Karl Rove's screw-up

So I've been following the Karl Rove/Valerie Plame story off and on, because I'd love to one day work for the CIA and I can't imagine anything worse than an operative being outed for political reasons (okay, there are worse things, but it's pretty fucking bad).

Today I found an pretty good article in the NY Times that summed it all up:
At White House, a Day of Silence on Rove's Role in C.I.A. Leak

I don't pretend to have all the facts or all the answers here... I'm not sure anyone does. What I wanted to comment on is this -

So far, the only things I've seen suggested for possible punishment if Rove is proven to have had a hand in this is his firing, and possible criminal actions.

He'll probably never face criminal charges, because the Dems don't have the power for a Congressional invesitgation/witchhunt and because the law covering this is a huge steaming turd.
As for the Dems - kinda sucks guys, too bad you don't have more political clout... this type of thing smacks of the Clinton investigations, and it'd be nice to have someone looking into it (even if it was partisan motivated).
As for the law... gh3y. That's the best I can say about that. Rove doesn't really ahve anything to fear from the law, because it will be next to impossible to prove that he did this with the intention of screwing Mrs. Plame, or that he knew the government was actively hiding her identity. And that's just fucked up.

Why? Because what he did (allegedly) was wrong. Flat out, no holds barred, black and white wrong. And I don't think he understands that. He needs punishment for this. And firing him isn't really enough (like it's ever going to happen anyway). Firing him just removes his position... it doesn't do much to remove his influence. The only thing it does is make it harder for him to interface with high-level politicians and serve as a weak sort of deterrent for the future.

But Rove will likely get off on everything... and it just angers me. Probably because of the defense offered for why he didn't break the law. Because he didn't know. I'm sorry, Karl, it's part of your fucking job to know. It comes with being a fucking high-level aide to the fucking PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES! The highest Goddamn job in this country, or world, some would argue.

That's like the town bum trying to get away with pissing in public, on someone's car, by saying that he didn't realize the car wasn't a toilet. There's some things that are just too hard to believe.

And I would argue that if it's actually true... if Karl really is that mis-informed, then yes, by all means fire him. Because he certainly doesn't have the Goddamned competence to be in the job to begin with.

You know what would happen if I gave out the phone numbers and email addresses of everyone working in CIS to the telemarketters that called? I'd be fired faster than slick shit on a greased shingle. And probably punished in some other way as well.

And believe you me... trying to use the defense "my bad, I didn't know" would only add to the arguments to get rid of me... not relieve any of my guilt.

But, it seems like more and more in politics (especially in this administration) stupidity, proclaimed ignorance, and denial are accepted responses to mistakes and guilt. I guess the public perception of politicians has fallen so low, that we don't hold them up to the simple standards of having to tell the truth and take responsibility for their actions anymore.

I'm sorry, maybe I'm just too damn idealistic for my own good, but these people hold important positions with a lot of power attached. I don't think it's too damned much to hope for, that they tell the truth and that when they fuck up, they claim responsibility. This covers liberals and conservatives, Republicans and Democrats, and everyone else... I don't think these are partisan values, truth and maturity, I think they should be expected of everyone... especially those in public service.

-Sorry if there's spelling/grammar errors, I'll go back and revise later.