Karl Rove just added another Democratic scalp to his collection: Eliot Spitzer's.

Spitzer has not been charged with any crime. He was railroaded by the Corporate Media, led by Rupert Murdoch's NYPost and FOX News, with Karl Rove's "loyal Bushies" leaking furiously from Bush's InJustice Department.

So what's the standard here? If hiring prostitutes is a disqualification for office, then David Vitter must resign today too. In fact, a good chunk of the men in politics must also resign (and possibly a few women as well). And a bunch of reporters and editors must quit as well. And pundits too - yes I'm talking 'bout you, Dick Toesucker Morris.

Next to Bush and Cheney, no one has poisoned American politics - and hurt America in every possible way - more than Karl Rove. So why has Saint John McCain embraced him?

Karl Rove, the president’s top political hand since his Texas days, recently gave money to McCain and soon after had a private conversation with the senator. A top McCain adviser said both Mehlman and Rove are now informally advising the campaign. Rove refused to detail his conversation with McCain.

It's easy to see Rove's evil handiwork on behalf of McCain, for example the Canadian story about alleged Obama-Clinton doubletalk on NAFTA.

Karl Rove stenographer Mark Halperin did us all a favor and collected 16 of Rove's "best" ideas to help John McCain "take down" Barack Obama.

So now when McCain and the Republicans implement these ideas, all we have to say is "this is straight out of Karl Rove's playbook."

And for the record, Steve Benen did a brilliant job (as always) dismembering each one.

1. Play the national security card without hesitation.

2. Talk about the Iraq War without apologies or perceived contradiction.

3. Go at Obama unambiguously from the right.

4. Encourage interest groups, bloggers, and right-leaning media to explore Obama’s past.

Newsweek editor Jon Meacham is pairing two new columnists: Markos Moulitsas (Kos) from the Left and Karl Rove from the Right. Here's Meacham's "justification":

Whether one agrees or disagrees with Karl, there is no arguing that he has been a critical player in the political world with insights and experiences that we think will give our readers something unique.

Kos is proud to be matched with Rove:

CNN is reporting DHS Mike Chertoff will be nominated for Attorney General, and Clay Johnson III will be nominated to replace Chertoff.

Who is Clay Johnson?

Johnson is currently working in obscurity as Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget.

The Deputy Director for Management provides government-wide leadership to Executive Branch agencies to improve agency and program performance.

Yeah and what a great job he has done - can you say FEMA and Hurricane Katrina?

Let me quote Faiz in full:

If It’s Sunday, It’s Karl Rove

Karl Rove will be a guest this Sunday on Face the Nation, Meet the Press, and Fox News Sunday (ABC’s This Week is hosting a Democratic presidential debate).

Thus far, Rove’s farewell media blitz has simply provided him a platform to offer partisan attacks.

The media will be tempted to pick “Bush’s brain” for his views on the political horserace, on everything from the Democratic presidential candidates to Iraq to Bush’s veto threats. But they shouldn’t forget that Rove has yet to personally account for much of his sordid record in the White House. Here are a few of the issues that Rove needs to be asked about:

– Promoting the war as a member of the White House Iraq Group

– Leaking Valerie Plame’s identity

– Compiling the list of fired U.S. attorneys

For family reasons? Yeah right - his son is in college. The real reason could either be good or bad.

Good reasons:

• He will be indicted and frog-marched to jail for one of his innumerable crimes. Marcy Wheeler thinks the most likely prosecutions involve (a) Jack Abramoff (if Susan Ralston rats on Rove), (b) violating the Hatch Act by showing his powerpoint to every federal agency, or (c) the firing of U.S. Attorneys, particularly David Iglesias 
• Congressional Democrats refuse to accept "executive privilege" as an excuse to keep Rove from testifying under oath, and Bush didn't want to fight this bloody battle with Congress
• Congressional Democrats found a copy of the 5 million missing emails
• Colin Powell will soon reveal Rove's role in lying the nation into Iraq
• Polls show Republicans will lose in a landslide due to Bush's disastrous policies so the GOP's corporate backers threw him under the bus to help the GOP change its "image"

Hard Rain Journal 8-5-07: Lessons from Soviet-Style Show Trial of Don Siegelman -- Learned or Unlearned?
By Richard Power

Like most of you, I want to see Bush and Cheney impeached.

There is sufficient evidence, already available in open source, on a range of issues, including Iraq, Katrina, Plame, the politicization of the DoJ, violations of the Geneva Accords, FISA, FOIA and the Bill of Rights, etc.

And if impeachment is politically unrealistic -- in our current circumstances, a Senate trial would almost certainly result in acquittal -- like most of you, I do not understand why censure, indeed multiple censures, are not aggressively pursued as a viable alternative.

Like most of you, I would be willing to support the cutting off of funding for military operations in Iraq, assuming there was enough money in the pipeline to bring the men and women of the US military home safely, and responsibly.

Like most of you, I do not understand why there was no filibuster of the Alito and/or Roberts appointments.

Like most of you, I am weary of making excuses for the Democratic leadership.

In an interview on C-SPAN with Brian Lamb, Novakula reminded everyone that Karl Rove helped Novak expose Valerie Plame's identity:

LAMB: [Concerning Karl Rove] you say, “never enjoyed such a good source inside the White House.”

NOVAK: That’s true. He was a confirming source on the Valerie Plame story. He revealed himself as having – he quoted himself of what he told me, so that the confidentiality was gone by his own statement.

MoveOn is finally moving on to talk about the possibility of impeachment proceedings!

Sign their petition:
http://pol.moveon.org/subpoena/

It states:

"Congress must force Vice President Cheney to respond to its subpoenas. If he continues to obstruct justice and disregard the rule of law, Congress has no choice but to begin impeachment proceedings against him."

Richard M. Mathews