Siegelman's Lament

Don Siegelman got a special pass from Alabama lawmakers to attend Netroots Nation, and he sat down with Air America's Sam Seder for an in-depth discussion of his case. Most of it was devoted to explaining the entire history of Siegelman and Karl Rove in Alabama - you can find plenty of that information in Scott Horton's archives. The story is quite sordid; both US Attorneys in Alabama and a cast of characters worked for years to put Siegelman behind bars. But Siegelman tried to keep the focus off of himself and onto the principle of justice. "My fate is in the hands of the 11th Circuit. What's important is the preservation of the rule of law in this country."

And that means getting Karl Rove in the Congress to testify. He has blown off the House Judiciary Committee, leaving for a paid junket on the day he was set to appear. There's not much time left in the Congressional session to get a resolution on this. At Netroots Nation, Siegelman asked Sen. McCain to step in.

On Friday, former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman called on John McCain to compel his informal adviser Karl Rove to testify before Congress, and to remove Rove from any and all campaign capacities.

"Sen. McCain should distance himself from Karl Rove," said Siegelman. "And I think it is important and a smart political move [for him] to call on Rove to go and obey the law and to show up before the Judiciary Committee, to put his hand on the Bible, and to try to tell the truth - or at least plead the fifth." [...]

...he argued that it was absolutely vital that the presumptive Republican nominee -- who, according to published reports, has received money from and privately consulted with Rove -- insist that the former Bush confidante respect Congress' investigative prerogatives. Barack Obama, he added, should do the same.

"I would like to see Senator Obama speak out on this issue and call on Congress to hold Rove in contempt because no man is above the law," he said. "And I think its set a terrible example going forward if we do not hold Rove accountable."

There's no question. Rove's roots in Alabama go back to the days when he was rigging Supreme Court elections. Siegelman was the one Democrat he could never beat, so he put the full force of federal law to bear to ruin his career and his life. As the former governor said, "if this can happen to me, it can happen to you and your family." We need to send Karl Rove to jail.

UPDATE: At emptywheel's site, both Siegelman and fired US Attorney David Iglesias marvel at the logic that Karl Rove thinks he can avoid testifying by claiming that his role in the US Attorneys probe was part of his "official duties."

Claiming that the performance of "official duties" includes possible unlawful or criminal activity sets a dangerous new precedent, namely that as long as an advisor works in the West Wing of the White House, they have carte blanche to engage in any possible activity without being subject to the rule of law.

Um, yes.