There have been a few consistent rhetorical points coming from the White House and other Karl Rove defenders over the last week or so: the WH is cooperating with the investigation, Rove should keep his job, and the controversy itself is not all that important.
On each of these three points, the public clearly disagrees.
Just a quarter of Americans think the White House is fully cooperating in the federal investigation of the leak of a CIA operative’s identity, a number that’s declined sharply since the investigation began. And three-quarters say that if presidential adviser Karl Rove was responsible for leaking classified information, it should cost him his job.
Skepticism about the administration’s cooperation has jumped. As the initial investigation began in September 2003, nearly half the public, 47 percent, believed the White House was fully cooperating. That fell to 39 percent a few weeks later, and it’s lower still, 25 percent, in this new ABC News poll.
One of the many interesting tidbits from the poll is the fact that even Republicans responded with great concern about this controversy. Less than half of the Republicans polled believe the Bush White House is fully cooperating with the investigation, while nearly three out of four Republicans believe Rove should be fired if he leaked classified information.
In fact, it’s also worth noting that rank-and-file Republicans outside of DC have generally taken the right approach to this story for a long while. Way back in October 2003, While GOP talking heads were dismissing the scandal in the media, Republicans in an earlier Post/ABC poll largely agreed with the rest of us — 72% of Republicans agreed that this is a serious matter and 52% of Republicans believed a special counsel should be named to investigate the matter.
Apparently, no one likes it when White House thugs expose the identity of an undercover CIA agent, regardless of party affiliation.
The scandal is also beginning to capture the public’s attention.
Fifty-three percent are following the issue closely — a fairly broad level of attention. Those paying close attention (who include about as many Republicans as Democrats) are more likely than others to call it very serious, to say the White House is not cooperating, to say Rove should be fired if he leaked, and to say Miller is doing the right thing.
And this came before Rove was the cover boy for Time and Newsweek.
The more people hear and learn about this controversy, the more they believe it’s a serious matter that should, at a minimum, drive Rove from the White House. All the more reason to keep emphasizing the story’s significance.