So why the high profile fan-fare vs the usual friday night new dump per Rove?

[salin]

The bushco does things per news two ways - and it is always either strategy of call attention to one thing to draw attention away from something else - or dump the news on friday night so coverage is spent on the lower news consumption weekend, and thus likely less the big focus on Monday.

I wonder what they are trying to pull attention away from. I would bet the subprime implosion ... and continuing bad markets news... Other nominations would be???

[Theres-a]

1. I think you got it.

I was wondering myself.

[Mist]

2. Indeed--and KKKarl resigning is a very bright shiny object. We'll have to keep

checking the news (especially online) to see what abomination they'd like us not to notice.

[salin]

5. as we run across possibilities - we should post them here...

to keep track ... and try figure out what it is...

Their handling of the news (too distract, or to try to get little notice) is very predictable. Am guessing that it is big - otherwise I don't think they would want the Rove departure (and all the speculation that is inevitable) to become such a big focal point ('bright, shiney object') as some of that speculation isn't good for the WH.

[JackBeck]

3. If it was on a Friday,

It'd look like they wanted to hide his resignation.

[havocmom]

6. That's the point. What are they running behind all the Rove clamor?

Wiff and sniff... something is in the air under the radar.

[gratuitous]

17. Too big to have it go any other way, is my thinking

Even if it had come out at the usual Friday news dump time, Rove's departure would be too big to just sweep under the rug. So it comes out at 4 a.m. on Monday morning. By Tuesday, it's "old" news. Is Monday the new Friday?

We'll see if our stalwarts in the media passively swallow that "spend more time with his family" crap or if someone actually turns a shovel full or two of dirt. I'm guessing the former.

[havocmom]

4. Havocdad wonders how many pallets of cash Gonzo is bringing back from Iraq

'Must be quite a load if they couldn't send a lesser minion'. Havocdad may be on to something. Gotta be expensive buying off all the people cheney needs to stay outta jail.

[salin]

10. good thing they won't have to do that much longer...

that can just surveil - and get all the dirt they need to keep people in line. Cheney and Gonzo's own little Stassi program.

[ThomWV]

7. I asked the same question this morning - either something's happened or something is coming

Bet on it.

[SoCalDem]

8. A big fat finger in the eye of every democrat in congress

while they are on vacation.. Bush is just reveling in pouring sand into the gears of government.

Rover retires & heads to Texas..

Good luck getting him to testify (as if he would have anyway)..

if they persist, the WH will paint them as vindictive and political for "chasing after the poor guy after he retired"..

I'm hoping he's about to go down for the Abramoff thing, or the Ney thing or maybe Larry Fynt called him :)

[salin]

9. Here's a possibility: U.S. forces launch new offensive in Iraq

U.S. forces launch new offensive in Iraq

By Ross Colvin
1 hour, 13 minutes ago

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and Iraqi forces launched an offensive against al Qaeda and "Iranian-supported" Shi'ite militants across Iraq on Monday in anticipation of an expected surge in violence.

U.S. commanders fear militants will step up attacks on U.S. soldiers or launch a "spectacular" attack on civilians to try to influence the debate over the war in Washington, where a keenly awaited progress report on the new U.S. military strategy in Iraq is due to be presented to Congress in September.

In Baghdad, leaders of Iraq's divided Kurdish, Shi'ite and Sunni Arab communities held a series of bilateral talks ahead of an expected summit this week.

The summit is aimed at healing the deep mistrust that has paralyzed Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's national unity government and plunged it into its worst crisis.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070813/ts_nm/iraq_dc

[TwilightGardener]

11. Remember--these people do NOTHING for no reason. Always assume

that they've engineered maximum advantage out of every move and decision. Nothing is left to chance.

[salin]

16. congress is out of session - so it isn't anything involving their investigations...

perhaps trying to pull attention from the news of the collapse of the Iraqi govt - so the public will be more easily bamboozled with the September report?

[Beelzebud]

12. Because this isn't a crisis for them. Rove is ramping up for the 2008 campaign.

Just like I said in the other thread.

Think about it...

Rove is not resigning because of guilt or fear. He's resigning because the 2008 campaign is about to really get going.

[salin]

14. I think there is more to it than that...

he is also bringing more and more uncomfortable scrutiny to the WH via the corruption of the DOJ and the Hatch Act violations (and now laying bare the attempts to politicize federal agencies)... All of the fanfare per his resignation just fuels all of the stories and gets woven into the news coverage. Were it as you say - the shopping (for which candidate) would have already happened - and the announcement would include a statement confirming his moving to work with the Z campaign.

[EFerrari]

13. Because the Big Lie is that Rove is a public servant.

In order for it to work, he's "leaving" has to be big and public and loud. :shrug:

[salin]

15. interesting speculation...