Ex-governor says he was target of Republican plot, From the Los Angeles Times, June 26, 2007, Copyright 2007 Los Angeles Times The Alabama Democrat, fighting a 30-year sentence, and his supporters contend that his prosecution was a political strategy led by Karl Rove. By Tom Hamburger and David G. Savage, Times Staff Writers, tom.hamburger@latimes.com david.savage@latimes.com It may be a long shot as a legal argument, but at least one influential Republican and a number of Democrats are questioning whether politics may have played a role in the case.