Country Joe at Woodstock

You don't have to be in San Francisco tomorrow to see and hear the bands. All you need is your computer. The Chet Helms Tribal Stomp is being live-cast beginning at 9 am PT and rebroadcast at 7pm PT. Here's the link to watch the concert.

If you are in the bay area, the concert is free at Speedway Meadows, Golden Gate Park.

You can listen along now to Country Joe's "I feel like I'm fixing to die rag" here. Lyrics are here.

Here are the bands. Chet Helms would be so proud.

Digby nails it once again.

• Sept. 26, 2003...Plame Leak is referred to the Department of Justice for Investigation

• October 7, 2003...Rove to Bush: "Reporters do a very good job of protecting leakers, Mr President. Don't worry."

• October 8, 2003...Bush to America: I have no idea whether we'll find out who the leaker is, partially because, in all due respect to your profession, you do a very good job of protecting the leakers."

by Last Night in Little Rock

Tomorrow's NY Times, online now, has two intriguing articles about VP Cheney: In Indictment's Wake, a Focus on Cheney's Powerful Role and Indictment Gives Glimpse Into a Secretive Operation. The first is a political story, but the second is more interesting because, reading between the lines, it focuses on a potential conspiracy in the White House.

by TChris

Caving to the petition of local religious leaders and to concerns voiced by a Civic Center sponsor, the Jamestown, North Dakota mayor and city council voted to cancel a male revue -- the "Thunder from Down Under" -- that had been booked to perform at the city's Civic Center. The sponsor complained that the male strippers were engaged in pornography, while a minister called the show "the absolute wrong thing for Jamestown to bring in."

What would be the absolute right thing for Jamestown to bring in?

One council member who opposed the cancellation noted the Ministerial Association did not oppose a recent Ultimate Fighting show featuring what the councilman called "guys trying to beat each other's brains out."

Karl Rove's latest version of his role in the Plame investigation is contained in this Los Angeles Times article by Peter Wallsten and Tom Hamburger.

Lawyers familiar with the case believe these e-mails were one element of a broad, eleventh-hour review of evidence — coupled with negotiations by Rove's lawyers — that led Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald not to include him in Friday's action.

"In the normal back-and-forth between prosecutor and defense attorneys, some issues were raised that made the prosecutor step back and have pause for thought as far as his future activities," a source close to Rove said. "He thought, 'This is enough for me to hold off making decisions.'"

The article continues to describe the last minute interview with Adam Levine as an indicator that Fitzgerald may now believe Rove just had a faulty memory in failing to tell investigators or the grand jury intially about his July 11 conversation with Time Reporter Matt Cooper. My post about the Levine interview is here.

These reporters have reported on the case several times, using sources referred to as "Rove associates" or people familiar with Rove's perspective.

by TChris

The NY Times describes how, “in its clear, cold language, [the Libby indictment] lifts a veil on how aggressively Mr. Cheney's office drove the rationale against Saddam Hussein and then fought to discredit the Iraq war's critics.” The indictment offers a peek, but the full scope of Cheney’s involvement in Libby’s indicted wrongdoing remains an unanswered question.

It is Libby’s right to be presumed innocent until proof beyond a reasonable doubt overcomes that presumption in the minds of twelve jurors. Would Libby exercise his right to a trial, knowing that Fitzgerald might call Cheney as a witness to events described in the indictment (pdf)? And knowing that Karl Rove, Official A, will testify against him? Does Libby want to subject Cheney and Rove to cross-examination?

I'm off to meet with clients I should have met with Thursday and Friday while I was covering RoveGate. Here's a place to keep the conversation flowing.

Rove may be "Official Source A," but we still don't know who told Novak about Valerie Plame. One likely explanation is that Novak's source is one of those who got a deal or received immunity from prosecution from Fitzgerald in exchange for cooperation in the investigation.

There are potentially several people in this category. I'll speculate as to a few: Karl Rove, Stephen Hadley, David Wurmser, John Hannah, Fred Fleitz and Ari Fleischer. The Seattle Times reported today that Wurmser and Hannah testified late in the process. It has previously been reported that both cooperated.

Crooks and Liars has the video to Fitzgerald's press conference today.

The New York Times has the transcript.

I haven't had a chance yet to read other blogger's analysis. The Times has a wrap up. Don't miss Jane and Reddhed at Firedog Lake, Huffington Post, Kevin Drum, Just One Minute, Digby, Billmon, Think Progress, America Blog, Needlenose , Empty Wheel Josh Marshall and Daily Kos (like anyone needs reminding about the last two). I'll be reading all their reactions over the weekend.

I just got an email from Typepad apologizing for the slowness in the comment registration process for the past several weeks. They are taking major steps to improve it. If any of you have experienced difficulties in trying to comment here, I apologize. Hopefully it will be fixed soon.

Official A is now identified as Karl Rove (see post below.) The Washington Post reports he could now be a witness against Lewis Libby.

I suspect that's one reason Karl Rove hasn't been charged. As I've speculated repeatedly, I think Rove has a deal. But, like most prosecutors, Fitzgerald isn't buying a pig in a poke. He wants to see how helpful Rove is in his trial testimony against Libby (and any future indictees) before agreeing either to give him a complete pass or ask the Court to give him probation if he pleads guilty.

If Rove has a deal in the works, I think it won't be finalized or made public until after he has finished cooperating. And that won't be until Libby's case is over. I still think Libby will never go to trial. It seems he has been intent on protecting Cheney, to the point of lying. His new lawyer may be able to work out a plea agreement that provides for a sentence reduction to an amount Libby can live with to spare Cheney from having to testify at his trial.

Raw Story and the Associated Press report that "Official A" (p. 8, par. 21 of Libby Indictment) is Karl Rove. The paragraph reads:

On or about July 10 or July 11, 2003, LIBBY spoke to a senior official in the White House (“Official A”) who advised LIBBY of a conversation Official A had earlier that week with columnist Robert Novak in which Wilson’s wife was discussed as a CIA employee involved in Wilson’s trip. LIBBY was advised by Official A that Novak would be writing a story about Wilson’s wife.

Read it closely. It doesn't say that Official A is Novak's source. It says he had a conversation with Novak in which it was discussed that Wilson's wife was a CIA employee and that Novak was going to write about it. It doesn't say whether Offical A told Novak about Plame's CIA employement or whether Novak gave Rove the information.

How is this inconsistent with what Rove's team has previously said he told the grand jury? This New York Times article provides one such instance: