 10, 2008 10:17 AM
Well, the people who scoured those documents and found lots of hints -- not least Rove's use of a private email address, beyond the reach of the Presidential Records Act -- also know which dates and conversations didn't get released. We weren't so dumb as to know that anything showing that Rove's criminality wouldn't be offered on a platter by DOJ or the White House.
What did those released documents tell us? That political operatives do government work on off-books email accounts. That the discussion on how to get new US Attorneys approved without Senate confirmation came out of Rove's shop, especially his little helper Scott Jennings.
Rove might think his rear is clear, but he also thinks he has DC media in his pocket, and that's why Marshall's work made a difference.
Posted by: Nick S | April 10, 2008 11:42 AM
This guy is a prime example of a political operative that doesn't care about the damage done to the country just as long as his own "sneaky deals" are successful. He has brought a whole new meaning to the phrase "Dirty Politics". We can't deny that he's cunning but, completely without ethics or any morality....... Hitler had Goebbels......
Posted by: Al R. | April 10, 2008 12:15 PM
I was under the impression that there was a limit to the amount an individual is allowed to contribute to a campaign.,$2,300.00
Posted by: Nannie Turner | April 10, 2008 12:27 PM
Hopefully this low life will have a permanent "office" at Gitmo soon.
Posted by: Rove4Gitmo | April 10, 2008 1:40 PM
yawn
Posted by: | April 10, 2008 2:06 PM
Rove doesn't even have the right to call himself a human being let alone an American.
Posted by: Jim | April 10, 2008 2:13 PM
I'd like to see this guy behind bars for the things that he has done and continue to do.
Posted by: cynthia L.A | April 10, 2008 3:00 PM
Interesting choice of word there Karl. "wasn't a shred of evidence" because he knows that any evidence was shredded. Karl's dream came true and it turned into a huge disaster for America. I hope he's proud of all he accomplished. History will not judge him kindly.
Posted by: thebob.bob | April 10, 2008 4:06 PM
rove = war criminal + traitor = going to prison
Posted by: | April 10, 2008 4:16 PM
i have have two wishes. the second one has to do with rove's current status as a fellow human being.
Posted by: Musk | April 10, 2008 8:57 PM
We just had a supreme court election here in WI. An incredibly dirty and misleading campaign was mounted by a guy named named Gableman. He won, after being financed by business interests and conservatives. He looks like Karl Rove with orthodontics. Really creepy.
Posted by: dean | April 10, 2008 10:14 PM
The word 'Orwellian' has been replaced with 'Rovian.' Same freedom stealing, mind numbing, doubletalk.
Posted by: wordvarc | April 11, 2008 12:31 AM
Karl Rove didn't earn the moniker "Turd Blossom" for nuthin'. Looking forward to seeing him (and the rest of the cabal) in handcuffs.
Posted by: Julie in VT | April 11, 2008 5:57 AM
Hey - I'm always up for an awkward moment for Karl Rove.
Posted by: Header | April 11, 2008 12:21 PM
.
The 44th President of the United States
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
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Posted by: . | April 12, 2008 1:56 AM
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Rove should have been more than embarassed, but it seems this administration doesn't know how to blush.
On another note: CAMPAIGN CONTRIBTUIONS
I stumbled onto this site and I am left with the ??? Where do so many unemployed students get this kind of cash? Check out this great page.
http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=occ&occ=STUDENT
Enjoy!