Knoller Knows The White House

CBS' Mark Knoller Answers Viewer Questions

(CBS) 
The question I have is just for general interest. Why is it that every scandal or wanna-be scandal in the world today has to have a name that ends in "gate"? I lived through the Watergate era, which was named for the office building. But what in the world do subsequent scandals have to do with any kind of gate? Can't people be a little more original?

Just curious.
Rev. Dennis Eshelman

You’re right, Reverend. It’s moronic shorthand by reporters. It’s an effort by some of my colleagues - and especially by headline writers - to be cute and suggest that lesser wrongdoing can be compared to Watergate. That was the biggest political scandal of my lifetime and led to the resignation of a President. Should we try to be more original, you bet. And please keep telling us when we fall short of that goal.

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I wish to know why no impeachment proceedings have been initiated against George W. Bush? If Clinton can be impeached for lying, why can't Bush?
Linda DeLeo

You didn’t say what you think President Bush lied about. I presume you think he lied to the nation about the presence of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. To this day, Mr. Bush insists he based that assertion on the best intelligence available to him and to America’s allies. He also says that if he knew then what he knows now, that Iraq had no WMDs, he still would have launched an invasion of Iraq.

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I would like to know why it seems like the Rove-Plame issue seems to keep getting bumped to the rear of the lunch line, so to speak.
Timothy Rinner

I suspect senior officials at the White House would disagree with you, especially spokesman Scott McClellan. But the White House has adopted a stonewall strategy, deciding not to respond to questions about the matter while the investigation of Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is still underway. It is not for lack of effort by reporters that the issue is a bit lower on the national radar screen. But remember this: there’s at least one journalist who knows for certain who first leaked the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame. And that person is columnist Robert Novak. His column of July 2003 broke the story. But Novak refuses to reveal his source - at least not to his readers.

Thanks for your questions. They’re provocative and challenging. Keep ‘em coming.

Mark Knoller
CBS News White House Correspondent

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CBS News White House Correspondents John Roberts, Bill Plante, Mark Knoller and Peter Maer are standing by to take viewer questions. E-mail them at Ask The White House Booth.