OMG... too funny Wil!

I was thinking the EXACT same thing about Karl Rove. Too bad things in Washington aren't run the way the people want them to me.

Andy

Posted by: AndyR at July 15, 2005 12:26 PM

Wow, yeah let's see....the government is more concerned over video games, baseball players and other games than gas prices, a bogus war, and social security.

Posted by: kilnpublications at July 15, 2005 12:33 PM

I think they should investigate GTA:SA and I think the two main findings would be:

1.) This game kicks ass!
2.) Parents really need to learn the rating system better.

Posted by: C.S.Strowbridge at July 15, 2005 12:33 PM

Holy crap! You mean parents might actually have to be responsible and watch what their kids do? WTF is this world coming to? Aren't video game makers supposed to make sure that parents don't have to take care of their children? (insert copious amounts of sarcasm here)

BTW Wil, I'm curious. Do you ever look at any of the blogs that people leave the URLs for in their comments?

Posted by: Notthesameguy at July 15, 2005 12:44 PM

WOW!!! I think that qualifies for a Bart Simpson-esque "Zing!"

Posted by: Hockey_Cop at July 15, 2005 12:48 PM

Go back to playing your card games and leave the important stuff to the grown ups.

Posted by: USC Lord at July 15, 2005 01:05 PM

Nice burn Wil...i give it a 10! USC Lord, Wil's more grown up than you'll ever be...go back to your G.I. Joes.

Posted by: shewhobeatsass at July 15, 2005 01:17 PM

I was going to make a post of my own about how annoyed I am that Hillary decided to make a big deal of this. You beat me to it. Kudos, sir!

The only point you didn't hit was how she's contributing to boosting sales of a nearly year old game. Rockstar should be making contributions on her behalf to EFF or something with the extra profits.

Posted by: ttrentham at July 15, 2005 01:33 PM

I have to say I am torn by this.

In the greater picture kind of thing Mr. Rove, a traitor by most standards, is the greater threat by far.

On the other hand I am not crazy about the fact (if it is a fact, at this point I am not sure) that there is sexually explicit content embedded in the game.

But (and its a big but) if that 12 year old male can download a mod and load it in he is way more sophisticated than he would need to be to find way more sexually explicit stuff than a couple of computer generated hard bodies doing the nasty. Hell he could find the real thing so much easier.

I remember my straight laced sister freaking out when I showed her what her 12 year old son had figured out how to download from USENET.

Its only discussion groups, how bad could it be????

Zod

Posted by: ZodOxide at July 15, 2005 01:35 PM

Yeah, well, even though I tend to be very liberal-minded, I long ago decided the Clintons as a whole are a pretty brainless bunch...The fact that Hilary is a senator saddens me daily. The day that either she or her husband actually spends time and effort on a cause that's actually useful and important will be a very shocking day.

Posted by: Liz at July 15, 2005 01:36 PM

Amen, brother Wil!

Posted by: rcarey1 at July 15, 2005 01:37 PM

"Your transparent pandering to the morality squad is cute and all, but let's face it: you're no Bill Frist."

Tain't no Bill Sceond, neither no how. ..I say I say, that's a joke, son.

Posted by: The Dark Moose at July 15, 2005 01:41 PM

After lurking around your site for about a year, I can now honestly say I agree with one of your political posts entirely. Something must be wrong.

Posted by: astland27 at July 15, 2005 01:51 PM

From what I've read today from the New York Times and Washington Post it looks like Rove didn't do anything illegal which is his claim the entire time. Looks like he was right in saying he didn't leak the name out there. Also looks like Novak and others called him to talk about other things and then asked if he could confirm what they already knew. According to the article in the Washington Post he only said that was what he heard from othe journalists. So it appears what he and his lawyer have been telling the truth the entire time. Zing back

Posted by: j0217995 at July 15, 2005 01:52 PM

I just want to know why nobody bats an eye about the fact that your goal in the game is to shoot cops and hookers but once you have sex OMG OMG PANIC.

Hasn't anyone in America figured out that the violence part is far worse for kids than the sex part? Or is that just ... gahh. The whole thing is absurd.

Posted by: tim at July 15, 2005 01:57 PM

Please tell me you aren't referring to the whole Valerie Plame thing. I think it's been fairly well established that Rove didn't leak her name (it was mentioned to *him*, he didn't even know of her), Plame was not a covert agent at the time (and hadn't been for many years), and Wilson has outright lied about many aspects of the story, on TV and in his book (what Wilson himself calls "A Little Literary Flair").

The funny thing is that Rove was actually trying to be helpful to that reporter (Cooper?) by suggesting that he not go out on a limb with the Wilson story, since Rove knew that Wilson's "report" was not credible and information to that effect was about to be released.

Rove also gave his permission, in writing, a year and half ago, for any reporters to reveal him as a source and what they discussed. Which means that Judith Miller is most likely protecting someone else.

It doesn't appear that Rove broke any laws, or even came close. Even one of the authors of that agent identification law says it doesn't even come close to applying to this situation.

I'm tired of this witch hunt by a bunch of people that just want to smear someone. It's ridiculous. You've got moveon.org idiots out there protesting, demanding that Rove be fired even though they don't even have all the facts in the case. None of us do! Call me crazy, but, let's try this: wait for the investigation to be completed and if it's determined that he leaked the name of a covert CIA age, knowing her to be such, fire him. If not, everyone should shutup and move on with their lives.

Posted by: Jacked at July 15, 2005 01:58 PM

Jacked:

Yes, Rove is being tried in the media.

Yes, we should wait for actual indictments.

Yes, Wilson was biased towards finding information contrary to the Bush Administration.

Rove has a long history of being around slimy political dealings, mostly in my home state of Texas, and also has a long history of avoiding being directly implicated in such dealings.

Given your position on Rove now, I wonder what your position was during Whitewater/Monica Lewinsky when the Clintons were being bombarded by the media. Were you advocating waiting for indictments (which never came) then too? Did you shut up and move on with your life then? Just wondering.

Posted by: ttrentham at July 15, 2005 02:46 PM

Rove is a small fish but part of a huge lie. If BC can be impeaches for protecting his image (which guy wouldn't say "I didn't do it" first?), then why can't W and his admin for creating lies after lies?

But back to the topic. As much I think it is the parents that need to control their kids on what is being played, then why do we have to have this much sex and violence in games? Why not come up with some more creative games without them? We used to. Becoz it is so new and challenging towards the system? I think the gaming industry, and not a senator, needs to search their souls and not their wallets.

Posted by: Quint at July 15, 2005 02:57 PM

Ah, politics. Beying far more conservative than liberal, I enjoy Wil's writings most when it is sans politics. Of course you can't be a very interesting writer without being passionate about things, so I understand and respect his desire to express his views. However, it is good to see that Wil hasn't been fully taken in by the clinton reality distortion field.

Posted by: Zed at July 15, 2005 03:14 PM

Excellent. Thank you for posting this letter.

Posted by: Glyn Evans at July 15, 2005 03:24 PM

Sen. Clinton is just trying to appeal to the wholesome conservatives for her Presidential run in '08.

Posted by: Josh A at July 15, 2005 03:36 PM

I agree 100% on this, and generally I consider myself a fan of Hillary. But yeah alleged acts of treason are a far bigger deal than video games any day of the week. Now at least the truth about this administration's actions and agenda will finally be made public. Let's just make sure Rove and company are finally held accountable.

Posted by: CGG at July 15, 2005 03:43 PM

So let me get this straight.

The premise of the game is that your "hero" steals cars. To do this, he beats up, shoots, or runs over people -- often police officers. He can have sex with prostitutes to restore his strength, then beat them up to get his money back. The missions involve transporting illegal drugs, guns, and other questionable activities. Oh, and when you're not doing all this, you can still score points by ludicrously improbable and dangerous driving.

And it's not until someone figures out that there are explicit sex scenes hidden in the game that there's a public outcry?

I've seen the game (but never played it, not being a fan of controllers with more buttons than I have fingers to press them), and it is fun, but it is so, so not for kids. I don't see how a computer simulation of knockin' boots changes this at all.

Hillary, for the love of all that's holy, find another issue.

Posted by: Andrew at July 15, 2005 03:56 PM

I know people's eyes glaze over when the "Plame Leak" stuff gets too involved, but I must add this to the discussion.

a) Robert Novak, right after his Op-Ed was first published said: "I didn't dig it out, it was given to me," he said. "They thought it was significant, they gave me the name and I used it." -Newsday, July 2003

So, the infamous "two Administration officials" pushed the story out to the media.

b) Even if Rove, or other Administration officials, first heard about Valerie Plame from reporters working on stories (the new RNC talking point), they had an absolute obligation to check whether the information the reporters were "checking on" was classified, and having found out that it was, to NOT COMMENT, and to alert the CIA to the leak, and start investigating the reporters in question.

Somebody in the Administration is going down hard for this, even if Judith Miller keeps covering for them.

Posted by: robespierrette at July 15, 2005 04:24 PM

Yeah, she could stop trying to make herself seem conservative and run as the socialist she is. And they need to leave Rove alone. He has done nothing illegal. And the whole crap with GTA: San Andreas is dumb as hell.

Posted by: renlay at July 15, 2005 04:24 PM

LET ME BE BOMBASTICALLY FRANK:

Mrs. Clinton is an opportunist twat devoid of thinking with reason on subjects that should be important put carry no political payoff.

Posted by: dappermapper at July 15, 2005 04:50 PM

nancy grace - thank you so much for caring about our country, so much that you would dedicate an entire segment to the releasing of Karla Homolka - The most famous or infamous mass murderer Canada has ever produced.

Wil - your site is still cool and yeah, I totally agree with you on your issue with Hillary.

I love America. Its always a warm cozy feeling knowing that the biggest kid on the block is your next door neighbor. USA! USA! USA! Man, I miss that place.

Posted by: justintime181 at July 15, 2005 05:24 PM

Clifford Olsen would be a more prolific mass murderer however you may be correct, justintime that Homolka is probably the most infamous. BTW, it is the women I talk to who have the most comprehensive and sustained venom towards Karla. They want her dead dead dead.

Posted by: dappermapper at July 15, 2005 05:29 PM

It's quite sad how little Americans know about their country and their politicians. That anyone could ever defend Karl Rove is sickening. But that is the type of person attracted to Karl.

I'm so sick of the Bush administration, my head could explode. Our rights are being scaled back as we type. And they make it look like we are getting MORE rights. Amazing.

I have voted Libertarian since I could. The Terrible Twosome SUCK and we get what we deserve for voting for them. Democrats put labels on records and video games, remember. Now Im depressed. Thanks...

Posted by: sthenno at July 15, 2005 05:48 PM

I just noticed that almost every episode of law and order:CSU has the words 'condom' or 'lubricant' in them.

Posted by: Matt at July 15, 2005 06:12 PM

zing!
kudos Wil.

Posted by: carthies at July 15, 2005 06:13 PM

If Hillary wants to unlock some sexually explicit mini games, she should have an extra key made for the bedroom door. :D

Sorry Bill, couldn't help myself...

Posted by: eD at July 15, 2005 07:23 PM

Here here.

Rove was involved somehow. Rove should be fired by the President's own admission. Otherwise, he's just proving that he's not fit to lead. Period.

Seconded.

Posted by: Eric in PA at July 15, 2005 07:26 PM

Irony: I had no idea about this mod until I read this news article. Thanks, Hillary Clinton! I'll go download it right now! =]

Posted by: Mary P at July 15, 2005 07:41 PM

Wil, while I disagree with you about Rove, I agree with you about the trumped-up "investigation" of GTA:San Andreas. (I'd rather see Lady Hildemort, She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, get out of politics entirely, than investigate either one...but that's another story.)

Oh, and I hope she never gets a look at Playboy: the Mansion...she'd probably freak.

Posted by: Erbo at July 15, 2005 07:43 PM

Rock on Wil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Clinton should just keep his Mouth Shut, stay out of the public eye and politics considering all the crap he pulled and all the stuff he prolly pulled that no one has found out about yet.....

A loser in my book if ever there was one..

Of course no politician has been or is perfect, but atleast they could try to be when *Serving the American People!*..

Cheers,

Keith

Posted by: Keith L. Dick at July 15, 2005 07:44 PM

Oops, Wrong Clinton... hehehe..

Same family tho..

Posted by: Keith L. Dick at July 15, 2005 07:46 PM

I agree with you on this Wil, even though we often don't agree on things political.

Today I downloaded the forms necessary to change my party affiliation. I have been a registered Republican since I was 18...21 years now. But, this whole Karl Rove fiasco was the last straw for me. I can no longer allow the Republicans to count me amongst their ranks. Since I tend to be notoriously moderate - I'm socially liberal and fiscally conservative - I have decided to declare myself Independent. Not the Independent party, which is an option, but, as the form states, I wish to "disaffiliate myself with any political party." I won't be any less political, I just won't be force to toe any party line, dammit.

Ok done rambling. I'm just disgusted with the whole system, and wish we could find a way to get it to operate in the way it was originally intended to do so. What we have now is a big, nasty mess.

Posted by: TheSingah at July 15, 2005 08:04 PM

Yeah, the scary thing about this sort of pandering without any reigning in by other Democrats probably means she's their likely choice for 2008, which of course means another 4 years of Republican rule, unless something major happens.

She's no more a leader than George is. I wish someone in the Democratic party would step up to the goddamn plate.

As for GTA.. isn't it funny how all the violence is well, bad m'kay, but holy shit there's sex in there??!! Well, well, lookie here, now someone makes it a point to decry how awful it is.

Someday people will begin to realize that an M game is just like an R movie. Parents let their kids into R movies all the time and I don't see any big media stories about how kids are being exposed to gratuitous sex there. Parents need to stop assuming that all "games" are for "kids".

Posted by: Tim at July 15, 2005 09:12 PM

I thought of you when I read that story. How brutally lame - and it's not even GTA. ARG. As for pandering to the morality squad, yes, it's just sad.

Posted by: doog at July 15, 2005 09:21 PM

Hey Wil,

You're not just saying that because your dulcet tones appear on the game in question, right?

Posted by: Greg at July 15, 2005 10:34 PM

Has the right gone too far? Is it all unravelling for them? I sure hope so. Too bad the left is still trying to pretend they are "Republican Lite.". Ug.

Posted by: Darksun the despairing at July 15, 2005 11:03 PM

Good grief.

Hillary is following the footsteps of Tipper Gore and Lieberman.

Exactly how many generations (of first time voters) is this group trying to turn away from the Democratic party?

Bush 41 won't do an interview with MTV (on camera), goes after Ice-T. Clinton goes on MTV. Clinton wins.

Tipper and Lieberman go after the music industry. W wins.

Hillary goes after video games. Guess who is not going to win.

I know it's a small sample size. Here's an idea: Don't go after pop culture if you want to win the big prize.

The fact that Republicans are identifying themselves with South Park and the so called 'liberal' Democrats are going after music and video games leaves this "Gen X'er" a bit jaded.

The only positive is that this leaves the door wide open for a more moderate non-Clinton to differentiate him/herself from Hillary in the primary.

Posted by: Agent at July 16, 2005 10:05 AM

Wow Wil... It seems you have mixed reviews on this last post.

I would think that as a WRITER, you would be more creative in PERSUASION than be mundane in INSULTS. Although I am on your side on this issue, I for one (being a person of flesh, blood, and feelings) don't personally respond too well to having my psyche verbally slapped around. I'm sure that others (such as senators, etc.) being (almost) human, tend to regard venomous arguments in the same light as considering McDonalds being a gourmet restaurant.

I applaud your sentiment, but your delivery is lackluster and ineffective. If you want in instill cooperation from those who are in office, I would suggest in rallying your resources, opinions, and information to guide these misguided (and often self-serving) individuals in a more ACTIVE recourse than a REACTIVE one.

Wil, you are bright, caring, intelligent, and passionate. Don't mess up your goals by delivering your message like a village idiot. I know that you have higher standards than that! Arrogance doesn’t work well for you. It only gets you into trouble. I am not denying your rights to your opinion, I am just saying that if you want to be effective, don’t be DEfective by speaking with your foot in your mouth. I find that people who practice “Foot In Mouth” language will find that in the long run, they will have a foot implanted where the sun doesn’t shine. You can be an excellent leader by being resolute in your beliefs and persuasive in your arguments, not the other way around.

I hope you don’t think any less of me of expressing my opinion (and this is just MY opinion.) It isn’t easy for me to criticize people I care about. I have always considered you an equal and have never placed you on a pedestal. (Although, I do enjoy the times when we stand on our respective SOAP BOXES.) You have done a wonderful job as a writer, blogger, audio blogger, author, actor, comic, columnist, reviewer, husband, parent and so much more. It is refreshing to always drop in and read your expressive writings and those of your friends, peers, and patrons (along with nerds, geeks, and occasional dorks [hehe]). If you aren’t a person of quality, then just paint STEWPYD on my forehead and call me a cab. (“You’re A CAB!”)

Much Love to You and Your Family. Be Good To Yourself(s) - The One of A Kind (and often illusive) W. Widdoes

Posted by: DustyTymes at July 16, 2005 10:06 AM

well, of our two senators, she's not the worst on the pandering front. Chuck Schumer is guaranteed to show up Ever. Single. Sunday. with a tv press conference about something.

but god forbid you contact either of them as a constituent: I've never gotten a reply to a comment letter (email or snail mail) that I've sent to either of them, so I gave up trying. I know people that have left the party or worse, switched parties, because these two idiots don't respond to constituent mail.

I'd switch back to independent, but staying registered as a democrat lets me keep a closer eye on what they're up to.

Posted by: jbay at July 16, 2005 10:23 AM

ttrentham:

I admit, I don't know anything about Rove's past history.

As for what my position was during the Whitewater/Lewinsky/Paula Jones/Travel Gate/etc time period, it was close to the same. I would have been more than happy if the media had backed-off until there was more to report on (not just the endless speculation and mud-slinging).

But, the Clintons also have a very shady past that , right or wrong, made the speculation very believable. And several people around the Clintons did end up going to jail, many others cut deals, and Bill was impeached and disbarred.

If what you say about Rove's past is true and I had known about it, I might feel the same way about him. I'll certainly research it a little bit. Thanks for the info.

And, just to comment on the other half of Wil's post, about Sen. Clinton and GTA:SA, I fully agree with Andrew's comment above. What's the big deal with the sex when the official parts of the game promote murder (including cop-killing), assault, robbery, reckless driving, etc. Since when did sex become akin to those activities.

BTW, Hi Wil! I forgot to say so in my first post. While we may disagree on some politics, I really enjoy your writings.

Posted by: Jacked at July 16, 2005 01:46 PM

It is essential that we protect the integrity of violent video games whilst ignoring the terrorists who bombed London.

Posted by: kissmychakram at July 16, 2005 05:06 PM

This is for everyone.............

If you haven't already done so, you need to e-mail or write your opinions about this whole Rove/Plame/Wilson issue to all three of your elected representatives. What's happening right now is extraordinarily important and the House and Senate needs to stay on top of it. Unfortunately, all they are doing at the moment is flinging mud and lies at each other. We need to tell them do DO THEIR JOB or get fired!

Posted by: Scott T at July 16, 2005 10:12 PM

Kissmy: What would you propose that Senator Clinton (or, for that matter, Wil and the posters here) do about the London terrorists that isn't already being done more efficiently by the UK authorities?

Despite the best efforts of some people to paint everything in terms of a single issue, all the time, we're a complex enough society that we can occasionally deal with smaller problems while trusting in long-term solutions to the bigger ones. There's really nothing anyone can do about London that isn't already being done (especially given that the bombers seem to have included themselves in their carnage); meanwhile, an elected official is making a raging ass of herself out of, I can only assume, a desire to keep herself in the headlines. It's not unreasonable or disloyal for Wil to point that out, and it doesn't means his sense of solidarity with the victims of the tragic bombings last week is any less.

Incidentally, I don't think many people here are arguing that GTA:SA has redeeming qualities. I'm certainly not. I'm saying that it's stupid to focus on a single offensive scene in a game whose raison d'etre is computerized mayhem. If adults want to play it, more power to 'em; it's not my cup of mocha, but I'm not really of a mind to be yanking the controllers out of the hands of other grown people. I think it's reasonable to keep it away from kids, and -- hey, hey! -- it's got an MA rating on it, so any parents with even a remote sense of propriety are already keeping it out of their homes, which is all they really can do.

Posted by: Andrew at July 16, 2005 10:17 PM

Good point.. I'm fucking tired of hearing the right-wingers in talk radio and the like play Rove's problems down.. "She wasn't REALLY undercover!" "Someone told him first!" "She DESERVED to be outed!" (Yeah, someone on FOX actually said that Karl should get a medal for exposing the CIA Agent.)



No matter what, if he even passed on that info, he fucked up bad. Everyone has always known him to be a no-good dirty-trickster. A revenge-prone evil sumbitch who will break whatEVER laws it takes to get to his target... Just the greatest guy to have in the White House, eh?



Fire him, jail him, sue him. (The CIA agent's career is ruined. Sounds actionable in a civil court to me!)



As far as the GTA:SA thing.. this is fucking ridiculous. From the sounds of things, she is talking about a HACK, and not even the real game itself! WTF sort of footing is that?!



I will pray every day to keep Clinton from running in the next race for the presidency. I'm agnostic, but I'll do anything at this point.. I see this coming and it scares me. Clinton runs, but she could NEVER win. So, we get some other evil fuck Republican for four years..



Christ, this freedom sure is hard work to maintain. Might as well get rid of it.

Posted by: Nemmeran at July 17, 2005 04:03 AM

Just so we're clear here... even if a Congressional investigation into the Plame scandal would be time better spent than a Congressional investigation into a video game... can't we agree that both are a colossal waste of time!!!!!!

I mean, come on... who cares? Aren't there some bills to pass? Energy bill? Highway bill? Social Security?

We're wasting time with a covert/non-covert CIA agent and a video game?

Get to work, please. These calls for more investigation don't help either... IMO.

Posted by: CJ at July 17, 2005 12:55 PM

Andrew - mention them. In the past Wil has acknowledged the various acts of 9/11, the Madrid attrocities, the shuttle disaster(s) and various unpleasant acts perpertrated by the US government. As well he should.

But still, he has ignored the London Bombings. I did not expect him to put forth a diatribe against terrorist factions, but given his past behaviour, I did at least expect him to acknowledge that it happened,(perhaps by having a .gif of a Union Jack on his main page). And I am disappointed that he did not.

Posted by: kissmychakram at July 17, 2005 03:33 PM

“First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.”

—Martin Niemoeller

I believe it is very important to Speak Out. It is important to put pressure on our "Leaders" regarding things that are truly important. Just be careful not to bite their heads off in the process. (It makes it hard for them to see and they keep on running into walls - NOT a pretty sight!)

If you want to put your best foot forward, you may contact your Senator or Representative (See Links At End Of Message)
Yes, I know... you may feel that this is futile effort on your part as if you are just one drop in the ocean, but with enough input from others, we can move mountains. (Okay, a bit cliché, but it makes for point.) All you need to do to make YOUR point known is by following a suggested guideline.

• State Who You Are (and address for reference)
• State Subject of Message
• Then your Brief view/belief/opinion on the subject.

If you want to give Details, add that AFTER your input. The reason is obvious. Members of our political parties get TONS of mails, e-mails and phone calls. It's better for them to know your choices UP FRONT than to search through a lot of content before even knowing your point. At least with the BRIEF HEADER format you have a quick WHO-WHERE-WHAT-YOUR POINT right off the bat for them to reference. The WHY should only follow AFTER your point.

Another important thing about contacting, avoid insulting or belittling them (unless, of course, you're family!). It won't help your cause. It 100% okay to be angry and aggrivated (Just say so!). But if you can manage, express the importance of your issue and how vital THEY are to bringing about change. Yes...It's "kissing political BUTT", but the gears of politics runs better on it than verbally spitting into their faces.

Please understand...Politics for the most part turns my stomach. There always seem to be a stench coming from "The Hill". On the other (not so clean) hand, it's a hell of a lot better than many other govermental systems. We might as well to do OUR best to effect change by at least making an effort to work with it. If we TRULY want changes, we can show it in our polls by SHOWING UP for the vote.

To Contact Your Senator:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

To Contact Your Representative:
http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Posted by: DustyTymes at July 18, 2005 02:47 AM

I think lots of people are missing the real point.

Rove may have mishandled classified information (whether he did and what action may be necessary is the purpose of the Grand Jury investigation). And from my training and experience (I was the security manager/intelligence officer for a combat engineer battalion in Germany in the 1980s), if there is even the slightest doubt that someone has mishandled classified information (or even some doubt about their ability to handle it) their security clearance is to be immediately pulled (or not granted in the first place). Were I the (White House) security manager there wouldn't be any waivering and there wouldn't be any speculation about if he used her actual name (come on! saying it's so-and-so's wife is tantamount to pinning a name and if that's your defense you should be laughed at all the way to your prison cell) or if he knew she was operating covertly (if it's known then there's no possiblity of ever using her covertly, is there moron?) or if he meant to (no, stupidity isn't a crime, but are there some times and places where it should be?), the security clearance would be gone (with no possiblity of parole).

[That leaves aside doing what you've promised people you would since this Administration (and perhaps the Clinton one too, to cast my stones fairly) has no problem lying and backpedaling. And if he is guilty that's a matter for the investigation. What the media is doing is just part and parcel for "modern" "journalism" (since facts and impartiality have little to do with it these days).]

Given that we have military operations in two theaters right now, what other classified information is he going to find it politically expedient to release? And how many soldiers, airmen, sailors (and even civilians) will die because of it?

I don't trust him enough to take the chance.

Posted by: Banzai at July 18, 2005 08:36 AM

Getting back on-topic for a few seconds, did anyone notice that Wil has a credit in the game? He's listed under "Radio Station Caller".

While probably not the highest paying gig, and while I agree completely with Wil's stance on the issue at hand, it does kind of put the letter in a slightly different light in that "don't mess with my income"/conflict-of-interest sort of way.

I don't check the WWDN site all that frequently, so I'll have to search a bit to see if he's posted anything about his work on San Andreas. Full disclosure is always a good thing...

And before everyone hangs me out to dry - I have nothing but respect for you, Wil. Every time I read one of your "fatherhood" stories, I can't help but give you a quiet little cheer for taking the time to help your kids grow up right. I can only hope I do half the job you're doing. Keep on keepin' on!

Posted by: racermd at July 19, 2005 05:03 PM

I think Wil hit it right on the head this time, both in terms of content and delivery.

We live in a soundbite culture. Politicians don't seem capable of delivering a message unless it's four syllables or less so why should we assume they can understand one that's much longer? In any case, I'd be willing to bet the odds of a full-page rant getting anything but assignment to the circular file by Mrs. Clinton's staff are next to zero.

Anyone who has been following the controversy around GTA in the popular press knows that this is pure political posturing because the game is played from the point-of-view of a criminal in a world where explicit and extreme sex and violence are the norms.

Big deal. "The Sopranos" does the exact same thing on TV and it's hailed as dramatic genius; the Bush administration is doing much of the same in Iraq, and it's called American foreign policy.

Posted by: jtoc72 at July 20, 2005 05:08 AM

Wil,

This post was just quoted in The Washington Post. Well, at least in the Express edition, which is the free abridged version they hand out on the DC Metro.

Posted by: Tassach at July 20, 2005 07:35 AM

CJ:

LOOK OVER THERE!
No, you GOP types can't force us to put our eye off the (butter) ball, i.e. Rove.
The Democrats are more than willing to do so.

Posted by: Assamite at July 20, 2005 07:38 AM