Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

July 12, 2005

White House Stays Silent on Rove

After stating that "any administration official found to have been involved in leaking the name of an undercover C.I.A. officer would be fired," the White House "refused on Monday to answer any questions about new evidence of Mr. Rove's role in the matter," the New York Times reports.

"With the White House silent, Democrats rushed in, demanding that the administration provide a full account of any involvement by Mr. Rove."

The Wall Street Journal notes Democrats "pounced" and escalated their rhetoric. "The amplified Democratic attacks suggest that the White House and Mr. Rove will face turbulence in the days ahead whatever the outcome of Mr. Fitzgerald's criminal probe."

Dana Millbank covered the White House press briefing by Scott McClellan, noting "the 32-minute pummeling was perhaps the worst McClellan received since he got the job two years ago."

Meanwhile, in an open letter, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) demanded that Bush fire his top political advisor. "It's perfectly clear that Rove -- the person at the center of the slash-and-burn, smear-and-divide tactics that have come to characterize the Bush administration -- has to go."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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