SPARKY: TODAY's FODDER for the ROAMING ROVE TRUTH SQUADS

And Sparky even offers direction for Bush with American gay sheep out of the kindness in his heart.

PETE YOST: Probe Accents Rove-Bush Exchange

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Among the many questions surrounding the investigation into who in the Bush administration leaked the name of an undercover CIA officer is whether President Bush's top political adviser told his boss the truth about his connection to the case.

Two years ago, the White House denied that Karl Rove played any role, but revelations in the past month have shown that Rove spoke with two journalists about the operative, Valerie Plame. Whether Bush knew the truth while the White House was issuing its denials is not publicly known.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan was so adamant in his denials in September 2003 that he told reporters the president knew that Rove wasn't involved in the leak.

"How does he know that?" a reporter asked, referring to the president.

"I'm not going to get into conversations that the president has with advisers or staff," McClellan replied. ...(complete in link)
————————————————————————

Willis Miller: CIA leak threatens to wash away Rove, Bush
A leak has jeopardized the CIA's ability to investigate worldwide nuclear proliferation, putting agents throughout the world at risk. In June 2004, the president acknowledged the seriousness of the incident by promising to fire whoever was even remotely responsible.

Unbelievably, Karl Rove has come clean, admitting to the dirty deed. "Yes, Mr. President," says Karl, "I cannot tell a lie. I chopped down that cherry tree (Valerie Plame). I guess you'll have to fire me." "Not so fast, Karl. I have a lame excuse to try out first."

Recently, the president delivered it to reporters, saying, "If someone committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration." What a flip-flop! We've gone from "remotely responsible for the leak" to "must have committed a crime." I can't tell you how silly the president looks.

But wait. The investigation is taking a turn. Has the administration orchestrated a cover-up? The grand jury is seeking an answer. Remember, President Nixon's downfall was not the Watergate break-in but the subsequent cover-up.

Stay tuned, folks. This little leak has filled the president's bathtub and is about to spill into the corridors of his house.
————————————————————————

And now some satire from the Swift Report - follow the link or read it here.

Poll: Rove, Bush Deserve Same Benefits that Married Couples Have

According to a recent poll, a wide majority of Americans believe that long-time companions President Bush and advisor Karl Rove should have access to the same rights that married couples enjoy. Under current law, Mr. Rove would be denied hospital visitation rights should the President become ill. Nor could the two exercise the right to refuse to testify against one another should legal troubles befall one or both of them.

By Deanna Swift

WASHINGTON, DC—A new poll reveals that an overwhelming majority of Americans believe that President Bush and his confidante of more than 30 years should have access to the rights and privileges enjoyed by their married counterparts. Under current state and federal laws, with the exception of the gay state of Massachusetts, Mr. Bush and Mr. Rove are denied more than 1,000 rights afforded to married couples, including the right to visit one another in the hospital in the event of an emergency and the right to refuse to testify against one another should legal troubles befall one or both of them.

'How can something so right be so wrong?'
According to the poll, 71% of Americans answered 'yes' to the question "Should President Bush and Karl Rove be able to enjoy the same benefits and responsibilities that married couples have?" Twenty-eight percent of Americans answered 'no.'

	Related Stories
	• Poll: Karl Rove Leak Story 'Boring,' 'Hard to Follow' • New Poll Shows Most Americans Think 'Some Torture' OK • Jailhouse Weight Loss Plans More Popular than Ever

The poll was conducted by the Swift Report, a popular conservative Weblog that frequently covers gay issues of importance to the GOP. Earlier this year, the Swift Report released the results of another poll in which it ranked the most influential gay Republicans. In that survey, actor Charlton Heston narrowly beat out such party luminaries as Abraham Lincoln and J. Edgar Hoover for the honor of 'top' GOP gay.

America embraces a conservative couple
What accounts for the embrace of the long-time political partners, at a time when much of the GOP remains hostile to gay marriage in particular and to homosexuals in general? Swift Report founding editor Todd Fox, the author of the forthcoming self-help guide "Stumbling Down the Yellow Brick Road: An Ecumenical Ex-Gay Travel Journal," (Regnery) speculates that because the two men live their lives in the public eye, not in the closet, many Americans have come to accept their relationship.

"They're in the news day after day in a way that allows us to really celebrate their partnership, their closeness," says Mr. Fox. "And when we see that these two guys have been able to make it work for more than 30 years, I think that something in our heart-of-hearts says 'let's help them make it permanent. Let's help them go all the way.'"

A warm bath of affection—but trouble ahead?
But while the poll may signal the high regard—and the warm bath of affection—in which most Americans hold the relationship between Mr. Bush and Mr. Rove, the two still face a rocky road together given the current legal climate. For instance, should the two be embroiled in some kind of legal trouble, Mr. Rove could not refuse to testify against Mr. Bush. He would have that right were the two married, or afforded the rights of a married couple.

A love name made public
There may also be limits as to just how much the public wants to know about these long-time companions. Case in point: the recent revelation regarding Mr. Bush's nickname for Mr. Rove, "Turd Blossom," meaning a flower that sprouts upon cattle excrement in Texas or a term of endearment between two men. (Mr. Rove's nickname for Mr. Bush, "Texas Longhorn," a popular term of endowment, has been less well publicized.) When Mr. Bush's name for his companion appeared in newspapers across the country, several editors moved to strike the reference, maintaining that it was unsuitable for family publications.

The Roberts effect
Sources close to the couple also say that good old-fashioned jealousy could be taking a toll on the two. Mr. Rove is reportedly unhappy with President Bush's choice for the Supreme Court, ex-gay conservative John Roberts. Says one insider: "Karl is worried because George had been spending so much time with John, who frankly is younger and better looking than Karl is. Who wouldn't be a bit wary?"

————————————————————————

Mother's plea to U.S. president gains widespread attention
August 14, 2005

Cindy Sheehan, the grieving mother of a fallen soldier in Iraq, has gained national attention for her efforts to demand the President of the United States to speak with her personally. "What I want to ask is, 'What noble cause did my son die for?' And if he says that it was to get rid of Saddam or liberate the Iraqi people, I'm not going to buy it." Mrs. Sheehan told Salon.com reporters. Prompted by the President asserting that Americans in Iraq have died for a 'noble cause', Sheehan has been camping near Bush's Texas ranch for the past week to demand a private conversation with the President. "I don't want comfort," she told Cox Newspapers, "I want the truth."

Mr. Bush said he was aware of the pleas of the grieving mothers, "But whether it be here or in Washington or anywhere else, there's somebody who has got something to say to the President, that's part of the job. And I think it's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say. But I think it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life."

Cindy has been joined in Crawford by hundreds of mothers of fallen soldiers, who are camping out with her and joining her in asking "for the truth" about why their sons had to die. Rallies of support are also taking place and being scheduled across the nation, and contributions from citizens across the world are flowing into the "Peace House", a nearby cottage providing shelter and support for the mothers.

Casey's grandparents and other members of her extended family issued a statement emailed to the Drudge Report website, which states their disagreement with the actions and statements that Mrs. Sheehan has made and accuses her of using her son's death to promote a personal agenda:

The Sheehan Family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the the expense of her son's good name and reputation. The rest of the Sheehan Family supports the troops, our country, and our President, silently, with prayer and respect.

Sincerely,

Casey Sheehan's grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins.

Mrs. Sheehan has responded by saying that political views within her extended family have always been diverse, but she is happy that her husband and children share her views and are supporting her efforts. She says her husband Pat, couldn't bear having Casey's things at home and put most of them in storage. "We grieved in totally different ways. He wanted to grieve by distracting himself. I wanted to immerse myself." Mrs. Sheehan says that she wants to know what "noble cause" her son died for.

Mrs. Sheehan and her husband were part of a group that met with the President following her son's death last year; a meeting that President Bush began with what she thought was an insultingly insensitive greeting; "Who we'all gonna honor today." Mrs. Sheehan says she had mixed feelings about Bush's demeanor at the meeting, but she kept quiet. When more information came out about the planning for the war, however, she started to feel utterly betrayed. "I want the kind of meeting that holds him accountable for the words he's actually said.", Sheehan told TIME magazine reporters.

Sources

• Amanda Ripley "A Mother And the President". TIME, August 14, 2005

• Michael A. Fletcher "Cindy Sheehan's Pitched Battle". Wahington Post, August 14, 2005

• Kathryn Westcott "Why mothers push for peace". BBC News, August 14, 2005

• Farhad Manjoo "Smearing Cindy Sheehan". Salon.com, August 13, 2005

• "Bush tells why he will shun protester". Cox Newspapers, August 14, 2005

• Official Wire "Bush met with Sheehan". Official Wire, August 8, 2005

• Peace protest costs Cindy Sheehan her marriage Time Online UK
  

————————————————————————
U.S. study of gay sheep may shed light on sexuality

August 15, 2005

Oregon State University (OSU) animal researchers in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Dubois, Idaho-based Sheep Experiment Station released a report showing approximately 8 percent of rams (male sheep) are "male-oriented", or effectively homosexual.

By studying difference in the animal's brains after slaughter, the study also showed what could be a biological determiner for what makes a ram male-oriented instead of female-oriented sexually. The scientists' results showed that the anterior preoptic area of the rams' hypothalamus was 50 percent smaller in male-oriented rams as opposed to female oriented rams. A 1991 study of human brains of AIDS victims showed a similar hypothalamus size difference between gay and heterosexual men.

The sheep researchers postulate that low levels of aromatase hormones in the brain of a developing male sheep fetus may have kept the brain from fully masculinizing, leading to sexually male-oriented rams.

"This lends further support to the idea that homosexuality has biological underpinnings," Charles Roselli, a professor of physiology and pharmacology, said in an interview with the Corvallis Gazette-Times.

The OSU-USDA study was initiated in 1995 after breeders asked the government to determine why some rams bought as breeding studs showed no interest in females. The researchers are working under a $2.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health in hopes of developing a test which can determine the likelihood of a ram being female-oriented before it is sold as a stud.

Sources

• "Gay Rams Studied, May Help Explain Human Sexuality". GFN, August 15, 2005

• Mary Ann Albright "The science of rams and sexuality: Not all seek ewes". Corvallis Gazette-Times, August 15, 2005

• Kathy Aney "OSU Sheep study could help explain human sexuality". Associated Press, August 13, 2005

————————————————————————
Babies on U.S. no-fly lists holding up passengers

August 16, 2005

Some infants are being prevented from boarding planes at U.S. airports because their names match or resemble those listed on the United States' "no-fly list".

The Transport Safety Administration, which maintains the list, has told airlines that children under twelve should not be stopped from boarding or subjected to additional checks, even if their names are on the list. Despite this, infants whose names register with the "no-fly list" are being impeded at major airports across the nation.

The U.S. government has maintained a list of people who are barred from flying or required to pass additional security checks since before the 9/11 attacks, but the list has grown from a few dozen to more than 100,000 since then.

Critics of the list, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, say not enough detail is provided on the list to accurately identify who it is meant to be targeting, resulting in innocents being snagged.

At least one attempt by the government to improve the process was abandoned after fears it would include too much personal information. A second system, called Secure Flight, is being developed.

The TSA is investigating 89 children who either complained themselves that their name is on the list, or had complaints filed on their behalf. Fourteen of them are under twelve.

Sources

• "Babies Caught Up in 'No-Fly' Confusion". AP, August 15, 2005

Your Cherry Picked Google News Crawl

Democrats to Scooter Libby: Free Judy Miller
Media Channel, NY - Aug 9, 2005
... journalist Murry Waas is reporting that the New York Times' Judy Miller discussed Valerie Plame with Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Scooter Libby, six days ...

Why Won't Scooter Libby Grant Judith Miller a Personal Waiver? Common Dreams, ME - Aug 10, 2005 ... Waas uncovers some new information about Treason-gate, Miller's refusal to testify and Vice Presidential Chief of Staff Scooter Libby's possible complicity in ...

Robert Novak Still Skates as Scooter Libby Gives it Up. Unconfirmed Sources (satire) - Aug 4, 2005 ... President Dick (Dick) Cheney's Chief of Staff I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby has waived Time Magazine writer Matthew Cooper's journalistic confidentiality pledge. ...

TomGram: De la Vega on how to prosecute the Plame case Working for Change - 3 hours ago ... to use in a prosecution (hopeless, in fact, against a figure like Karl Rove or Vice President Cheney's right-hand man I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby); and that ...

Treasongate - Lies and Whispers Axis of Logic, MA - 17 hours ago It’s still early in the wait for definitive word on the early reports that Patrick Fitzgerald will nail Karl Rove and Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby for leaking ...

Cheney's Right Hand Man, "Scooter" Libby, Also a Source in Plame ... PHXNews, AZ - Jul 17, 2005 ... said Sunday. But the Bush administration has been saying, for two years, that neither Rove nor Libby were involved in the leak. I ...

Judy and Scooter - and Dick
uruknet.info, Italy - Aug 10, 2005
The latest revelation is that Judith Miller actually met with Scooter Libby on July 8, before the Novak column appeared (this is one of a series of scoops on ...


The Situation: Tuesday, August 16
CNN - 2 hours ago
Editor's Note: The Situation Report is a running log of dispatches, quotes, links and behind-the-scenes notes filed by the correspondents and producers of ...

Roberts' abortion views examined Science Daily (press release) - 3 hours ago NARAL pulls anti-Roberts ad (August 12, 2005) -- A pro-abortion rights group is pulling an ad arguing against the US Supreme Court nomination of John Roberts ...

Roberts sided with Rehnquist on school prayer, papers show International Herald Tribune, France - 3 hours ago WASHINGTON The Supreme Court nominee, Judge John Roberts Jr., denounced as seemingly indefensible a 1985 Supreme Court ruling striking down a moment of silence ...

Roberts Once Wrote of 'Abortion Tragedy' Washington Post, United States - 3 hours ago By PAULINE JELINEK. WASHINGTON -- As a young lawyer in the Reagan White House, Supreme Court nominee John Roberts concluded that ...

Memos reveal Roberts' conservative views San Francisco Chronicle, United States - 4 hours ago Washington -- As a senior legal adviser to President Ronald Reagan, John Roberts concluded that a controversial memorial service for aborted fetuses, organized ...

Roberts criticized equal pay decision
Chicago Tribune, United States - 6 hours ago
By Jan Crawford Greenburg and Naftali Bendavid. WASHINGTON -- As a young lawyer in the Reagan White House, Supreme Court nominee Judge John Roberts Jr. ...

Niger Yellowcake and The Man Who Forged Too Much
uruknet.info, Italy - Jul 22, 2005
... Bob Novaks greatest harm to national security didn't come from outing Valerie Plame and her front company. His greatest harm came ...
The Martians Have Landed!
Scoop.co.nz (press release), New Zealand - Jul 17, 2005
... Bob Novak -- Rove was fired by Poppy Bush for leaking to "Baghdad Bob" in 1992 ...
————————————————————————
The Guru thinks the Gay Sheep was all that was needed to sell today's blog - let us know what you think - leave a comment ... - Sparky o&o