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Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on PlameGate

By Jeralyn, Section Valerie Plame Leak Case
Posted on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 05:34:33 AM EST
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While I was attending a Hillary fundraiser in Denver, Bill Clinton was in Aspen speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival. He talked about Karl Rove and PlameGate.

Clinton didn't hold back when Atlantic Monthly national correspondent James Fallows asked him what one question he would ask President Bush's highly controversial political operative.

....The 42nd president said he most wanted to know what Rove would do had Clinton's senior advisor blown the cover of a CIA agent who happened to be married to the man who refused to falsify findings about nuclear transactions taking place between Niger and Iraq (see Valerie Plame). And he openly wondered whether Rove would instruct Republican congressmen to call a White House official who would do such a thing a traitor. bqq. Lastly, Clinton wanted to know why it is that, if the Bush administration is as concerned with national security as it claims, why it would spend 20 times the amount of money it would take to shore up gaps in port security to repeal the estate tax for the nation's elite, which consists of less than one percent of the population.

Speaking to the first question he'd ask Rove, Clinton said; "I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he'd say that's exactly what I'd ask (Congress) to do, and I don't know why they didn't. I mean this guy is good. You don't understand this strip of the Republican party that controls everything basically," Clinton said. "These people are all white Protestant males. They don't do anything that surprises me. I've seen this my whole life."

For those worried that Rove won't have a chance to fight back, fear not. He will be speaking in Aspen on Monday.

As to a timetable for leaving Iraq,

Clinton also said there should be no set date on when to withdraw troops from Iraq, and he cautioned Democrats from fighting with each other over the topic. "We ought to be whipped if we allow our differences over what to do now over Iraq divide us," he said, saying that the Republicans, via Rove's advice, are trying to win offices with stale but emotionally driven issues such as flag burning and gay marriage.

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    Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on PlameGate | 27 comments (27 topical)
    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#1)
    by space on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 07:59:48 AM EST
    The 42nd president said he most wanted to know what Rove would do had Clinton's senior advisor blown the cover of a CIA agent who happened to be married to the man who refused to falsify findings about nuclear transactions taking place between Niger and Iraq He would have organized Republicans to push for a special prosecutor, impeachment hearings, and demanded the President's resignation. Next question. he openly wondered whether Rove would instruct Republican congressmen to call a White House official who would do such a thing a traitor. Yes, that is exactly what Rove would do. Next! Lastly, Clinton wanted to know why it is that, if the Bush administration is as concerned with national security as it claims, why it would spend 20 times the amount of money it would take to shore up gaps in port security to repeal the estate tax for the nation's elite, which consists of less than one percent of the population. Because they don't really care about national security and have a fundamental inability to see people that they do business with (i.e. the royal family of Dubai) as potential security threats. How in the world Democrats call Bill Clinton a political genius is beyond me. This guy says the most obvious crap and expects it to be taken as brilliance: "They don't do anything that surprises me. I've seen this my whole life." If he has seen this his whole life, how come he has never, ever demonstrated an ability to beat them at the game?

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#2)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 08:12:02 AM EST
    Clinton said:
    These people are all white Protestant males. They don't do anything that surprises me. I've seen this my whole life."
    I assume that none of us are supposed to remember the black churches he claimed that were burned that weren't.. And I wonder if he can tell us the number of minorities he had in very senior positions.. say SOS, AG... As for political expertise, Clinton demostrated a truly outstanding ability to hold two positions at the same time.. As for Rove, Carville isn't a dummy.. And then there's nothing like unity when your wife is running... All in all a nice speech that could be summarized: "Hello Pot? Kettle calling." BTW - Isn't it amazing how these affairs are always held at Aspen, or some other such location. Should one ever be held at the Fairfield Inn just off I25/Bellevue I would faint. If it were in the Ramada Inn off of the Riverside Pakway in Compton I would probably die.

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#3)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 08:16:11 AM EST
    space writes:
    If he has seen this his whole life, how come he has never, ever demonstrated an ability to beat them at the game?
    Uh... I seem to remember he was President for 8 years. I think that shows some talent, don't you?

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 08:37:09 AM EST
    Well Space it's a good thing Mr. Diebold was able to get rid of any vestiges of Mr. Clinton for you then so that you could celebrate the better lifestyle, integrity, worldwide appreciation, a new miseconomy, smaller more ineffective government, a war or two to die for, oh yes, let's talk about Mr. Clinton's presidency where you can pull out of a very small hat what you didn't like, but I would challenge you to use that same hat to pull out a list of successes that the Bush team has even come close to achieving.

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 09:33:49 AM EST
    I think it's sad we have to waste Bill Clinton, asking these questions that only dimwits need repeated. Rove turns them on, then the rest of us have to spend time and energy needed to save the world on tuning them up. I wonder if it ever occurs to Rove just how far back he's helping to set humanity with his sick games... and, why that doesn't matter to him.

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#6)
    by Sailor on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 09:40:06 AM EST
    I assume that none of us are supposed to remember the black churches he claimed that were burned that weren't..
    links please

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 10:25:28 AM EST
    Sailor - like your handle (yes, I'm a little slow) Good thought on the "links" above, I just googled and I have to say this pathetic attempt by space to throw a murmer of contempt at Clinton about Black Churches makes me wonder whether space arrived with the Roswell attack from Mars. Onward!

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#8)
    by space on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 10:43:29 AM EST
    JimakaPPJ: I never said that he was completely untalented. Merely that his political skills have been completely overrated. His 8 years are due as much to good fortune (e.g. Perot and the recovery from a recession) as to Clinton himself. mainsailset: You know, my friend, if Bill Clinton spent 1% as much time defending the Democratic Party or promoting transparent voting systems as he does parading about, hand-in-hand, with Papa Bush we wouldn't have much of the problems that you are concerned about. If Bill Clinton thinks these are valid questions, maybe he should have said something publicly back when the story arose, hmm? BTW, I wasn't the one posting b.s. wingnut memes about black churches. That was JimakaPPJ. Try to get the names right before you start hurling insults, okay?

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#9)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 10:52:37 AM EST
    Sailor: Ask and ye shall receive....from the Washinngton Monthly
    Black Church Burnings. During a weekly Oval Office radio address on June 8th, 1996, Clinton told his audience that "I have vivid and painful memories of black churches being burned in my own state when I was a child." The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported the following day that there was no evidence available of a black church ever being burned down in Arkansas
    Space - Luck is a great talent, I agree. But you don't do it twice based on luck.

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#10)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 11:03:37 AM EST
    mainmailset - Yeah. Pick on the right guy. Now associate what he said in Aspen:
    These people are all white Protestant males. They don't do anything that surprises me. I've seen this my whole life."
    And what he said 6/8/96. He is a superb politican, and an expert at playing the race card, which he was doing both times.

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#11)
    by ding7777 on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 11:23:17 AM EST
    to JimakaPPJ `PAINFUL MEMORIES' Abstract: A day after President Clinton was challenged about his recollections of arsons at black churches in Arkansas in the 1950s and 1960s, the White House released a list of three churches that burned.Officials of all three chuches confirmed Monday that their b ... Date: 06/11/1996 Score: 0.77 Section/Page: 1A Byline: JULIAN E. BARNES, Democrat-Gazette Staff Writer The complete article is behind a paid archive wall, if you're interested

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 11:44:02 AM EST
    JimakaPPJ & Space - apologies for my misattacks on you. I will try and add a few more brain cells to my discussion next time.

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#13)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 01:19:13 PM EST
    mainsailset - Don't do that, because if you do you won't fit in around here. ;-) ding - Point to you but I won't concede that he wasn't a superb politican and very adroit at playing the race card. Of course what Clinton later said was: Link
    Clinton's radio broadcast has deeply insulted his own home-state Democrats. They are saying Clinton has falsely accused Arkansans of torching black churches. After several Arkansans, including the state historian and leaders of several black organizations, disputed Clinton's "vivid and painful memories" of church burnings in Arkansas, Clinton decided to change his story. The president said Monday that he could not recall any fires at black churches in Arkansas. Now he says he remembers fires at "black community buildings" in the Arkansas.
    So I guess the burnings happened, but Clinton didn't remember.

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#14)
    by jondee on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 01:28:36 PM EST
    Dumb remarks that Clinton made in 1996 have what to do with the thread topic? But I forget, Clinton's an a bleeding heart, ultra liberal who protested Vietnam so all loyal chickensh*t hawks must go into attack mode when the name appears in print.

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 01:33:22 PM EST
    The 42nd president said he most wanted to know what Rove would do had Clinton's senior advisor blown the cover of a CIA agent who happened to be married to the man who refused to falsify findings about nuclear transactions taking place between Niger and Iraq I am not going to bash Clinton's time in office. He is a past president, however this remark makes no sense to me. Why is he dragging up the past? Why instead does he not pointedly and succinctly say that our country has morphed into fascism--OK he does not have to use that word,and it is not his style, but he could have been a little more pointed and direct instead of whining about what would have, could have happened. No one cares, at least few care about it now when we have been thrown into chaos, angst and rendering our clothing because of George Bush. The reporter needed to ask him why on earth the Democrats, including his wife, let him get away with it! Why? The remark about white protestant males--is that a hint that a female, namely Hillary, would be a better president? Even if she is a Protestant. You know this situation is getting worse, I think. I hate being jerked around by Democrats as well as Republican fascists.

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#16)
    by jondee on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 01:33:41 PM EST
    Hypothetical church burnings fifty years ago and little Powerline house n*ggers who tapdance for massa is now the thread topic.

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#17)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 01:43:25 PM EST
    Bill Clinton's ace was his ability to sense where a consensus was, like a political center-of-gravity. It's how he got the Democrats--splintered as always--to rally 'round in '92. The problem was, he thought he could do that with a Republican-dominated Congress, on the reasonable assumption that their main goal would be the well-being of our country. Since the Republicans' only goals under his Administration--for eight years straight, and at the country's expense--were screwing the Dems (him in particular) and helping themselves to our country's resources, no useful consensus was possible. (1) (Clinton's relationship with the GOP always reminded me of that scene in Independance Day where the president proposes to the alien that they find some means of peaceful coexistance. "We don't want to coexist," says the alien, "we want you to DIE!!") (1) And man, is the past ever prologue.

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#18)
    by Sailor on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 02:25:43 PM EST
    uhh, ppj, the link was from the daily republican ... 'nuff said. mainsailset, I've always appreciated your handle too;-) BTW, the guy who posts as Oscar Wilde is a sailor in the Irish sea. (and I'm posting from my boat! I love wifi;-)

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 03:39:44 PM EST
    Sailor, good to know! Perhaps you will smile then in appreciation when I say that when the missles went off on the 4th and fell "harmlessly" into the Sea of Japan I wanted to wring someone's neck as I have great memories sailing that same sea and certainly would have felt harmed, as would have all those great Japanese fishermen who ply that water and the thousands of little freighters that service the island, would have. Harmless my not-royal behind! (what a ranter I am today)

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#20)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 03:58:34 PM EST
    Jondee - No, the thread topic is what Clinton said... On race, on politics and what a great politican he was. Can you read? Sailor - True, but accurate. I mean you're not claiming otherwise are you? Molly NYC - We actually agree on something... gasp. Problem is, it goes for both sides. et al - The other problem is that Clinton's question states an untrue premise...
    who happened to be married to the man who refused to falsify findings about nuclear transactions taking place between Niger and Iraq (see Valerie
    Plame). Wilson didn't refuse to do anything. He told the CIA that Iraq had tried to meet with Nigeria, what he didn't do was mention that fact in his infamous NYT article. Link

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#21)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 04:22:06 PM EST
    "Wilson didn't refuse to do anything. He told the CIA that Iraq had tried to meet with Nigeria, what he didn't do was mention that fact in his infamous NYT article." Because the attempted meeting had nothing to do with fissionable material? You really need to read your own "links".

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#22)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 05:37:20 PM EST
    Sky-Ho - PBRman has said it all. You should read the links. But enough of demonstrating that Clinton was mistating facts in his comments in Aspen, that he does so is well known and requires little to remind us. We can next go to his defense of the death tax. He makes a neat strawman with the ports brouhaha, but I would just wonder what letting people pass on to their children what they have worked for, and paid taxes on, has to do with the WOT.

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#23)
    by Sailor on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 09:10:30 PM EST
    ppj hijacked a thread again, oh well, what else is new.

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#24)
    by jondee on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 09:47:05 PM EST
    What do Clinton remarks ten years ago about church burnings have to do with Plamegate? Btw dont get me wrong Jim, I do appreciate you allowing me to post at your site.

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#25)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jul 08, 2006 at 11:45:44 PM EST
    Reply to JimakaPPJ about Bill Clinton. You know what? Bill did something the Repukes can't do and won't do, balance the budget!.... in his first term. He had a surplus! He did all of that, while being under the MOST intense scrutiny and constant ridicule. See if Georgie boy could do that!! Ah...nope. Neither can Karl the wunder-kid, genius everyone sings his praises. Karl there, while under the spotlight of media and special prosecutor investigation could do nothing but focus on his own sorry butt. Bill Clinton and his administration was successful inspite of a Republican congress that drug it's feet over every single thing Bill tried to do. Give me a break!

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#26)
    by Sailor on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:03:00 PM EST
    Wilson discovered that he had and so reported to the CIA
    that is a flat out lie, proven wrong many times before. everything in that post was not just a matter to disagree with, but was a blatant lie, proven wrong over and over.

    Re: Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on Plame (none / 0) (#27)
    by Sailor on Sun Jul 09, 2006 at 01:32:13 PM EST
    At the height of the bj hysteria Clinton was more popular than bush is, and Clinton is still loved all over the world; bush has to have hand picked audiences even in this country and can't hardly make a public appearance anywhere in the world. bush was afraid to address parliament because someone might disagree with him. OBL is still directing terrorists, but bush disbands the unit hunting for him, Afghanistan is increasingly in the hands of the taliban, and Clinton has some tough questions for rove. If outing Plame wasn't a crime the cia inspector general wouldn't have recommended the DoJ prosecute. and the DoJ wouldn't still be trying to prosecute the crime, regardless of the perjury and obstruction of justice hindering the path to the truth. Clinton lied about a bj, and millions of sperm died; bush lied about WMDs and 50k+ iraqis are dead (and counting), and 2,769+ (and counting), of our soldiers wouldn't be dead. See the difference?

    Bill Clinton Lists Questions for Rove on PlameGate | 27 comments (27 topical)