Siegelman: All Roads Lead To Rove

NOTE: A reminder that we have Prof. Erwin Chemerinsky coming up at 1:30 pm ET/10:30 am PT for our First Monday chat. Hope you can join us!

What do you get with a decision to charge and convict a sitting Democratic governor in Alabama when you add in a dash of "the math," with a hefty dollop of "ends justifies whatever means necessary?"

What if you spice it up with a nervous USAtty who is willing to do whatever is necessary to avoid answering questions under oath? If you add in a witness that was never interviewed by investigators who could have corroborated Siegelman’s defense? (See 60 Minutes’ additional interview entitled "Harris Testimony Overlooked.")

What if you add in a hefty helping of additional current political intrigue in the form of federal subpoenas and heat directed at Democratic members of the Alabama legislature — brought by the same USAtty who pushed the Siegelman prosecution?

For that matter, you have Rove refusing to answer questions under oath before the Judiciary Committee. But Rove did say to 60 Minutes that he "never talked to the Department of Justice about Siegelman. I never talked to anyone at the White House about Siegelman."

Now, because this is Karl we’re talking about, I’m just not content to let that stand as definitive, because Mr. Parsing My Words Razor Thin left some gaping wide holes there that need further questioning:

– Did you talk with anyone in Alabama? At the USAtty’s offices? At the Alabama Republican party? Among your pals in Alabama GOP politics, many of whom you worked for early in your political ops career? Among political operatives — in Alabama or any other state, through whom you may have laundered a suggested nugget of wisdom about potential politically advantageous targets?

– Did you e-mail anyone at the WH or the DOJ about this? Using either your RNC blackberry or some other method of IM or e-mail communication? Any method of communication whatsoever, do share.

– Did you speak or e-mail or otherwise contact or discuss with anyone at the RNC about this? Or your KStreet pals? Or anyone tangentially related to Republican politics that could pass on a message?

– When you say you never talked with the "Department of Justice," what precisely does that mean to you? Because "DOJ" is sort of a catch-all amorphous designation which allows for a whole lot of slippery around the edges.

And that’s just for starters. I’m just getting warmed up … and so are a whole lot of other folks who are questioning the growing evidence of Rove’s role in this mess. Again, via Scott Horton:

…as Rove knows, that issue was covered exhaustively in the investigator’s examination and by several national journalists, not just CBS.

Juicy little nugget. In this case, all roads appear to lead to Rove.

(YouTube of 60 Minutes piece on Siegelman from last night.)

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3. Jim Cooper and Karl Rove Talking Health Care in Nashville This Saturday
4. Connecting The Eyeliner Dots On the Rove Role In DOJ Firings?
5. Karl Rove May Not Care About Muslims’ Opinion of the US, But We Should