Karl Rove Responds to '60 Minutes'

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Picture Imperfect

The Barack Obama campaign is slamming the Hillary Clinton campaign over circulation of a 2-year-old picture showing Obama dressed as a Somali elder.

The picture was taken in 2006 during a visit to Wajir, in northeastern Kenya. The Drudge Report Web site says the photo was e-mailed by the Clinton campaign, along with the question: "Wouldn't we be seeing this on the cover of every magazine if it were Hillary Rodham Clinton?"

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe accused the Clinton campaign of divisive politics and "shameful, offensive fear-mongering." The Clinton campaign, while not admitting it sent the photo, said "If Barack Obama's campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed."

Perfect Stranger

Karl Rove says he does not recall ever meeting the woman who is accusing him of asking her to help dig up dirt on former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman and was never given a chance to respond to charges she made Sunday on "60 Minutes." Rove is the former top political adviser to President Bush and is now a FOX News contributor.

Sunday night, an Alabama lawyer named Jill Simpson said on CBS' "60 Minutes" that Rove was behind an effort to derail Democrat Siegelman's effort to win back his office in 2006 -- after losing it in 2002. Simpson said Rove asked her to get pictures of Siegelman in a compromising sexual position with an aide. But the Associated Press reports Simpson has never made that allegation before -- despite several hours of interviews with congressional lawyers, reporters and a sworn affidavit.

"60 Minutes" said in its piece, "We contacted Rove. Through his lawyer, he denied Simpson's allegations." But Rove and his attorney Robert Luskin say CBS brought up the allegations only in an off-the-record telephone interview last October. Luskin says, "After '60 Minutes' made the decision to publicize these charges, no one from '60 Minutes' approached Mister Rove or gave him an opportunity to respond on the record."

Money Crunch

Police in the suburban Chicago town of Carpentersville say the Internal Revenue Service is seeking back taxes on $60,000 of income and unemployment benefits from a 7-year-old whose identity was stolen.

The victim's mother tried to claim the boy as a dependent on her 2007 income tax return. But she was told by the IRS she could not because his Social Security number was being used by someone else. Police say a suspect in custody used the boy's personal information to get work, buy a truck, pay bills and collect benefits.

Now the IRS is said to be holding the second-grader liable for the taxes and has sent him a notice demanding payment.

Smooth Operators?

Fifty-seven men have been arrested in Saudi Arabia for flirting with women in front of shopping centers in the holy city of Mecca. Media reports say the men are also accused of dancing to pop music blaring from their cars and wearing improper clothing.

The country's religious police often target young people accused of not adhering to a strict Islamic lifestyle. People who know some of those arrested say the young men were just having fun and were not violating laws governing the segregation of the sexes.

— FOX News Channel's Martin Hill contributed to this report.