Ducklings Quack Up Press During Rove Testimony

April 26, 2006 — -- A mother duck and her eight little ducklings upstaged White House aide Karl Rove as he testified before a grand jury at the U.S. courthouse in Washington, D.C., today.

The mama duck led her eight little offspring around the courthouse grounds before they decided not to bother waiting for Rove to emerge after his testimony on who leaked the name of an undercover CIA officer.

But crossing busy Pennsylvania Avenue in midafternoon can be dangerous. So reporters and camera crews waiting for Rove dashed out into the street ahead of the ducks and halted traffic.

The ducks crossed the wide avenue with the U.S. Capitol in the background, while cars stopped in both directions. But when they got to the other side the little ducklings couldn't make it up the curb.

Once again the journalists came to the rescue and lifted the little ducks so they could join their waiting mother.

Once safely across the street and on the sidewalk, the duck family decided to visit to the National Gallery of Art, which was apparently a lot more interesting to them than watching the proceedings at the courthouse.