By Benjamin Sansivero
Incredibly, the news this week that Sandra Day O’Connor has decided to retire from the United States Supreme Court is not the story of the week. No, that title belongs to the saga of journalists Robert Novak, Matthew Cooper and Judith Miller who all played a role in publishing the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson as a CIA operative based on information supplied chiefly by one of the president’s top advisors, Karl Rove. To reveal the identity of a covert CIA operative is illegal and after Wilson was outed in the news, an investigation was launched as to who in the administration with access to that information had leaked it to these sources. After several denials publicly by the administration that Rove played a role and assurances that anyone involved would be fired, President Bush has changed his tune recently when it was revealed that his close ally, Rove, was indeed the journalist’s source.
President Bush now says anyone who committed a crime in revealing Mrs. Wilson’s identity would be fired. Rove apparently identified Mrs. Wilson as a CIA operative only by referring to her as the wife of Joseph Wilson, who had previously embarrassed the administration by helping show that President Bush’s claim that Saddam Hussein had sought the material for nuclear weapons during the run-up to the invasion was false. Rove deliberately and vindictively revealed this information to attack a political opponent of the president. A true bully, Rove essentially threatened the entire Wilson family over Mr. Wilson’s political stance. President Bush now appears to be trying to wiggle out of firing Rove by using the fact that Rove did not explicitly state Mrs. Wilson’s name; thus invoking the Bill Clinton “that depends on what the definition of ‘is’ is” clause. So the left has finally caught its No. 1 enemy committing borderline treasonous acts and it may be undone in its efforts to get Rove by its own sneaky interpretation of the law.
The president’s actions represent the most egregious attack on principles that make investigative journalism a check and balance on the government as a whole. Who knows what presidents believe they could get away with these days if not for “Deep Throat” blowing the Watergate scandal up in Richard Nixon’s face and forcing his resignation? One shudders to think of the possibilities if former President Bill Clinton has already gotten away with perjury and Bush currently attempting to get Rove off the hook for his vile political games which he even aimed at this government employee and her family.
While outing Rove for the political serpent many have believed him to be, this scandal has not been a win for the public. The court’s decision to force Mr. Cooper and Mrs. Miller to testify as to who their source was may have irrepareably harmed the liberties our press has enjoyed in this country. A journalist’s ability to publish freely, aided often by confidential sources who may be afraid of retribution, is perhaps the most important tool available to the public to combat government corruption. This is a basic concept that can be accepted by all, especially Republicans like the president and those who are weary of the role of a large government bearing down on lives of the people it is meant to serve.
American democracy has only improved since its infantile stages so many years ago, and for it to continue to do so, we must uphold the principle that no person, great or small, be treated differently under the law than any other. Had this been a case of a political opponent of Bush outing covert operatives because they disagreed with the administration’s tactics in pursuing extremists, there can be no doubt that they would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, as well they should. Rove deserves the same treatment. At the very least, he has no place in our halls of power.
Mr. Bush, do the right thing: Fire Karl Rove.
– Brendan Sansivero is a middler political science major.
