A Shadowy Figure

Nearly two years ago, the identity of a CIA agent was "leaked" to the press by an unnamed government official and reported in the media. This CIA agent happened to be married to a former Ambassador who had recently written a New York Times op-ed critical of President Bush's claim that Saddam Hussein was seeking uranium from Africa. The resulting investigation reached a breakthrough this week, when e-mails sent by reporter Matt Cooper of Time to his editors pointed towards Karl Rove, President Bush's must trusted advisor, as the unnamed source.

The White House has been completely silent on this matter.

One issue is whether the President will follow through on a pledge to remove anyone in his administration found responsible for the "leak." Another is whether the "leak" Rove may have made is "illegal." A third is whether, accussed of a crime or not, Rove's reputation would be so damaged that he would be forced to resign. Bush and Rove enjoy a long-time, close-knit relationship; the President dubbed Rove the "architect" of his highly contested but successful 2004 reelection bid.

The potential exile of Rove would deprive the President and the Republican Party of their chief political strategist. That he might depart in scandal threatens to cast a pall on the same Republican leadership that is responsible for the GOP's recent gains.

I think there is a larger concern in this story: the power of "shadowy" aides such as Rove within the uppermost level of our government. By "shadowy," I mean outside the public spotlight and the public scrutiny. Rove has a heavy hand in the President's policies, yet few Americans know who he is. Americans re-elected President Bush, either unaware or unconcerned with the fact that they were also re-electing Karl Rove. Rove is not even a member of the Cabinet or Judiciary, meaning he is not held up to the scrutiny of the Congress either. The most powerful people in our government seem exempt from the concept of "checks and balances."

A joke I often make when comparing the career of a bureaucrat to the career of a politician is that "they don't have to vote you in, and they can't vote you out." While this applies to bureaucrats, it also applies to political aides such as Karl Rove. Political aides have more power, as they are able to coerce bureaucrats into making policy decisions that overlap with political interests (Rove is a master at this). Political aides also have some power over the media.

It should concern us that one of our President's closest aides may have engaged in inappropriate, unethical, and possibly illegal activity. But it is more important that we ask oursevles who Karl Rove is, what he represents, and why he is such an important figure in our government.