Is Karl Rove In Trouble?

I know a majority of my readers are friggin' geniuses and already know this...but, in case you didn't, I will lay out what this whole mess is so you understand what is happening and can make an informed decision. So, the question is: Is Karl Rove and "Scooter" Libby in trouble? The short answer is: Yes. Here's what happened:

Valerie Plame (later Valerie Wilson) was a CIA operative, a so-called NOC (non-official cover operative). A NOC is basically a spy who works under the deny everything policy...the US doesn't know you and you don't know the US. If you get in trouble, you're on your own type of spy. Which means protecting her identity is of supreme importance. There is an understanding that the government will never reveal an NOC's identity and an NOC shouldn't reveal their identity. Even if the NOC reveals that they work for the government, the government should still never confirm nor deny it...no comment is the best way to handle it.

Valerie Plame married Joseph Wilson, a former diplomat who was very critical of the Bush administration over the Iraq War. That is important to remember here shortly. Now, according to Rove and Libby, Judith Miller from the New York Times called them and said the Times was going to run an article in which they named Plame as a CIA agent. She asked Rove and/or Libby is this was accurate and they confirmed, anonymously, that Plame did indeed work for the CIA at some point. And, that's where it lies. Allegedly, they confirmed the information was true. Now, we don't know who initially gave the name of Plame to Miller but it was allegedly confirmed by Rove and/or Libby.

That's not good news for those guys. Was it done as payback to Joe Wilson for his criticism of the administration? Was it a mistake or accident? Did Rove think the privilege had been waived because the reporter already had the name? That's what prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is trying to find out. But it doesn't look good for Rove, that's for sure. If he deliberately leaked the name of a CIA operative, there's no excuse for that. If he confirmed it, that's still wrong but probably not as deliberate.

NOC's are the backbone of the espionage system in the United States and they must be protected. At best, Rove made a mistake that shouldn't have occurred. At worst, Rove deliberately undermined the entire espionage system. I'm sure it will all come out in the wash...hopefully it was just a mistake.