Byron York just published an article based on a new interview with Rove’s lawyer, Robert Luskin. It represents a new evolution for the Rove spin machine. Now, it’s Matt Cooper’s fault. Here is what Luskin told York:

If you read what Karl said to him and read how Cooper characterizes it in the article, he really spins it in a pretty ugly fashion to make it seem like people in the White House were affirmatively reaching out to reporters to try to get them to them to report negative information about Plame.

It’s hard to see how this is relevant. The issue isn’t how Cooper treated Rove. It’s that Rove leaked the identity of an undercover CIA agent to Cooper. It’s also notable that Luskin has dropped Rove’s original spin, which was “I didn’t know her name and I didn’t leak her name“:

Luskin told NRO that Rove is not hiding behind the defense that he did not identify Wilson’s wife because he did not specifically use her name. Asked if that argument was too legalistic, Luskin said, “I agree with you. I think it’s a detail.”

Oh, and by the way, Luskin added that Fitzgerald told him Rove is a “subject” of the investigation.

When will Rove stop attacking others and start taking responsibility for his own actions.

In the press conference this afternoon, reporter Terry Moran grilled White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan about recent talking points attacking Joe Wilson which contained information which could only have come from Karl Rove. It was immediately back to the No Comment defense for McClellan.

MORAN: … Fox News and other surrogates are essentially saying that the conversation lasted for two minutes and that the subject was ostensibly welfare reform. They’re getting that information from here, from Karl Rove.

MCCLELLAN: And, again, you’re asking questions that are related to news reports about an ongoing, continuing investigation. And you’ve had my response on that…

It’s a very good question. While the White House locks down and clams up , is Karl Rove once again in the shadows, secretly spreading information (in this case about an “ongoing investigation”) to try to smear Joe Wilson and influence the media?

WHITE HOUSE REGULAR NEWS BRIEFING
JULY 12, 2005
SPEAKER: SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY

MCCLELLAN: Good afternoon.

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In the press briefing yesterday, White House Secretary Scott McClellan refused to answer a question about whether President Bush still had confidence in Karl Rove, citing an ongoing investigation:

Q Does the President continue to have confidence in Mr. Rove?

MR. McCLELLAN: Again, these are all questions coming up in the context of an ongoing criminal investigation. And you’ve heard my response on this.

Q So you’re not going to respond as to whether or not the President has confidence in his Deputy Chief of Staff?

MR. McCLELLAN: Carl, you’re asking this question in the context of an ongoing investigation. And I would not read anything into it other than I’m simply not going to comment on an ongoing..

—
Today, however, he had no problem answering the question:

QUESTION: Well, he has spoken about these questions that have come up as part of a leak investigation.

So does he retain confidence in Karl Rove specifically?

MCCLELLAN: Yes.

Stay tuned — who knows which questions will be allowed tomorrow.

Since Robert Bork’s nomination for the Supreme Court was defeated in 1987, conservatives have repeatedly complained nominees are being “borked” when they are forced to answer tough questions. The Washington Post captured the anger on the right in a story this morning:

“Robert Bork represented the moment when the left decided they were not going to defer to the president in allowing him to make over the court,” said Sean Rushton, executive director of the Committee for Justice, which was formed to support President Bush’s judicial nominees. “And we’ve been at war ever since.”

But the truth is that the only reason the Bork nomination failed is because he had a radical, out-the-mainstream philosophy. And Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter candidly admitted that fact this morning:

SPECTER: “When we go back to the 1987 — and we hear about that all the time, the Judge Bork proceedings — the interest groups did not defeat Judge Bork — just didn’t happen. It was his judicial philosophy.”

President Bush just held a media availability in the Oval Office with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore. Bush took only one question from the U.S. press — a question about his meetings with Senators this morning to discuss the pending Supreme Court nomination (the same reporter was allowed a follow-up on the Supreme Court question).

The fact that Bush only took one question upends his customary practice of taking two questions per side (2 for the U.S. press and 2 for the press of the visiting dignitary) — examples here, here, and here.

Why was a second question not allowed today?

UPDATE: Bush specifically said “We’ll answer a question apiece.” Why was there only one allowed when the customary practice is for two? Was the White House aware beforehand that the question it was going to be asked had nothing to do with Karl Rove or the leak investigation?

UPDATE (2): A White House reporter who was present during the question and answer session reports that at the end of the session, Bush ignored a reporter’s shouted question about whether he intends to dismiss Karl Rove.

When President Bush named Karl Rove deputy White House chief of staff earlier this year, a position that put him in charge of “coordinating” national security and homeland security, was he aware that Rove had leaked classified information?

In announcing Rove’s new position on February 8, 2005, McClellan said:

In this — in his role, Karl will continue to oversee the strategy to advance the President’s agenda. He will also coordinate policy within the various White House councils, as previous deputy chiefs have done.

I mean, the various councils will continue to develop the policy — the Domestic Policy Council, the National Economic Council, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council. Those are the four White House Councils, really. And Karl will continue to oversee the intergovernment affairs, political affairs, and strategic initiatives.

Obviously, when it comes to Karl, he is one of the President’s most trusted advisors who has played an integral role in the strategy and policy development for a long time. So now he has a more expanded role.