In the hot seat at the White House

Re “Bush Reserves Judgment on Rove Amid Probe,” July 14:

The only thing more ludicrous than White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan’s previous claims that no member of the Bush administration had anything to do with naming a CIA agent to the press is McClellan’s current statements that talking about such things to the press is now inappropriate.

Of course, the most ludicrous statement comes from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove himself, claiming he “didn’t know” that former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson’s wife was an agent.

Bob Loza

Burbank

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Re editorial cartoon, July 14:

Do you suppose the bull referred to in the latest Michael Ramirez cartoon is Rove’s ridiculous claim that because he never actually referred to Valerie Plame by name, only as Wilson’s wife, he didn’t out her as a CIA operative? I sure hope First Lady Laura Bush’s husband, whoever that might be, keeps his promise to fire anyone who leaked classified information.

Tim Paine

Studio City

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Re “Republicans Outside the White House Are Talking,” July 13

So the official Republican line is that Rove outed Plame “to discourage a reporter from writing a story that was false.” But the story, that there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein trying to purchase weapons-grade uranium, was true, so that line has no credibility.

Rove was clearly trying to punish Wilson for giving the truth about this administration’s lies, to punish him by putting his wife and her co-workers in danger.

This is no witch hunt by the Democrats; it’s a hunt by the administration, and the game is anyone who tells truths that is damaging to it.

David James

Long Beach

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Re “Uproar Has Roots in Rove’s Vast Reach,” July 13:

With all due respect, the “uproar” over Rove has its roots in the liberals’ hatred of the Bush administration, and the eagerness of their house organ of propaganda -- the leftist media -- to dig up anything that will cause a “scandal.”

As a principal element of the Democratic Party’s wholly owned subsidiary -- known as the “mainstream media” -- The Times shares much of the responsibility for this manufactured hysteria.

James F. Glass

Chatsworth

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National security would be better served if Bush came up with an exit strategy for Rove.

Chase Webb

Branscomb, Calif.