Demagogue

I could have selected any of a number of articles from Dutch newspapers in recent days to make this point, but the Intimigate scandal is news over here as well. Partly, this shows how big the news of Rove's involvement really is, and partly it shows that a small country like the Netherlands pays a lot of attention to domestic politics in the Superpower. A free translation:

Rove Leak Puts Bush in Tight Spot

President George W. Bush is under fire because of explosive news about his closest advisor. Democrats are calling for the departure of top strategist Karl Rove, who appears to be implicated in the politically motivated divulging of the identity of a CIA agent.

Last year, Bush was asked if he would fire the person who leaked the name. "Yes," he said flatly.

After Rove's involvement became known last weekend, the White House erected a wall of silence. Yesterday, the president twice ignored the question whether he would dismiss Rove.

Washington is in a tumult over the news that Rove--for years Bush's right-hand man--told a journalist on the most confidential terms in 2003 of Valerie Plame's role with the CIA....

Divulging the classified identity of CIA agents can be a crime. Bush said that anyone who leaked such information had "no place in this administration."