Canceled Appearances Add Up to Indictments, Dems Suggest

(CNSNews.com) - Democrats counting on indictments of White House officials are counting their canceled appearances as an indication that the proverbial shoe is about to drop.

Andrew Card, the White House chief of staff, abruptly canceled a Republican Party fundraiser in Milwaukee Wednesday night, something the Democratic National Committee attributed to "the cloud of controversy swirling around the White House."

The DNC noted that Card's decision to cancel the Milwaukee fundraiser came after Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove also canceled various appearances this month.

The Associated Press reported that Rove bowed out of three events, including fundraisers in Connecticut and Virginia, supposedly because of the investigation into the White House leak of Valerie Plame's identity.

"Apparently, the Republican Party's culture of corruption in Washington is keeping Andrew Card too busy to come to Milwaukee," said Democratic National Committee Spokesman Damien LaVera in a press release issued Wednesday evening.

"With the White House in disarray and preparing for possible indictments against President Bush's deputy chief of staff and Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, I can see why Card would have to join Karl Rove in canceling high-profile speaking events."

The press release makes it clear that Democrats are framing the debate over the White House leak to include a condemnation of the war in Iraq.

"Apparently, Wisconsinites will have to wait for another opportunity to hear Card's explanation of why the Bush administration manipulated intelligence to win support for the war in Iraq, orchestrated a broad campaign to smear opponents of that war, and set out to cover up those actions," LaVera concluded.

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