Another Republican Family Value: Blackmail

If you’re following the judiciary committee’s NSA hearings, as we’re grilling people like Alberto Gonzalas while he’s not under oath, you may not be surprised to learn someone else is quite interested in the outcome.

My doughy Republican friend and yours, Karl Rove.

When not busy implementing the Republican post-9/11 way of thinking by outing CIA agents, Rove is making goddamned sure that no Republicans on the judiciary committee votes against the President’s ability to wiretap Americans without judicial oversight.

Congressional sources said Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove has threatened to blacklist any Republican who votes against the president. The sources said the blacklist would mean a halt in any White House political or financial support of senators running for re-election in November.

Over the last few weeks, Mr. Rove has been calling in virtually every Republican on the Senate committee as well as the leadership in Congress. The sources said Mr. Rove's message has been that a vote against Mr. Bush would destroy GOP prospects in congressional elections.

Some have raised doubts about Mr. Rove's strategy of painting the Democrats, who have opposed unwarranted surveillance, as being dismissive of the threat posed by al Qaeda terrorists.

"Well, I didn't like what Mr. Rove said, because it frames terrorism and the issue of terrorism and everything that goes with it, whether it's the renewal of the Patriot Act or the NSA wiretapping, in a political context," said Sen. Chuck Hagel, Nebraska Republican.

Read more here.

Blackmailing and bribing are nothing new to Republicans leaders, and seem to be consistent with their family and patriotic values. Just ask Tom Delay.

Click below to see the Daily's Show's take on the testimony thus far - thanks as always to Crooks & Liars.