THIS NOVAK MAY SINK ROVE, NOT PLAME

Unlike reporter Robert Novak, whose disclosure of her status as a CIA agent effectively ended Valerie Plame's intelligence career, Time reporter Viveca Novak's testimony before the grand jury may be the stone that brings down Karl Rove.

Sources familiar with their conversations say Novak's and Luskin's accounts to Fitzgerald appear to conflict on when they spoke.

The timing of Rove's actions since the leak investigation began in September 2003 have been of keen interest to Fitzgerald, according to sources familiar with the prosecutor's questions. Rove did not mention his contact with Cooper to the FBI during interviews in 2003, or to the grand jury in February 2004.

He revealed to the grand jury that he spoke with Cooper on Oct. 15, 2004. That was one month after Fitzgerald subpoenaed Cooper to testify about his confidential conversations with administration sources other than Libby. It also came two days after a federal judge ordered that Cooper cooperate.
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A source familiar with Novak's account said she believes the conversation took place in March or May, and definitely took place after February 2004, when Rove first testified before the grand jury.

But one person close to the case said the conversation took place before Rove's first grand jury appearance in February. This person said the conversation was not the event that led Rove to change his testimony.

If this account is accurate in that Novak testified the conversation with Luskin took place AFTER Rove's testimony, any reasonable person will conclude that it was the prospect of Cooper's appearance before the grand jury, and the resulting revelation that Rove WAS his source on Plame, that was the trigger for Rove's suddenly improved memory.

In other words, this would be additional, convincing evidence that he lied to the grand jury.

In other words, Bush will be more "brain"-dead than he already is.

My film crew and I have a saying, "Is it something or nothing?" when referring to a shot we're contemplating.

This is definitely something.

Tags: Karl Rove, Viveca Novak, Plame