Rove on the Spot

Our story on Karl Rove's involvement in the storm over the disclosure of a cia officer's identity drew mail from readers who criticized White House tactics, while others saw a partisan attack

Whether Karl Rove technically broke a law when he leaked the identity of cia operative Valerie Plame [wife of Administration critic Joseph Wilson] is beside the point [July 25]. Despite repeated denials by the White House, Rove talked about Plame to Time's Matthew Cooper as well as to Robert Novak, the reporter who blew her cover. So the President's deputy chief of staff was involved in revealing the identity of a covert cia officer because her husband disputed George W. Bush's claim that Iraq attempted to buy uranium from Niger. The President's right-hand man is at best a rat and at worst a traitor.
Hal March
Williamstown, Massachusetts, U.S.

Here's the situation: Rove is the architect of Bush's successful presidential campaigns and of Republican congressional victories. The Democrats will do or say anything to destroy the conservative political genius. This "controversy" has nothing to do with national security and everything to do with party politics as usual.
Hugh Maguire
Natick, Massachusetts, U.S.

Americans deserve to know all the facts about who leaked the identity of cia officer Valerie Plame. Bush's credibility is on the line. We will see if Bush really meant it when he said he would fire anyone in his Administration who leaked information that exposed the identity of a cia officer. The media must hold Bush's feet to the fire until he does what he said he would do.
Paul L. Whiteley Sr.
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.

Lost in the cacophony of media attention surrounding Rove's possible misdeeds is one basic fact: in the buildup to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, this Administration misled the American people regarding Iraq's development of nuclear weapons. That important fact is now virtually forgotten. Meanspirited Novak, a shill for the political right, publicly outed Wilson's wife Plame. That was the Administration's first parry to deflect public attention. And with the continuing diversion of public attention from the central issue of deception, the Administration is having things just the way it wants.
Gregory J. Ryan
Woodland Hills, California, U.S.

Why even pose the question of whether Rove will pay the price for his role in the Plame debacle? Rove is a political strategist who knows precisely what to say — or not to say — to keep himself out of hot water. He knew exactly what he was doing with his campaign of innuendo and rumor. Unfortunately, somebody else is going to end up taking the fall for Rove's vindictiveness. Rove should be fired immediately, but it will be hard for the President to oust his most trusted adviser.
Jennifer Denny
Peoria, Illinois, U.S.

The media are making the Plame case far too complicated. Bush can no more fire Rove than dummy Charlie McCarthy could fire ventriloquist Edgar Bergen.
Edmund C. Valentine
Wabasso, Florida, U.S.

This entire affair reminds me too much of typical middle school-clique in-fighting — except that 13-year-olds don't hold the power of life and death over millions of people. What can we do to ensure that positions of power are held by more responsible, cooperative, civil adults?
Jo Virgil
Austin, Texas, U.S.

It is absurd that New York Times reporter Judith Miller was put in jail for refusing to reveal her confidential sources and Rove remains in a job paid for by U.S. taxpayers. It's time for Bush to demonstrate true character and do as he promised, without parsing the relative legality of Rove's actions, which were at the very least arrogant and unethical. That sort of behavior should not be tolerated by either the President or the American people. We expect better from our public servants, elected or otherwise.
Lucia Foley
Cinnaminson, New Jersey, U.S.

War of Words
In his column "stop trying to spin the Iraq War" [July 25 ], Joe Klein wrote that the Rove-Plame-Wilson affair illuminated "a signature disgrace of the Bush presidency: its tendency to treat the war in Iraq as an issue to be spun, rather than a life-and-death struggle to be won." Klein should be applauded for reminding Americans that Bush's top priority is to protect and enhance his and his party's image. Nearly every issue is molded along political party lines and spun. When will Americans finally stand up and demand that this Administration be held accountable for its errors and for jeopardizing national security? The President's job is to protect us, not his own hide.
Alev Günay
New York City

Klein noted, "it is long past time for the White House to stop fighting the press and the Democrats and figure out how to fight the war." He should have added that it is time for the press and the Democrats to stop playing politics with the Iraq war and demanding a timetable for U.S. withdrawal. Their words give aid and comfort to the enemy.
Ekbert Shaw
Santa Rosa, California, U.S.

Klein argued that although the U.S. presidential election is long over, the campaign-style spinning persists. The Iraq war is out of control. Anyone who believes there is a political solution to the problems in Iraq must be dreaming. The U.S. will never be able to extricate itself from the fighting in the Middle East. There is something to be said about a comprehensive, multilateral foreign policy for the region that includes diplomacy, inspections and containment: when we had it, it worked. Our entire military could have been gainfully employed right here in the States, out of harm's way, securing our homeland at a fraction of the cost of invading Iraq.
Marlene B. Feltus-Jackson
New Orleans

Why call the situation in Iraq a war? Iraq is an emerging democratic country struggling to govern itself after years of oppression. There are lawless insurgents, both foreign and Iraqi, that the established authorities must deal with. Why doesn't the U.S. just get out of the way? If we keep calling the conflict a war, the insurgents may gain strength by naming it "the American war." They will use that label to recruit Iraqis who hate us.
Clement Edgar
Bethany Beach, Delaware, U.S.

Cooper's Testimony
Time correspondent Matthew Cooper's account of what he told the grand jury investigating the leak of the identity of cia officer Plame [July 25] increased my level of trust in journalists several notches above its usual place — that is, below used-car salesmen. Cooper admitted that he couldn't make perfect sense of some of his notes, didn't have infallible recall and didn't know all the legal ramifications of everything that happened. He actually seems to think that he can be a little like the rest of us and still be a reporter. He provided a glimmer of what honest journalism can be. I like it!
Frank Kizer
Bartlett, Tennessee, U.S.

What stands out most for me is the lengths to which Cooper was willing to go to protect Rove as his source [of information that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA] — just as any great reporter would for any other source. Too often those in this country who decry the "mainstream news media" as liberally biased forget that the Founding Fathers wrote the First Amendment to protect our democracy, not destroy it. By keeping Rove's identity confidential, Cooper, in the finest tradition of journalism, proved that freedom of the press protects all of us, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation.
Jonathan Greene
Los Angeles

Of Islam and Violence
Irshad Manji's essay "When Denial Can Kill" succinctly captured the complex issue of Islam's intertwinings with terrorism and noted that Muslims, of which she is one, need to admit that Islam might be motivating suicide bombers [July 25]. As a Muslim, I find it not only refreshing but also encouraging to read an article that challenges what Manji referred to as a "dangerous denial from which mainstream Muslims need to emerge." Perhaps other Muslims will follow Manji's lead and be less hesitant to create a much needed bridge of "cross-cultural understanding."
Sara Sadik
London

Denial can kill. I believe that Manji is mistaken, however, in blaming religion for terrorism. A person's actions are decided and forged in reality, not religion. Islam is not to blame. While religion is a powerful force, it is not the reason that terrorism exists. The terrorists are trying to protect their culture, land and dignity in an unreasonable, extreme way. Manji asks Muslims to "own up" to the negative ideas that radicals find in the Koran. But that does nothing to rectify the situation or change the system. Change is needed — not just personal change but social change as well.
Lisa Alarcon
Stanford, California, U.S.

The biggest threat posed to the civilized world by religious radicals of all stripes is their inability to doubt or question dogma that is clearly immoral in today's world. It is past time for prominent leaders from all the world's major religions to express a genuine commitment to finding a common moral ground that will allow all peoples to choose the faith that best fits their needs.
William M. Diekmann
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.

It is with dismay that I hear the worn-out excuses offered by both liberal and militant Muslims for committing grievous crimes against innocent people. The world is not a perfect place, but when the rest of us don't get what we want, we aren't hell-bent on bringing down the whole house. My advice to clearheaded Muslims is to look closely and honestly at the real reasons behind the scourge of terrorism. If they do not, then self-destruction is inevitable.
James Gogo
Bonny, Nigeria

Manji argued that the extremists' actions are fostered in part by Islamic teachings. Funny, I'm a Muslim, yet I haven't gone and blown myself up. In fact, neither have my relatives or my neighbors. Why haven't the teachings of Islam motivated a majority of Muslims to commit violent acts? Blaming verses from the Koran for attacks upon innocent people is just plain wrong.
Shehla Naz Faizi
Karachi

Return to Hogwarts
your report on J.K. Rowling and the latest installment in her fantasy series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, gave me new insight into a true legend of literature [July 25]. It was good to learn about her struggles as well as her triumphs as a writer. I had thought the Harry Potter books just flowed easily from Rowling's imagination. Now I understand that for Rowling, writing isn't magic, and that makes her books even more compelling.
Matthew Liptak
Boardman, Ohio, U.S.

A friend asked me why I would stand in line and wait for the new Harry Potter book to be released at midnight. Couldn't my children wait until Saturday morning to get their copy? The answer is in the magic spell that Rowling spins. You simply can't wait one extra moment, and the same is true for her readers all around the globe. Rowling has brought kids together and given them something in common. They all know Harry. The world's children aren't really all that different from one another.
Karen Brooks
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.

Consequences of the Iraq War
It was interesting to read the contrasting viewpoints of Daniel Benjamin and Charles Krauthammer about the Iraq war and whether it has made us less safe [July 18]. The two authors, however, should have addressed the questions of who is responsible for the chaos in Iraq and who could lead the war on terrorism with the best chance of success. It is going to be a protracted war, if not a lost cause, as long as the U.S. leads it. To win such a war, one has to have credibility, and the U.S. no longer does. Very few people believe the Bush Administration is honest and right, and few trust its motives and methods. The U.S. as a whole is increasingly reviled in the Islamic world. The crucial question is, If the U.S. cannot lead the global war on terrorism, who is going to?
Miguel Nadal
Skelleftea, Sweden

Krauthammer argued that the Iraq war has not necessarily increased Muslim resentment of the U.S. Does he really believe that, or is he just being provocative? In almost every country in the world, the man in the street feels angry at and resentful of the U.S.'s arrogance and actions in the Middle East. And all nations feel more vulnerable since the U.S. used the big stick, rather than the economic carrot, to beat Iraq into submission. If Krauthammer took the time to talk to people outside fortress America, he would find a very different worldview. Then he might devise more balanced and constructive arguments to make allies in the Islamic world. Until the U.S. genuinely seeks to win Muslim hearts and minds, there can be no end to terrorism.
Paul Penfold
Hong Kong