What's a good conspiracy story without a chart?
Raw Story suggests that former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman -- convicted of corruption last year and now serving a seven-year federal sentence -- was the victim of a right-wing plot orchestrated by Karl Rove and various minions, including Republican consultant Bill Canary and his wife, Leura Canary, and former Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor, whom President Bush appointed a to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
(Via Memeorandum)
Let's play devil's advocate for a minute:
- 1. The fact that Karl Rove associates with Republicans is not evidence of a conspiracy. Partisan politics works that way. Republicans know, work with, and assist fellow Republicans, and the same is true of Democrats. Rove is, and has been for many years, one of the top campaign operatives in the GOP. The disclosure that Rove had dealings with Alabama Republicans is, therefore, not news.
- 2. Whatever the extent of cooperation among Republicans involved in Siegelman's conviction, does that in any way exculpate Siegelman for his corruption? Siegelman wasn't convicted by Karl Rove, but by a federal jury. This is kind of like Hillary Clinton claiming that her husband's misfortunes were the result of a "vast right-wing conspiracy" -- as if President Clinton was not responsible for his Oval Office dalliances and subsequent perjury.
- 3. The great thing about accusations of conspiracy is the implicit (and impossible) requirement that critics of the conspiracy theory prove a negative. It's like the JFK assassination -- no matter how many times it is pointed out that Lee Harvey Oswald was an avowed Marxist and Castro supporter, a Marine-trained marksman who fired three shots from the Texas School Book Depository, conspiracy theorists always answer, "Yes, but what about ....?"
-- Robert Stacy McCain, assistant national editor, The Washington Times
UPDATE 7 p.m.:
Linked at Hot Air Headlines and The Sundries Shack.
Comments (7)
More left wing NAZI nut jobs in the wood work!!!
Posted by Brian E. Orgeron | December 17, 2007 3:49 PM
I seen a second shooter on the grassy knoll. oops, it's was Howard Dean. (insert your favorite scream here)
Posted by J. D. Smith | December 17, 2007 5:26 PM
Okay, I'll bite and assume this is all some wacky conspiracy theory.
Please explain to me then:
Why did Republicans lock up the courthouse in Baldwin County and do a second illegal recount of the votes in the Governor's race without a Democrat present in 2002?
And why, was this second illegal count certified THE VERY NEXT DAY (Wednesday) against Alabama law that stated the results could not be certified before Noon on Friday?
And the kicker, why would a voting machine in a district that has tops 3000 voters be responsible for Don Siegelman losing 6000 votes? And why would no other vote totals change in that race?
Now you guys go on telling me how corrupt Siegelman is. Case of pot calling kettle black, don't you think?
Posted by Maybe a conspiracy theorist | December 17, 2007 6:49 PM
"Space Aliens from the Pentagon" was a better read....
Posted by Eric Jette | December 18, 2007 12:17 AM
Then it's true that the whole world is connected through Kevin Bacon?
Posted by Larry Stone | December 18, 2007 12:58 AM
We should not forget that there are pictures of Rove shaking a Rabbi's hand within three days of meeting senior military officers responsible for Area 51 thus proving the Jewish Alien connection.
Washington, being near the Atlantic....Atlantic/Atlantis, a coincidence, I think not.
Meanwhile my staff continues to project the measurements of the great pyramid through a numerological matrix proving the pyramid's layout projects the name Rove torward the star Polaris.
Posted by Ted Baar | December 18, 2007 11:03 PM
How interesting that the author and those who chose to comment (with the exception of a Maybe conspiracy theorist) used the proven strategy of ridicule and fallacies in an effort to dismiss the allegations detailed in the Raw Story multi-part article. Maybe the Grinch in the White House will commute Siegelman's sentence like he did Scooter Libby's and everyone will have a Merry Christmas! Fat chance... Less than a year to go. It can't happen soon enough for me.
Posted by Dee Aiche | December 24, 2007 7:20 AM