As the controversy surrounding Karl Rove drags on, Sen. Pat Roberts is getting some notice in the blogosphere.Rove, of course, is accused in some quarters of leaking the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame as retribution against her husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who had accused the Bush Administration of ignoring evidence that didn’t match its drive to invade Iraq — specifically, that there was little information to believe, as President Bush had claimed, that Iraq had tried to obtain yellowcake uranium from Niger.As the heat has turned up in recent days, conservative bloggers have pulled up a July 2004 Roberts press release suggesting that Wilson was mistaken in his accusations.Roberts’ press release said: “During Mr. Wilson’s media blitz, he appeared on more than thirty television shows including entertainment venues. Time and again, Joe Wilson told anyone who would listen that the President had lied to the American people, that the Vice President had lied, and that he had ‘debunked’ the claim that Iraq was seeking uranium from Africa. As discussed in the Niger section of the report, not only did he NOT ‘debunk’ the claim, he actually gave some intelligence analysts even more reason to believe that it may be true. I believed very strongly that it was important for the Committee to conclude publicly that many of the statements made by Ambassador Wilson were not only incorrect, but had no basis in fact. “In an interview with Committee staff, Mr. Wilson was asked how he knew some of the things he was stating publicly with such confidence. On at least two occasions he admitted that he had no direct knowledge to support some of his claims and that he was drawing on either unrelated past experiences or no information at all. For example, when asked how he ‘knew’ that the Intelligence Community had rejected the possibility of a Niger-Iraq uranium deal, as he wrote in his book, he told Committee staff that his assertion may have involved ‘a little literary flair.’ “The former Ambassador, either by design or through ignorance, gave the American people and, for that matter, the world a version of events that was inaccurate, unsubstantiated, and misleading. Surely, the Senate Intelligence Committee, which has unique access to all of the facts, should have been able to agree on a conclusion that would correct the public record. Unfortunately, we were unable to do so.”The press release has been linked, in recent days, by conservative sites here and here. Bloomberg News reports on the controversy here. A liberal Web site tries to debunk the attack here.Other links:Sam Brownback links (Boston Globe op-ed) Faith, science meet in space: The politics of faith and science is rife with contradiction and misguided intentions. For example, in 2000, Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas lent his support to the reelection bids of those conservative state Board of Education members who voted to remove evolutionary theory from the required state curriculum. He also sits on the Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space, which recently approved more than $16 billion for NASA. So why is Brownback voting to spend money on science that in effect supports fundamental implications of evolutionary theory, that things evolve slowly, over long pressures and geologic changes, and that to even get to an Earth capable of a seven day miracle you need billions of years?(NY Times) Texas senator wades into Supreme Court fray: Now the Supreme Court fight could get much more personal for (Sen. John) Cornyn. He is among those being mentioned as a possible nominee. … Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., a strong social conservative, said Cornyn also won the respect of some of his colleagues with his work on behalf of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages, an initiative that failed but paid some political dividends for Republicans. “It was something that a number of older members don’t like to handle, social issues,” Brownback said. “That really gave him stature with the broader caucus at a very early setting.”(Wichita Eagle) Coming soon to your TV: year-round political ads: n Wichita earlier this year, ads ran on television stations attacking Sen. Sam Brownback over his vote to create a government-managed asbestos claim trust fund. Those ads were produced by the Senate Accountability Project, a liberal 527 based in Dallas. The group’s founder, trial lawyer Mark Iola, said it exists to “promote progressive politics and hold Democrats and Republicans accountable for their votes.”(Nashua (N.H.) Telegraph) Vt. candidate turns to some familiar faces: House Deputy Majority Leader Fran Wendelboe, R-New Hampton, can be forgiven for not jumping into the lap of Kansas Republican Sen. Sam Brownback after getting a courtesy call last week. Brownback told Wendelboe he’s serious about the exploratory effort for president but called to talk about issues that are playing in New Hampshire. “I’ve not had great luck with Kansas,” she quipped. Wendelboe jumped hard and early onto the bandwagons of both Dole for president campaigns Bob’s effort in 1996 and Elizabeth’s aborted run four years later. Dennis Moore links (Wichita Eagle) Identity theft is growing concern: A 2003 bill helped consumers better watch for signs of identity theft by allowing them one free credit report a year from each of the three major credit bureaus. Now, well-publicized security breaches at companies that sell consumer data have prompted federal lawmakers to take another run at the problem. The challenge is to find a system that helps citizens protect themselves while maintaining the convenience demanded by Americans who want credit, fast. “We want to protect the consumer without putting an undue burden on business,” said Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Lenexa.Jim Ryun links (Agape Press) Commentary & News Briefs: A Kansas lawmaker says his recent visit to the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba allowed him to see first-hand that the prisoners being held there are being well fed and receiving excellent medical care. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Republican Jim Ryun was part of a recent bi-partisan delegation that inspected the military prison. Ryun was impressed with what he saw. “We had the opportunity to not only tour the facilities but eat a detainee lunch,” he says. “We observed some interrogation, and I came away with the strong feeling that we’re doing very, very well in terms of the way we’re taking care of the prisoners that are there, the enemy combatants.How to contact As always, you can find information to contact members of the Kansas congressional delegation here.