Rove to be probed

[PopHistorian]

hXXp://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/04/24/tuesday/index.html

Obscure federal agency to probe Rove's political operation

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A tiny, obscure federal agency charged with safeguarding federal employees from political coercion has launched a wide-ranging investigation into the activities of the White House's political operation and its architect, Karl Rove.

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is looking into whether Rove or other White House aides violated federal law by making political presentations to government employees in the run-up to the midterm elections last year. The agency is also probing use of Republican Party e-mail accounts by administration officials and the controversial firing of a U.S. attorney in New Mexico, which is now at the center of a congressional investigation.

"We will do a thorough job. We will not leave any stone unturned," said Scott Bloch, a Kansas lawyer appointed by President Bush to head the agency in 2003. "We will be fair, we will be impartial, and we will be thorough." --From CNN White House Correspondent Ed Henry (Posted 5:53 p.m.)

Here's the thing: Bloch is a Republican appointed by Bush and says he voted for Bush in '00 and '04. What's his angle? If he never had a conscience, I think it is unlikely he's grown one. If he does have a conscience, then he was blind and asleep while voting for Bush.

Well, it turns out that Bloch is "under investigation" himself for disregarding a Clinton-era executive order not to discriminate against homosexuals, and then intimidating employees to follow suit (in a basic way, he's accused of doing the very things he's supposed to protect federal employees from). Most articles about him are attacks from the gay community. The Log Cabin Republicans have been calling on him to resign for a year.

Cronyism, mismanagement, and purging staff are other accusations. The neocons sure-as-heck wouldn't fire him over something like that. It sounds like he'd be getting a thumbs up as one of the boys. This guy, after all, began his tenure as Special Counsel in January 2004 following a stint on a Justice Department task force to secure selected churches a place at the trough of federal aid.

hXXp://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2007/02/scott_bloch_investigation_cont.php
hXXp://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=1384
hXXp://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2159

So, does anyone else have a scoop on Bloch and why he might be turning against Rove or the White House in general? Could it be merely to take the heat off of himself? Is it really that much heat? Bush was shown storming away from a podium on CNN, ignoring a question about the probe that was just put to him by a reporter.

 

[anart]

So, does anyone else have a scoop on Bloch and why he might be turning against Rove or the White House in general? Could it be merely to take the heat off of himself? Is it really that much heat? Bush was shown storming away from a podium on CNN, ignoring a question about the probe that was just put to him by a reporter.

My initial impression is that he's investigating Rove to dissuade others from doing so. This Bloch guy, unless he's been possessed by some sort of 'conscience demon' is not the kind of person to be doing this - so all I can come up with is that Rove has crossed so many people and done so much illegally that he is a gargantuan target (figuratively and literally) and this is a preemptive investigation. Bloch will determine nothing is amiss and Rove has always acted within the law.

I could be very wrong - we'll see - but I don't trust these deviants for the time of day, much less self-policing.

 

[PopHistorian]

I did think of that after posting -- wondered if it was a ploy to "find Karl innocent." Nothing's beneath these people, and this guy Bloch hardly seems like the upstanding type. I just found that "Congress is considering legislation to compel Mr. Bloch to enforce the (anti-discrimination) law," which could lend weight to the thought that he's out to save his own neck -- thinking that the Dem-led Congress will leave him alone if he appears to be opposing Bush.

 

[Nienna]

My initial impression is that he's investigating Rove to dissuade others from doing so. This Bloch guy, unless he's been possessed by some sort of 'conscience demon' is not the kind of person to be doing this - so all I can come up with is that Rove has crossed so many people and done so much illegally that he is a gargantuan target (figuratively and literally) and this is a preemptive investigation. Bloch will determine nothing is amiss and Rove has always acted within the law.

This was my initial thought as well. Kind of like when there needs to be an investigation of a policeman, who does the investigating? The police, to put it simply. They take care of their own, and I think this is what is happening here.

And with the government, especially this regime, there are so many layers of deception, it's hard to tell what is really going on.

But, I could be way off base. It wouldn't be the first time. ;)